‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Tees up a Serving of Slapstick Nostalgia for Adam Sandler Fans

Alci Rengifo

“Happy Gilmore 2” is made for a corner of Netflix reserved for members of a particular kind of cult following. With the freedom afforded by streaming, it feels designed solely for diehard fans of the original “Happy Gilmore” from 1996, which in turn helped start the Adam Sandler brand. The hot-tempered maniac with a heart of gold and bad jokes got started in the golf course three decades ago, setting off a chain of movies like “Anger Management” that have become comfort food for many. This update on Sandler’s popular wannabe hockey player turned pro golfer is not the worst of the recent string of legacy sequels. Instead of feeling like it wants to kick start a whole new series it functions like a wacky tribute.

What may take fans by surprise is how somber the beginning of the sequel gets. 30 years have passed since Happy Gilmore (Sandler) won six tour championships and found fame and some fortune with his powerful swing, remember the one that sends golf balls streaking across the sky like meteors. We learn he went on to have five children with wife Virginia (Julie Bowen). Well, it turns out during a tournament Happy accidentally killed Virginia by sending his golf ball straight at her. Now, he’s a depressed widower and alcoholic. As a result, Happy loses most of his money and has to downgrade the family to a grittier neighborhood. When daughter Charlotte (Sadie Sandler) gets the chance to attend the Paris Opera Ballet School, Happy’s only chance at affording it is to get back in the game and play to qualify in the U.S. Bank Tour Championship’s top five. Happy is also the target of Frank Manatee (Benny Safdie), who wants to upend traditional golf with his new, obstacle course-style league, Maxi Golf.

In the major deal Sandler has with Netflix to produce content, he has dabbled in some real throwaway titles and some genuine bursts of creativity like the underrated “Spaceman.” This sequel to one of his defining characters falls somewhere in-between. It’s directed with glossy style by Kyle Newacheck and doesn’t feel like a full retread to the ‘90s. Sandler is now 58 and his Happy is still nuts but written by Sandler and Kyle Newacheck as someone with more scars, reflection and a tiny bit of grown up wisdom. The absurdist plot is designed to function like a big reunion where we catch up with favorite characters. Remember “One” Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald), Happy’s golf diva rival from the first movie? He’s been institutionalized after going crazy and gets released just in time for Frank Manatee to try and recruit him. When Happy attends group recovery meetings to deal with his alcoholism, the head of the group turns out to be Hal L. (Ben Stiller). It’s impossible to forget him as the nefarious nurse from the retirement home where Happy’s beloved Grandma was trapped in the original movie.

There is plenty more including the return of funny side characters from the first “Happy Gilmore,” or at least their offspring. This movie also throws in celebrity cameos that include Eric Andre, Margaret Qualley, Eminem (who gets a particularly ridiculous moment of dumb fun), Travis Kelce and John Daly. Even Bad Bunny shows off his comedy chops as Oscar, Happy’s new Caddy who will do anything for his boss, while bringing in a crazy cousin to lend himself for golf ball target practice. There is Haley Joel Osment as one of Happy’s new rivals, looking self-assured and mean on the course. For fans of the original, hearts will surely be tugged when they see Verne Lundquist at 85 coming back as our required sports commentator during Happy’s tantrums and antics. A brawl between Happy and Shooter at a gravesite turns into a slapstick tribute to cast members that have died, like Carl Weathers, who played Chubbs Peterson, Happy’s trainer with a wooden hand. The late Bob Parker also gets a little nod in there and in an earlier scene where we learn his fight with Happy has been immortalized in a video game.

You get the picture. If you loved “Happy Gilmore,” then “Happy Gilmore 2” has been made specifically for your nostalgia. Adam Sandler movies in their heyday defined dumb fun and that spirit is revived here through the jokes about Manatee having fatally bad breath, Happy being unable to go to his “happy place” fantasy of Virginia with beer because, well, he stopped drinking beer, and the need to save traditional golf from Maxi Golf. Steve Buscemi jumps in to keep that more classic style of Sandler comedy going as Bad Neighbor Pat, who lives down the street and tends to urinate into mail boxes. What matters is that everyone is clearly having a good time going along with the spirit of the movie. Sandler’s daughter, Sadie, is the one tasked with seeming sane and confused at the craziness. It is humor following the tradition of “The Three Stooges” and their ilk. This isn’t a sequel we necessarily needed, but it is done with the kind of gusto that defines its audience. 

“Happy Gilmore 2” begins streaming July 25 on Netflix.