Set twenty-nine years after the first film, Happy Gilmore (played again by Adam Sandler) has given up golf after accidentally killing his wife, Virginia (played again by Julie Bowen) during one of his tournaments. Trying to raise five kids while working in a supermarket, Happy is convinced to return to the sport after learning that his daughter, Vienna (played by Sunny Sandler) has the chance to enrol in a fancy ballet academy in Paris (which would cost $75,000 yearly).
After slowly getting his swing back, Happy starts entering competitions to earn money, but winds up clashing with Frank Manatee (played by Ben Safdie), the creator of a new form of golf named ‘Maxi Golf’ who remains bitter after Happy turned down his offer to join and is now gunning to overtake classic golf. Now involved in a competition between regular golf and Maxi golf, Happy is still burdened by the loss of his wife but will use the love for his children and the sport that made him famous to once again come out on top.
HAPPY GILMORE 2 is a very unnecessary sequel, and the time passed since the first will weaken the amount of blind nostalgia people are willing to give it, but for what could’ve been an atrocious second round, it’s more of an underwhelming tea off.
Happy Madison Productions being involved should be worrisome as they’ve been responsible for some of the worst Adam Sandler films released, but having Sandler and returning screenwriter, Tim Herlihy, write the script at least meant the film’s identity wouldn’t be entirely lost. While Sandler had several ideas for another Happy Gilmore film, it’s hard to see what more could be brought to an already pretty one-note idea, yet it still came to be, and you both can and can’t see the potential for this follow-up.
It has a very formulaic narrative that occasionally retreads the first film, and the dialogue and comedic situations are far less unexpected and sporadic, resulting in a much safer movie that can’t even rely on unpredictability to get an occasional laugh. It’s somehow longer than the first despite not having that much more story, with that time usually being dedicated to random cutaway skits that add very little, and while there’s an occasional decent idea like an ‘’extreme sportz’’ version of golf and having Happy (the one who inspired it) fight for the traditional version, it doesn’t do enough with them in a dramatic or even comedic sense to feel worth it. Despite its clear flaws, the movie really isn’t as terrible as it could’ve been and doesn’t come close to the worst of Sandler or Happy Madison. The directing by Kyle Newacheck doesn’t improve anything but at least feels competently executed, the comedy never gets a laugh but won’t result in many groans, the actors are trying much harder than they need to, and the familial component and generic sense of euphoric engagement that comes with any sports-related set-up gives it a modicum of sentimentality.
Adam Sandler’s performance almost feels like a complete 180 to how he was in the first film, with the more emotional and dramatic moments (if you can call them that) being surprisingly heartfelt thanks to Sandler’s legitimately good delivery and expressions, and the comedic moments feeling pretty tired and uninspired (which were the parts Sandler did the best previously). It’s not painfully bad or overly crass like some of his other work, but it isn’t really funny, which can also be said for the other cast members.
Most of the supporting actors are trying to bring life and personality to these roles, but whether newly added or returning, none of them really leave that much of an impression. Despite being the driving force behind the film, Vienna doesn’t get much screen time or that much personality, and Happy’s four sons are really just used for jokes, but they do share a believable family dynamic which leads to some endearing scenes. While it’s nice to see Christopher McDonald and Ben Stiller reprise their roles, the film doesn’t really know what to do with them, Ben Safdie is pretty embarrassing as the villain as he offers nothing of value and feels incredibly basic and uninteresting, Julie Bowen is strangely given second billing despite barely being featured, the film wastes surprise cameos from people like Margaret Qualley, Haley Joel Osmond and Steve Buscemi, and people like Bad Bunny, John Daly and Lavell Crawford (who are clearly mirroring past roles) don’t manage the same level of memorability as who they are referring to.
For a Happy Gilmore sequel, there was clearly more effort put into it than it needed, but with Netflix backing the film, that extra money is felt through how it looks. With cinematography by Zak Mulligan that on occasions gets some really nice intimate angles that when matched with the highly saturated color scheme and bold lighting, can ironically produce some legitimate well-presented scenes, but it’s matched by content that is not worthy of it, so it can feel a little out of place. It does still feel like a Happy Madison production with some of the shot layout, swoosh-like edits, obnoxious slow motion, apparent score composition, and the occasional bottom-tier joke that would only entertain kindergarteners (though it is mercifully sparse on gas, poop and racially offensive material) but it is far more tolerable than others within their filmography.
It’s also an incredibly bright and colorful picture, which can lead to some very eye-catching moments, but also parts that are almost too colorful and bright (it’s almost eye-bleeding whenever they’re on a golf course). It’s also a little annoying that the golfing isn’t that interesting, as you’d figure there’d be some evolution of how they’d display the sport. The climax starts to try something different by having the competitors go through obstacles and contraptions to reach the holes, but even that doesn’t open up many creative jokes or scenarios, it’s disappointingly mundane.
HAPPY GILMORE 2 still stands as a silly but entertaining movie of its time that people have fond memories of, but they probably aren’t going to feel that way about this sequel. Even with that in mind, they won’t feel anger towards it as it doesn’t try hard enough to fail spectacularly and at least features some competent elements, so it’ll just be up to the viewer whether or not they vibe with it. There are far worse Sandler comedies out there, so while this might not be a hole in one, it’s at least above a double bogey.
