He Shoots! He Scores!

3 ½ stars

Sheer perfection.

I can’t say I’ve been breathlessly waiting these past 29 years for Adam Sandler to stop with all the indie dramas and romcoms to don his Bruins jersey once again and hit the links as the frustrated hockey player turned golf phenomenon, Happy Gilmore. But having watched Happy Gilmore 2 twice now, I can enthusiastically cheer the Sandman for taking the time to get it right. 

Getting it right, as far as Happy Gilmore 2 is concerned, has nothing to do with furthering the story or using the sequel to delve deeper into the character’s nature and explore what makes him tick. That would be a terrible movie. Instead, Sandler, co-writer Tim Herlihy, and director Kyle Newacheck update the script just enough to add a few jokes about getting old and incorporate some current topics to make fun of. They leave it up to the cast and crew to fill in the rest.

Like the best Sandler films of the past, Happy Gilmore 2 is filled with the same familiar faces fans have been laughing with and at for years, from ‘serious’ actors like Steve Buscemi and Christopher McDonald to people you probably won’t see in anything but an Adam Sandler movie, like Jonathan Loughran and his appearance as Crazy Eye Orderly.  There are some new additions to the Sandler stable, like rapper Bad Bunny, whose scene-stealing performance as Happy’s caddy almost certainly earns him a spot in future Sandler projects. And there are tons of pop culture cameos and walk-ons, from Eminem and Post Malone to Kansas City Chiefs tight end (and Taylor Swift’s significant other ) Travis Kelce, that all add their particular flavor to the proceedings. There are plenty of real golfers in the movie, but unless you follow the PGA, you probably won’t recognize anyone except Arnold Palmer and the hilarious John Daly. 

Sandler also makes Happy Gilmore 2 a true family affair by casting his entire immediate family in the film, from his daughter Sunny’s effective costarring role as Happy’s daughter to having his mom, Judy, play Eminem’s mom. Naysayers and Sandler haters can call it nepotism, but it works. 

As much fun as it is to see all these familiar faces up on the screen, the big surprise of Happy Gilmore 2 is the work of the man behind it all, Adam Sandler. The comedy of the film is classic Sandman. There’s a lot of slapstick physical comedy and sophomoric gags, like the ongoing business of a drunken Happy hiding his booze in just about everything imaginable. And while it doesn’t have as many quotable lines as the original film – there’s no “The price is *wrong*, bitch!” in this one – the jokes in Happy Gilmore 2 work well enough to earn plenty of chuckles and guffaws.

The surprising thing about Sandler this time around is the depth he brings to the part. He’s made a lot of movies in the 29 years since he first walked up to a tee in his work boots and hockey jersey, and the things he’s learned over time help add shading and depth to his performance. He’s no longer the angry young man you see in the many flashbacks included in the film; he’s older, wiser, and much more in control of his comedy. Unlike so many of his contemporaries, Sandler knows what he wants and, more importantly, what his fans want from him with Happy Gilmore 2, and he delivers.