‘Happy Gilmore 2' Review: Back on the Green

New York Times

a day ago

You might have to strain to remember, but there was once a time before Adam Sandler was one of comedy's premier movie stars. Before he was ever a wedding singer or a waterboy, a grown-up or a big daddy, he was Happy Gilmore, the slapshot-happy golfer that launched him into bankable movie stardom.
It only feels right that this Sandler creation would be the one to do so — it's not only arguably his most enduring character, but also the one that carved the specific archetype that he'd embody over and over in the years since: a lovable, palpably decent common man, whose soft heart is always just barely concealing a cartoonish rage waiting to boil over.
Directed by Kyle Newacheck, 'Happy Gilmore 2' is keenly aware of not just the success of but the nostalgia for that early Sandler buffoon, so much so that rather than make sly inside jokes to the original film, it repeatedly opts to simply cut to flashback clips from the movie itself.
This approach is partly practical, tossing us reference points to the sequel's many callbacks. But one can't also help but feel that it's simply because we need the reminder of why we should be having a good time. Billions of box office dollars later and a comedic style we've now seen in dozens of his films, Sandler isn't exactly that fresh-faced star anymore. Neither is Happy. The sequel sees Happy Gilmore as a retired golf champion who, following sudden tragedy, has become a hopeless drunk. To secure a better future for his family, he reluctantly decides to get back on the green to reclaim his old glory.
This early downward spiral sets up the underdog comedic energy from the original, and there is that familiar, warm absurdism and silliness that peeks through. Ben Stiller is back, and so is Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald is a rare highlight). But the early and largely easy fun begins to curdle into inanity that simply drags (there is, oddly enough, way too much actual golf in this movie), before devolving into an overextended fever dream of celebrity cameos.
What the film becomes offers a succinct view of who Sandler was in 1996 and who he is nearly three decades of superstardom later. In the original, a fist fighting Bob Barker cameo was one of the hilarious, gloriously outré highlights; in this one, Bad Bunny starring as Happy's caddy is probably the most grounded feature in the whole affair. Now, Sandler's cachet has simply meant he's brought everyone along for the ride, from every tier of celebrity you can imagine to other non-Happy characters pulled from the Sandler cinematic universe.
In a broader sense, 'Happy Gilmore 2' simply falls prey to the most common issue of so many sequels: upping the stakes, overstuffing itself and losing the plot along the way. In this one, Happy is no longer playing to keep his grandma's house, he's playing to save the sport of golf entirely. Backed by a halitosis-cursed villain, a new version of the sport is trying to establish itself, sullying the original game with what amounts to cheap twists and flashing lights. Sound familiar?
Happy Gilmore 2PG-13 for strong language, crude/sexual material, partial nudity and some thematic material. Running time: 1 hour 54 minutes. Watch on Netflix.