Happy Gilmore 2 review – Adam Sandler's Netflix sequel is strictly for the fans
After humiliating tour nemesis Shooter McGavin (an on-form Christopher McDonald) in the big tournament and riding off into the sunset with the girl, they marry and have five children as Happy's prosperity continues unbidden. He considers stepping back from the game as his years and wealth stack up, but keeps going at the encouragement of his dear Virginia (Julie Bowen). But when Happy accidentally kills her with a shanked tee shot, a shock that comes in the first two minutes, his world is even more upended than it was when we met him as an orphan in 1996.
This time, instead of having to abandon his first love (hockey) to chase down a couple hundred grand in cardboard checks to save grandma's house, he abruptly retires to be more present for his kids and assumes the bills are covered until the feds circle back to take grandma's house – and the Ferrari. With his four boys old enough to fend for themselves, sort of, he moves into a ramshackle triplex on the sketchy side of town with his young daughter, Vienna (played by Sunny Sandler, Adam Sandler's youngest daughter), and falls into alcoholism. It isn't until Vienna's ballet instructor (played by Jackie Sandler, Adam Sandler's wife) tells Happy that Vienna has the talent to study at a prestigious company in Paris that he becomes motivated to pick up his club bag and try to raise the tuition money. But the comeback gets complicated when Happy picks up a DUI in a municipal course karting accident and an energy drink hustle bro offers him pride of place in an upstart golf tour that's purpose-built to take down the establishment. (Sound familiar?)
Like most sequels, Happy Gilmore 2 doesn't quite live up to its predecessor, the spiritual successor to Caddyshack. But it won't matter to diehard fans who never stopped quoting lines from the original. I still can't let a limousine pass without reflexively muttering 'must be Burt Reynolds', the line that introduced McGavin. That's not to say the yarn Sandler and co-writer Tim Herlihy stitched together is no fun. They still manage to get in their share of recurring gags (Happy making flasks out of anything that comes to hand: a club brush, a TV remote) while divvying up those other comedy moments among their SNL pals (Kevin Nealon, Jon Lovitz) and cherished Sandler company regulars (Rob Schneider, Steve Buscemi). They even manage to pay tribute to the actors who died between films – not least the late great Carl Weathers, AKA Chubbs the one-handed golf pro – by staging a fight between Happy and McGavin in a cemetery, itself a tribute to the gameshow host Bob Barker's iconic original cameo.
But where the first Happy Gilmore was the story of a rank outsider's takeover of the game, in this installment it's the other way around. Happy isn't just a king of the long ball, but a peer to rival Tiger Woods and other greats. Lee Trevino, the only pro golfer who appeared in the 1996 film, finds himself in the sequel surrounded by greats of today (Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele) and yesteryear (Jack Nicklaus, Fred Couples). John Daly, whose actual rollercoaster life no doubt inspired Happy's second act, lives in Happy's garage. Scottie Scheffler sends up his bizarre arrest at the 2024 PGA Championship and Will Zalatoris finally gets to dine out on his uncanny resemblance to Happy's very first caddie. If the original Happy Gilmore was intended as a love letter to the game, it's clear 30 years on that the professional golf community got the message.
The most interesting thing about the sequel is its commitment to defending the game and its traditions – a cause Happy eventually takes in addition to helping Vienna realize her ballet dream, while reckoning with the fact that everyone can smash the long ball now. All the while, the scenes of Happy teeing off on a pro shop simulator and weekend warriors busting chops speak to the franchise's contribution to making the game more approachable. Now, the unwavering focus on this theme doesn't completely redeem the film's woolier elements – the endless sports cameos (from Travis Kelce to the WNBA's Kelsey Plum), the rampant nepotism (again: every member of Sandler's immediate family is featured), the forced integration of Call Her Daddy and other digital media platforms, and a batshit third act that draws out the film's two-hour runtime. But it does make them chafe a bit less. All the while, Bad Bunny provides more salve in the role as Happy's busboy turned caddie, Oscar, and proves to be a surprising and delightful laugh riot.
For those who aren't into golf or weren't around for SNL at the turn of the century, Happy Gilmore 2 could well sail overhead like a drive from the man himself. But for the generations who still quote summer comedies from eons ago (ahem), Sandler's second round offers a refreshing trip down memory lane – to see what new hijinks the assisted living orderly (Ben Stiller) and the IRS agent (Robert Smigel) are up to, and if McGavin, the greatest villain in sports movie history, ever gets his revenge. Everything else – relics of a simpler, less serious time perhaps – is par for the course.
Happy Gilmore 2 is out now on Netflix
This article was amended on 25 July 2025. An earlier version said Bad Bunny played a waiter in the movie instead of a busboy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Stephen Colbert's next move after The Late Show cancellation gets mixed reaction from fans
Stephen Colbert was back in headlines Monday after snagging his first prominent gig after CBS & Paramount canceled The Late Show last month after 10 seasons, citing declining late night revenues. Colbert's cancellation after a 10-season run drummed up considerable controversy: Some said it was just business as usual, and that Colbert's left-leaning politics alienated a significant chunk of potential viewers. Others said that Colbert, 61, was clearly a political martyr amid the changing times under President Donald Trump, who praised the network's decision to let go of Colbert, a long-running critic of his. The Washington, D.C.-born entertainer was set to play a late night host in a guest role on the CBS series Elsbeth, Vulture reported Friday, adding that he began filming his art-imitates-life role last week in New York City. Other stars who have made cameos on the series in the past include Retta, Matthew Broderick, Laurie Metcalf and Jane Krakowski. Some of the reactions to Colbert's first major professional move after his cancellation appeared to support it. Reactions were mixed to Stephen Colbert snagging his first prominent gig in a guest role on the CBS series Elsbeth after CBS & Paramount canceled his late night series The Late Show last month after 10 seasons A few commenters were supportive of Colbert personally but remained critical of CBS & Paramount, questioning why Colbert would continue to work with a corporation who people think used him as a political football to appease the president amid a politically-sensitive merger. One user said, 'I LOVE Elspeth (Carrie Preston!) and Stephen. If true, this could be an EPIC match up! But on NBC!' Another noted that 'CBS wasn't counting the fact that Colbert's show served as advertising for their shows in their financials.' Said one user: 'You can't put a price on bending a knee.' Others remained critical of the late night host, with one user writing, 'Zzz. He is a biased loser.' Another said of Elsbeth: 'Oh - another show that doesn't win its time slot.' Some pointed out the irony of Colbert's role on the show, with one person asking, 'So, is Stephen to play a late night talk show host who, as it turns out, was killed by a network executive?' Another predicted: 'The big-name guest star is almost always the murderer, as the episodes show the murder happening first, and then how the detectives solve it, so he'll probably be the one killing the network executive.' Reactions were varied toward Colbert's next career move The initial poster later added, 'My "question" was more rhetorical based on real world events, but I get the premise you describe.' Emmy-winning actress Sandra Oh, 54, garnered controversy after making a number of strong comments on the July 22 edition of The Late Show, with one prominent CBS commentator saying her sentiments were misguided. 'Like probably everyone here and everyone who is so supportive outside wants to say that I am so sorry and saddened and properly outraged for the cancellation of late-night here,' Oh said. Oh, a two-time Golden Globe winner, said that the decision made on the corporate level - which many say had political undertones - was a game-changer for standards in the U.S. amid President Donald Trump 's second term. 'Not only for yourself and for this entire family who are here, but for what it means, of what it means where we are in our culture and what it means for free speech,' said the Sideways actress. 'So I just want to say, sorry, and also if I can have your hand,' she told the host, 'to CBS and Paramount - a plague on both of your houses.' Colbert said he was 'very grateful' as he wagged his finger, adding, 'I think they've been great partners.' Tony Dokoupil of CBS Mornings subsequently said Oh had things pegged wrong in blaming Colbert's show ending on politics, amid a changing economic landscape in late night TV - and culture. 'The business is broken,' Dokoupil said. 'And what no one seems to acknowledge is that the politics also changed. 'The business changed and so did the politics, and it got way more one-sided than anything Johnny Carson was ever doing.' (Carson, who died in 2005, famously was one to steer clear of going too far left or right so as not to put off a chunk of his audience.) Dokoupil added, 'I think we should reflect on those changes as well - it's been a big shift culturally in that regard also.' The move to ax Colbert was a controversial one within some circles of Hollywood, as the late night host has received words of public support from the genre's elder statesman, David Letterman. Also critical was the former host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart, who said Colbert was cancelled to grease through the $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance Media. The huge business transaction needed to be OK'ed by the Federal Communications Commission under Trump's administration, and it was after The Late Show was cancelled. 'The shows that you now seek to cancel, censor and control, a not insignificant portion of that $8 billion value came from those f***ing shows,' Stewart said. Dokoupil said that while he understood 'the emotional views' Stewart expressed, they weren't square with good business tactics. 'I don't have an MBA but he's not right that the merger, the $8 billion, is based on reruns of a comedy show, no,' he said. 'People are buying the movies and the sitcoms and the sports.
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
WWE bombshell Nikki Bella reveals she suffered rare horrific breast implant injury during match
Longtime WWE bombshell Nikki Bella revealed she suffered a rare horrific injury during last week's Monday Night RAW - one of her breast implants has been pushed into her ribs. Bella participated in an eight-woman tag during last week's show, teaming with Iyo Sky, Rhea Ripley, and Stephanie Vaquer against the quartet of Naomi, Chelsea Green, Alba Fyre, and Piper Niven. It appears that an elbow drop from the stout Niven to a grounded Bella was the move that dislodged her implant. Bella did not take part in the mega two-night SummerSlam event this past weekend at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Instead, Bella detailed what she was up to with the scary ailment. 'We were just out there talking I was just like, "Oh my god, I'm having so much fun." I didn't want the match to end,' Bella said on her podcast. 'I was in a little bit of pain, but I didn't want it to end.' 'I mean, your implant okay?' Brie Bella, Nikki's twin sister, stated. 'I think it's stuck in your ribs, but…' 'I think it is. I had to go to the doctor yesterday to get my t** looked at,' Nikki continued. 'I was just telling Brie, I'm having conversations with my shirt off and I'm thinking in my head, like, "I didn't think I'd be here today on my day off in New York City getting my boob looked at, knowing that my implant I think has moved." And I'm like, "Alright, it has moved." It's moved.' 'It's okay. We're going to get it fixed one day. I told the doctor, I go, "Newly divorced, so the minute the boots are hung up, I'm going to come back to you and we're going to make these girls look real good, because these girls are going to get some action in the future and that can't look like that."' On the latest episode of the podcast, Nikki gave another update on her breasts, saying she did not expect the coverage of her mishap to be 'everywhere'. 'I literally had told Brie all of this in private and when she said it live about my implant, I was like, "Are you kidding me?"' Nikki added. 'Then yesterday it was everywhere about my implant. I keep getting text messages, I was just backstage and everyone kept coming up, like, "Is it okay?"' 'I'll know later. I don't know yet if it exploded or not. It still seems intact. It's swollen, it hurts, but I think it might be fine. ... I can't believe I'm loudly talking about this, but hey, it's 2025, whatever. Send well wishes to my fake boob, thank you.'
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
One Tree Hill star Jana Kramer reacts to rumor her husband Allan Russell is on the Bumble dating app
Jana Kramer says she isn't worried about rumors her husband is stepping out on her. The 72 Hours actress, whose husband Allan Russell, 41, revealed some very personal information about their sex life, opened up about the issue Monday in her Whine Down podcast. 'I literally trust Allan so much. Did you get the email about Bumble?' Kramer, 41, asked her co-host, claiming that someone had been impersonating the former Scottish soccer player on the dating app. 'Remember how there was this thing going around being like, "Oh, Allan is on a dating app?" And Allan and I were joking about it. It's hilarious,' she said. Showing her trust in her husband, she said, 'But I wouldn't even look into that now. In years past, I would have 1,000 percent looked into it.' However, the One Tree Hill alumna said there is still some cause for concern, as there is allegedly ''a fake Bumble account going around and they're using his picture.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jana Kramer (@kramergirl) She explained, 'There's not a piece of me' that believes the rumors. Kramer said her marriage to Russell is 'so different than my last one' to former Buffalo Bills tight-end Mike Caussin, 38, who was unfaithful to her several times and eventually entered into treatment for sex addiction. The couple were married from 2015–2021, and they share two children: Jolie, nine, and Jace, six. Kramer's first marriage to Michael Gambino, 47, was a violent one. Gambino was convicted on attempted murder charges after a 2005 incident in which he choked the actress until she was unconscious. He was released in 2010 and took his own life two years later. She shared a short-lived one-month marriage with That Thing You Do actor Johnathon Schaech in 2010. Kramer began dating Russell is January 2023, and by November of that year they had welcomed their son Roman, 21 months. They married legally in January 2024 and held a formal ceremony in July. 'Happy 1st wedding anniversary my love,' Kramer wrote on social media last month sharing photos from their big day. 'It's been a year full of love, growth, and adventure. Thank you for loving me the way you do and for making this first year more beautiful than I ever imagined. I wouldn't want to do life with anyone else. Happy anniversary my love.' 'We have everything to last,' she said Monday of her relationship with Russell. 'I didn't have anything to hold on to in my last marriages. So that's why it's so different. So, it's like, hold on now to what you know to be the truth of what you do have.'
