Happy Gilmore 2 Review: This Feel-Good Sequel is a Heartfelt, if Convoluted, Summer Movie

For the ’90s generation, Happy Gilmore was simply one of those films that is a cornerstone for the time’s culture. Sure, it might’ve had some outdated jokes and crude humor, but its heartwarming dynamics made it memorable. However, with Happy Gilmore 2, it feels like all of that has slightly regressed. 

Happy Gilmore 2 puts us at Happy’s lowest point due to the untimely death of his wife, Virginia. With his youngest daughter wanting to go to an expensive ballet school, Happy tries to become the champion golfer he once was. Unfortunately, the sport is changing due to one rich man Happy despises.

However, to overcome those odds, Happy has to overcome his own alcoholic addiction and much more to become the legend he once was. What results from Happy’s redemption arc is a narrative that’s handling a bit much for its own good.

Initially, Happy’s motives to become a golfer are clear: to help his daughter get to ballet school. However, as Happy becomes more involved with golfing again, it changes into this whole thing about saving the “original essence” of golf. It almost doesn’t help that, for most of the second act, Happy is occupied with so many things.

One of these things on Happy’s list is the introduction of Bad Bunny’s Oscar, a waiter who becomes Happy’s caddy.

While Happy Gilmore 2 initially makes him somewhat naive, it reveals that Oscar is way too skillful as he seems, especially in some montages. Though this is most likely due to the film’s tone, it feels like he’s nothing more than comic relief until the end.

This over-the-top obscene humor continues with Happy’s sons, who also play up the film’s crude humor to an extreme.

Sure, you can argue that, in certain scenes, they’re some minor emotional support for Happy. However, for most of this film, they’re relegated to being the craziest characters in the room. If you’re expecting them to literally show their butts, then you’d be right on the dot.

The only character crazier than Happy’s sons in Happy Gilmore 2 would go to Ben Stiller’s Hal L., who only feels more narcissistic due to his old age. Nowadays, Hal runs an alcoholics anonymous group under the guise of coercing people, like one goer played by Sadie Sandler, to do chores for him.

Of course, Happy still hates him, but at least the humor in these “take your rage out” moments might make you laugh. However, it also feels like the film is trying to experiment with what type of comedy really works.

Furthermore, Happy Gilmore 2 relies on so much nostalgia, constantly reminding you of how the original Happy Gilmore made them.

There are constant flashbacks to the past that play heavily on that fondness factor for fans who loved the first film. However, by the time the film gets to the final act, these sequences feel like they’re overloading you with too much knowledge to remember.

Even some of the side characters, like some of Happy’s old friends, get this treatment, which makes the film feel like it’s strictly a nostalgia trip. Sure, this can be believed due to the fact that Happy Gilmore 2 is a sequel movie, but it’s trying to handle a lot.

This all ties into the dynamic that Happy and his former rival, Shooter McGavin, have. After Safdie’s antagonistic character pressures Shooter into joining his “modern” league, even Shooter admits this new wave is too much for him.

How the film develops this redemption arc for Shooter feels loose, as it only takes one fight with comedic hijinks for the two to mend their rivalry. From here on out, Shooter is essentially treated as the advisor for the team with Happy in the lead following some peculiar team switch-up. 

That’s the film’s biggest problem: it’s trying to be nostalgic for traditional fans while also stuffing in as much as possible while being outrageously humorous. The main cast looks like they had fun with everything, which is great, but it’s also a cameo-fest that only provides temporary satisfaction.

Still, though, it’s somewhat clear that director Kyle Newacheck wanted to pull in a new audience that can resonate with Happy Gilmore‘s world.

What Newacheck and the creative should have done is focused on a singular objective that Happy needs to overcome instead of having this plot triangle. Perhaps focusing on the family aspect and realism of Happy Gilmore 2 would have made for a more interesting experience.

The cast chemistry between Sandler and his co-stars highlights that potential for a strong family-centric piece. Plus, if the humor wasn’t fully obscene and involved itself in nearly every scene, Happy Gilmore 2 might’ve worked better.

Overall, Happy Gilmore 2 is a messy sequel that tries sincerely to be a feel-good movie even though it pushes its crude humor and nostalgia to a higher level. While the film did have that potential to be a legitimately interesting movie about redemption and family, it becomes too premature for its liking to hold that weight.

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

—

Happy Gilmore 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!