'Happy Gilmore 2' film review: Uninspired, indulgent, pointless second round of golf comedy
The latest entry into the pantheon of movie sequels the world didn't ask for and doesn't need: 'Happy Gilmore 2' (starting on Netflix starting July 25).
In short: Happy Gilmore must rebuild his life with his daughter after a tragic accident upends his life. Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Benny Safdie and Sunny Sandler star.
The original 'Happy Gilmore' has a firm place among Sandler's most beloved movies - usually alongside 'Billy Madison' and 'The Waterboy.' This isn't totally fair to Sandler, who has dropped some pretty great dramas like 'Uncut Gems' and 'Hustle' in the last few years - but the Sandler will forever linked to his mid '90s run of movies.
Now the good news for diehard fans of the original: 'Happy Gilmore 2' is essentially a rehash of the original. Happy isn't much of a golf player anymore. He's once again playing to earn money for his family - weirdly enough it's $300,000 again. That's the end of the good news - because 'Happy Gilmore 2' has little reason to exist other than just reheat gags from the 1996 original.
Remember the guy who heckled Happy by screaming "you jackass"!? Remember the Bob Barker fight? Remember the IRS guy!? Remember the abusive orderly Hal? This is just a memberberries-flavored sequel.
'Happy Gilmore 2' is an uninspired appeal to elderly millennials suffering a terminal case of toxic nostalgia. It offers nothing new or even remotely recreative. It reeks of a cynical ploy to remind people that Netflix exists by lamely and lazily exploiting fond memories of a nearly three decade old comedy.
Sandler fans adore 'Gilmore' and 'Waterboy' because, for better or worse, at least those movies had a then-refreshing voice of Happy Madison. But these days, Happy Madison exists as some bizarre jobs program for Sandler, his besties, his children and various celebrities. The large majority of the movie's minor characters are no actors - they are TV pundits, musicians, professional athletes or just Sandler's own children.
But none of this will matter to Sandler's most ardent fans. It won't matter that most of the jokes are either juvenile or just repeats from the original. The best sequels advance characters or stories and build on original work rather than just repeating the familiar.
Final verdict: 'Happy Gilmore 2' is the film equivalent of eating shit for breakfast.
Score: 1/5
'Happy Gilmore 2' streams on Netflix starting July 25. The comedy has a runtime of 114 minutes and is rated PG-13 for strong language, crude/sexual material, partial nudity and some thematic material.
