Happy Gilmore 2

Grade: B+

In this Netflix sequel to the 90's comedy hit, Happy Gilmore (played by Adam Sandler), having retired from golf and lost his fortune, returns to the sport in order to pay for his daughter Vienna (Sunny Sandler) to go to ballet school in Paris.

Sequels made a long time later than the original always have the risk of not working out, but I'm pleased to say that this was a pretty fun film. This has the strengths that some of the better Sandler films have by just going crazy with a lot of goofy, delightfully dumb, and nuts gags. 

I'm not loving that this went for the rather tired and disappointing trope of having the lead character's life go downhill after the original film (plus this has another overused, bummer trope that I won't spoil). However, I did think this movie did a better job with the trope than usual. Sandler's still funny in this, but he does a really solid job trying to overcome Gilmore's personal struggles, not to mention depicting the guy's relationship with his children. 

There are a buttload of guest star appearances in this that may surprise, and almost everyone who pops up delivers. HG@ also feels like it was trying to give a lot more time and spotlight to famous golfers. If you're a pro golf fan, you're going to love all the faces in this. (The golfer who appears the most in this gives one of his best performances and has some of the best bits.) Unfortunately, the movie does have way too many call backs to characters from the original, not to mention way too many offspring of dead characters or cast members. 

Pretty good cast for the most part. Gilmore's enemy Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) returns, and McDonald clearly seems charged to bring back the character he's arguably most famous for playing. McGavin has spent quite some time in a mental institution, and though he's still McGavin, he has a bit of a loopy side this time around that's pretty enjoyable. The best fresh face here is definitely rapper Bad Bunny as Gilmore's new late notice caddy Oscar Mejias. I've seen him do comedy on SNL in the past, and I honestly thought he was just okay, but here the guy proves he is a real master at physical comedy. The four actors playing Gilmore's stereotypically gonzo Bostonians are also really fun.

Recommended. This is one of those movies that are so ridiculous that you can't help laughing.

I Know What you did Last Summer (2025)

Grade: B

In this revival, a new group of people in the coastal town of Southport become involved in an accidental death and a secret to keep things quiet. A year later they find themselves hunted by a killer dressed up as a fisherman, much like the one from all those many years ago.

The kills in this lack a certain mood or scare factor to them, lacking the effectiveness of those from the original movie or even I Still Know What you did Last Summer. That having been said, there are a couple good camera shots and a fine use of set pieces (more on the setting a little later).

The psychological aspect of the characters dealing with their guilt also isn't as strong as in the first film. The characters just don't act as remorseful as perhaps they should. That having been said, what they did here isn't quite as awful as just dumping a body, so that is a decent reason as to why they're not struck quite as hard. Also, I felt that one of the weaknesses of the first movie was that it spent a lot of time on the personal suffering of characters who were going to be punished and die anyway. This movie never feels like its too slow. 

Credit should be given to the movie for doing the same but different. This movie starts off with another vehicular accident, but things transpire rather differently. Those whose lives are messed up the most are also handled differently. Plus, where the first movie was about a bunch of teens about to graduate, here we've got a group of young adults with mostly stable, successful lives.

There's a decent amount of comedy in this. More than previous films. I'm not hating it, say what you say about the rest of the movie, but most of the humorous lines work.

This reboot also manages to pay homage to the original film and even its sequel without mostly feeling like its forcing stuff.

I give the finale/killer reveal credit for going for broke. It's dynamic and I wasn't bored. However, they were parts that I (and a lot of other people) didn't think quite worked or elements of the killer's motivation that didn't quite track. Plus, from what I've read online, the ending was changed a little after test screenings, and I think it shows a little. However, I don't find the ending to be a dealbreaker.

Original leads Jennife Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. return as original leads Julie James and Ray Bronson. This is one of those cases where it turns out years later that the main couple broke up. However, here the duo seem to really dislike each other instead of things simply not working out. Given how close they were in the first two movies, it's a little hard to fathom how they started hating each other so much, and one wished more info was provided.

The casting for the main group of victims was great, and they do manage to elevate simple characters through charisma. The Studio/Bodies Bodies Bodies' Chase Sui Wonders as lead character Ava Brucks is very watchable. Though, the standout here is Glass Onion/Outer Banks' Madelin Clyne as Ava's best friend. She's sort of the outgoing one, and there is sort of a silliness and a simplistic lack of emotional walls that makes the character entertaining.

Southport has been renovated into a posh tourist destination in the interim between films. This results in some pretty fancy looking and eye-catching sets and locations. It may bother some that the lighting is pretty bright and clear without much atmosphere, but I'm not hating the glossy look (the movie really has a 90's/2000's throwback feel to it).

Kinda recommended. It is by no means a perfect movie, and maybe the least scary of the films (including the made-for-DVD one), but I wasn't bored. This movie felt like it was trying to have fun and entertains in a popcorn-style kind of way. To be honest, I'd rank this slightly higher than all previous sequels.