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.