Movie review: ‘Happy Gilmore 2’

FloridaGator80
A promotional “still” photo from the movie “Happy Gilmore 2.”

“Happy Gilmore” (click here to read my review) is in the pantheon of golf’s favorite movies because of its comedy with Adam Sandler and the insouciance to golf traditions necessary for a great golf flick (see “Caddyshack”). Fortunately, it took nearly 30 years for a sequel to arrive because there wasn’t much innovative ground left to plow. However, “Happy Gilmore 2,” which just had its premiere on Netflix on July 25, 2025, is pretty much lame, but does have a few moments and a huge cast of pro golfers (as well as several Sandler family members) that makes this one a must-see for any golfer.

‘Happy Gilmore 2’
(2025; 114 minutes; rated PG-13; directed by Kyle Newacheck and starring Adam Sandler, Margaret Qualley and Christopher McDonald)

‘HAPPY GILMORE 2’ IS FUNNY; AS A FLICK … A TRIPLE-BOGEY

You can’t really call “Happy Gilmore 2” a movie. Yes, it has actors and comedians, but it has far more real golfers. No, it doesn’t work out as a film should, but, yes, it is funny and a sequel to one of the better golf movies of all time … and, no, it’s not going to challenge for any Oscars.

What I found with “Happy Gilmore 2” is a production where Adam Sandler got together with family, friends and a bunch of folks to have a good time and give the audience some entertainment. Sandler and the film does this and more! If you don’t enjoy the nearly two hours of running time, then you might need a tune-up of your funny bone.

From puerile stunts such as mooning to bad language and casual, slapstick violence, Sandler and his friends hit all the bases (in a fractured metaphor) that you’ve come to expect in his films. So, if you don’t enjoy Sandler, then you certainly won’t enjoy “Happy Gilmore 2.”

A promotional “still” photo from the movie “Happy Gilmore 2.”

You do get an impressive cast with “Happy Gilmore 2,” from better knowns such as Haley Joel Osmet, Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider, Dennis Dugan and Margaret Qualley to B-listers such as Kevin Nealon and Nick Swardson to sports figures such as NFL star Travis Kelce (better known as Taylor Swift’s boyfriend of the moment) to rap superstar and legend Eminem. You even get much of Sandler’s own family with his daughter playing the key character of his title character’s daughter.

However, it is the golf universe that is better represented than in any other golf flick that I can remember – and many documentaries about the sport do not have such a stellar cast: from legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo and Nancy Lopez to today’s biggest superstars in Scottie Scheffler (and he gets arrested in “Happy Gilmore 2,” too!) and Rory McIlroy to top names such as Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schaueffele, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Charles Howell III and Justin Thomas.

Other former greats appear, too, including Bubba Watson, Corey Pavin, Jim Furyk and Fred Couples. Current tour pro Will Zalatoris plays himself and his character is linked back to Sandler’s caddy in the original. Sports announcer Verne Lundquist is part of the group of tee-vee folks and is the broadcaster of the “big match” like he did in the original. Sportscaster Dan Patrick appears, too, and has been in other Sandler films such as my favorite: “Just Go With It” (click here to read my review) with Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman.

A promotional “still” photo from the movie “Happy Gilmore 2.”

Whew! A fan of golf couldn’t find a better group of cameos from their favorite golfers … and I wasn’t able to mention all of them. You’ll find my comments about John Daly, who plays a major role in the film, later in this review and there is one I won’t mention because I consider him a loud-mouthed jerk who is undeserving of any comment. Also, I won’t mention a second: A tee-vee “star” as he’s an arrogant, ignorant jerk, also unworthy of comment.

As the story goes, since the original ended, Sandler, who had a stellar career going in golf, accidentally killed his wife with a drive and left him to raise their five children by himself. He fell into an alcoholic wasteland until his daughter needed big money to go to dance school in Paris. So, like in the original where he needed money to help his grandmother, he tries to pick himself up and get back on the golf tour.

From a great public links round where he joins a rollicking threesome (no pun intended) to back on tour, its less a story than just a frame for a bunch of jokes and even more golf jokes (one of the threesome gets hit by a ball hit by “Happy” and complains that “Happy” should have yelled “fore!” and then “Happy” hits him again and then yells “fore!”).

With this going to be one of my shorter reviews of the 418 to date that I’ve written, here’s a look at only a few of the actors:

  • Sandler sticks with his winning formula with audiences by just being himself. He’s the same in most of his films. He makes fun of golf and golfers, but, since he’s funny and obviously a fan of golf, you go along for the ride. Sandler has also been in “ Deeds,” “Little Nicky” and “50 First Dates.” I also liked his work in “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry” (click here to read my review).
  • A Primetime Emmy nominee, McDonald manages to do OK in bringing “Shooter” out of the nuthouse and back into “Happy’s” life and becoming the captain of the “good guys’” team. Along with Osmet, he appears to be the only one attempting to act, so I hope he had fun making this sequel. McDonald was also in “Dutch” (click here to read my review) and has also been in “The House Bunny” and “Nurse Betty.” He was also a lowlife in “Dirty Work” (click here for my review), which is nothing but dreck from the late Norm Macdonald.
  • A Primetime Emmy winner and two-time nominee, Stiller reprises the role of “Hal L.” He was the slave-driving old-folks home attendant who profited off his charges. In this one, he’s the slave-driving leader of a drinking rehab group in which he uses “Alkies” as the crass replacement for the word “Alcoholics” who profits off his charges in the anti-drinking program. Stiller again manages to fumble the character and is just not funny in any way. He was in the “Zoolander” flicks or the tepid, incompetent remake of “The Hearbreak Kid” and is best remembered for the “Meet the Parents” franchise with Robert De Niro. He won his Emmy for writing on his self-titled TV show and was nominated for a live-action short as well as acting in a self-titled episode of “Extras” where he plays himself.
  • An Oscar and Golden Globe nominee for “The Sixth Sense,” Osmet is the other real actor in the cast, although his character, pro golfer “Billy Jenkins,” doesn’t give him much chance to do anything on screen. Osmet at least tries, but e is also having a good time! Of course, I thought his best work was in ss with Bruce Willis, but I also enjoyed his vulgar character in the “Entourage” movie, where he’s Billy Bob Thornton’s crude son (click here to read my review). He was also solid in “Secondhand Lions” with Michael Caine and Robert Duvall.
  • I’m calling out pro golfer John Daly for his “acting” as himself because he is just so smooth in front of the camera as he swigs hand sanitizer! You might consider that Daly isn’t an “actor,” but as a pro golfer did his business in front of thousands of live spectators and millions watching on tee-vee … much more than any actor in any role on stage, on TV or in the movies. In this one, he’s living in “Happy’s” garage and is a voice of somewhat-reason in Sandler’s life. Good job, John! Nice to see you!

At first I believed “Happy Gilmore 2” was poking fun at the PGA Tour and its battle against LIV Golf, but the “extreme” tour in the movie is just that: an “extreme” tour with pros calling themselves names such as “8 Ball” (played by former football star Reggie Bush) and tournaments of long-ball hitting and pyrotechnics. As it is, several LIV stars appear with PGA pros on the side of the “good guys.”

I cannot think of any way to evaluate director Kyle Newacheck’s work. He is as known for being a producer as he is a director and has worked mostly on tee-vee, but it must have been more like “corral the kiddies” at a “Chuck-E-Cheese” in making this one.

I know that a lot of folks wanted to make some money off this sequel, but it is simply astounding how they get away with a total of 25 in the front office: producers (4), executive producers (7) and co-producers (14). It’s one thing to put family members in the supporting cast (and there are tons of those in “Happy Gilmore 2”), but, damn, you know good-and-well that they didn’t need 14 co-producers and most were likely to be “no-show, gimme-the-cash” jobs.

“Happy Gilmore 2” was not ranked at the U.S. box office because it was initially released streaming via Netflix. On the day of the posting of this review (Monday, July 28, 2025), the No. 1 film was “A Minecraft Movie” with $423.9 million in ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo. The Disney remake of “Lilo & Stitch” was No. 2 with $420.2 million and at No. 3 was “Jurassic World: Rebirth” with $301.5 million. I’ll update these totals at the end of the year.

Here is the only film from 2025 that I’ve reviewed for my blog (as posted by the date of this review):

Assorted cast and film notes (via IMDb.com):

  • Bowen’s birth name is Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer and she plays Sandler’s late wife; Stiller’s full birth name is Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller; and Bad Bunny’s birth name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio and he plays Sandler’s caddy in this one.
  • Directly from IMDb.com: “Happy’s sons are all named after famous hockey players: Gordie (Howe), Wayne (Gretzky), Bobby (Orr) and Terry (O’Reilly).”
  • The audience learns the first name of “Happy’s” grandmother (“Anna”) on the tombstone in the fight scene at the cemetery.
  • “Hal’s” support group to combat alcoholism is called “Healing Alkies for Life” … as an acronym: HAL!
  • Finally and directly from IMDb.com: “There were plans for Carl Weathers to return as Chubbs before his death in 2024. Adam Sandler said, ‘We had a painful change. Carl Weathers had a massive part. I would talk to Carl, and we were excited, and then Carl passed away. We had to rewrite a lot of the stuff, and even what the story was. We made a lot of nice references to how great Chubbs was in the movie. That was the biggest change.’”

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