I just watched Happy Gilmore 2, and wow, what a wild ride back to the golf course! Let me tell you everything that happens in this movie and how it compares to the original 1996 classic.
The Story
The movie starts with some really sad news - during a golf tournament, Happy accidentally hits his wife Virginia in the head with one of his powerful drives, killing her in a freak accident. Consumed by guilt over causing her death, Happy becomes a single dad raising five kids and struggles with alcoholism, using drinking as his only way to cope with his overwhelming remorse. He's been hiding alcohol in everything - coffee mugs, water bottles, you name it. The kids think he's just drinking regular stuff, but we can see he's clearly having a hard time dealing with his wife's death.
Happy has also lost his grandmother's house again, which feels like we're right back where we started in the first movie. He owes a lot of money and needs to figure out how to support his family. His oldest daughter (played by Adam Sandler's real life daughter - Sunny Sandler) wants to go to ballet classes but they can't afford it. This gives Happy the motivation he needs to try playing professional golf again, even though he's older and rusty.
The main story revolves around a new type of golf called "Maxi Golf" - think of it like regular golf but with crazy obstacles, bright colors, and gimmicky courses that look more like video games than real golf. It's designed to appeal to younger people who find traditional golf boring. The villain is a tech guy who runs this Maxi Golf league and wants to take over all of golf.
Happy has to compete in both regular tournaments and eventually the Maxi Golf championship to win enough money to save his family. Along the way, we get to see Shooter McGavin again - but here's the twist: instead of being the bad guy, Shooter actually becomes Happy's friend and helps him! They have a big fight in a graveyard (which sounds weird but it's actually pretty funny), and afterward they become buddies.
The movie has tons of celebrity cameos - Eminem shows up and gets knocked out pretty quickly, Bad Bunny plays Happy's caddie and is surprisingly funny, and lots of real professional golfers like Scottie Scheffler play themselves. There's a running joke about Scottie getting arrested, which is based on something that actually happened to him in real life.
The ending has Happy winning the final tournament, getting his money back, and learning to be sober. There's a touching scene where he goes to an AA meeting with his daughter, and you can tell Adam Sandler put some real emotion into these parts.
How It Compares to the Original
The biggest difference is the tone. The original Happy Gilmore from 1996 was pure fun from start to finish. Happy was angry and funny, but he was also hopeful and had simple goals - save grandma's house, learn to golf, maybe get the girl. Everything felt possible and the movie had this sunny, optimistic feeling even when bad things happened.
Happy Gilmore 2 is much heavier. Starting with a dead wife and alcoholism makes everything feel sadder, even when the movie is trying to be funny. The original movie's problems could be solved with hard work and determination. This movie's problems feel more real and harder to fix.
The comedy style is also different. The first movie had clever jokes and quotable lines that people still say today - "The price is wrong, bitch" or "You eat pieces of shit for breakfast?" This sequel relies a lot more on cameos and references to the old movie. Every few minutes, they show clips from the original movie to remind you of the jokes, which feels like they don't trust their new jokes to work on their own.
In terms of golf action, the original movie kept things relatively realistic. Happy could hit the ball really far because of his hockey background, but it was still recognizable as golf. The Maxi Golf stuff in the sequel gets really cartoonish, with courses that look like they're from a video game. It's colorful and flashy, but it doesn't have the same charm as watching Happy figure out real golf.
The Good Stuff
What I really liked was seeing Shooter McGavin again. Christopher McDonald clearly had fun playing this character, and making him Happy's friend instead of enemy was a smart choice. Their friendship feels genuine and gives both characters something new to do.
Bad Bunny was surprisingly good as the caddie. I wasn't sure how a musician would do in a comedy movie, but he had good timing and worked well with Adam Sandler.
The movie does have heart, especially in the scenes with Happy and his family. You can tell Adam Sandler really cares about the themes of addiction and recovery, and some of those moments feel very real.
All the professional golfers (cameos) seemed to be having a great time making fun of themselves. It's clear that the original Happy Gilmore movie means a lot to the golf community, so seeing these guys participate was pretty cool.
The Not So Good Stuff
The biggest problem is that it feels like two different movies stuck together. The first half is about Happy dealing with personal problems and trying to play regular golf again. The second half turns into this crazy Maxi Golf tournament that looks like a kids' TV show. The tone shifts so dramatically that it's jarring.
There are way too many celebrity cameos. Every few minutes someone famous shows up, says one line, and disappears. It becomes distracting after a while because you're more focused on spotting celebrities than following the story.
The constant flashbacks to the original movie get annoying. We don't need to see a clip from 1996 every time someone mentions Chubbs or the happy place. If you've seen the first movie (and most people watching this sequel have), you already remember these things.
The Maxi Golf concept just doesn't work. It's too silly and disconnected from what made the original movie special. Happy Gilmore was about bringing hockey attitude to the stuffy world of golf. This sequel is about... I'm not really sure what it's about beyond making money and having flashy visuals.
My Final Thoughts
Happy Gilmore 2 is like visiting an old friend who's been through some tough times. There are moments where you remember why you liked them so much, but you can also see how much has changed. It's not a bad movie, but it's not the classic that the original was.
If you loved the first Happy Gilmore, you'll probably want to watch this just to see what happened to the characters. You might even enjoy it if you go in with the right expectations. Just don't expect it to capture the same magic as the 1996 version.
The original movie worked because it was simple, focused, and had perfect timing. This sequel tries to do too much - it wants to be nostalgic, modern, heartfelt, silly, and socially conscious all at the same time. Sometimes that works, but often it just feels messy.
It's worth watching once if you're a fan, and there are definitely some laughs along the way. But when it's over, you'll probably just want to go back and watch the original again.
Watch on Netflix