Happy Gilmore (1996) – An inept, but enthusiastic, hockey player discovers he can drive a golf ball 400+ yards. When the IRS seizes his grandmother’s house for back taxes, he takes his act on the pro tour.
Starting Adam Sandler, Carl Weathers, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald
Why I Liked It – Bob Barker beats up Happy.
Transparency time – I am not an Adam Sandler fan. Every time someone raves about this movie, my eyes roll. So, I went into this with an attitude. And while it was not as awful as I feared, it’s still a dumb movie.
Where to even begin? How about the star? Adam Sandler has made a VERY successful career by playing borderline “moron comedy” characters. (“Moron Comedy” is my term for movies where the main character(s) do incredibly stupid things over and over. We get to laugh at the idiocy of what they do. It’s not a personal favorite.) I will not deny that these characters/movies are often incredibly profitable. I will also note that his movies tend to get middling reviews, and he’s earned his fair share of “Razzie” awards.
So, to be charitable, he’s an acquired taste. If memory serves, I thought he did a nice job in the part of “Spanglish” I caught a few years back. The word is that he’s a nice guy, and fun to work with. I’m trying to be as fair about this as I can.
“Happy Gilmore” has very little plot, and virtually no character development. Gilmore the character is hard drinking, foul-mouthed oaf with a lifelong fantasy of playing hockey with his local semi (?)-pro team. His only problem is that the only thing he can do is take powerful slapshots. Can’t skate, can’t pass, can’t really play hockey. But, oh, that slapshot! Enter the tiny plot detail-his grandmother hasn’t paid her taxes in like, forever, and the IRS is selling off everything she owns to pay the back taxes. Happy discovers that he can slapshot a golf ball over 400 yards! Naturally, this means all he has to do is go on the pro golf tour, win a bunch of money, and hey, presto, save his dear old granny. Add in an attractive female character (who will inexplicably fall for this oaf), an egotistical rival on the links and in love (that Happy will conveniently crush, eventually), and Bob Barker, because why the hell not?
The movie is a series of ridiculous sight gags, some screamed obscenities, and an illogical love affair. Don’t go into it trying to make sense of it. This is “check your brains at the door” material.
In reality, there’s a place for this kind of stuff. While never inspired to actually laugh at any of this silliness, it was fun and made me smile. Plus, Bob Barker, who studied martial arts in real life, won a fight with Gilmore, even doing most of his own stunts!
I’ve watched a lot worse things in the last decade. Don’t expect too much and you’ll enjoy yourself.
You can stream this movie on Amazon Prime, YouTube TV, Fandango, and Google Play.
Rating – *** Worth A Look
Stories Are My Life 
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