Review of Happy Gilmore (1996) by Tiberio S — 21 Feb 2017

Dennis Dugan, the director of 'Happy Gilmore,' did a remarkable job of making a comedic movie into a movie that you could truly relate to the characters and the storylines. Dennis Dugan also the director of 'The Benchwarmers', and 'Don't Mess With the Zohan', consistently can make the viewer amused, but these movies serve no justice to the plot of 'Happy Gilmore'. After watching Dennis Dugan movies, you are often left clueless on the point of the movie. With 'Happy Gilmore' you leave with the laughs and grow close with the characters, and the stories behind each character.

In the move 'Happy Gilmore' there are multiple storylines that completely compel the audience. Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler), is the main character and deals with a tremendous amount of adversity throughout the movie. First and foremost, Happy's Grandmother, whom he loves dearly, loses her house. Happy's mission is to get the house back to his Grandmother. Secondly, Happy meets his crush Virginia (Julie Bowen). Happy does whatever it takes to win over her heart. Lastly, Happy needs to overcome the antics of his arch nemesis Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald). Along these seemingly reachable goals, Happy deals with an outrageous amount of setbacks to keep the viewer at the edge of their seat. Nothing is given to Happy, he needs to make everything happen himself through shear willingness, and devotion to the tasks he has at hand.

With these main storylines, Dennis Dugan hit the jackpot. How could you possibly go wrong with a man seeking to find the money to buy his Grandmother's house back? Also, no one can dislike a man going after the woman of his dreams. These storylines could've easily been thought of as 'boring,' or 'not original,' but Dugan dressed up the plot and the storylines into an adventure that has never been seen before.

Dugan's best decision was making Adam Sandler the main act. Adam Sandler as an actor always impresses me, and in this film he goes above and beyond. Sandler never has any trouble making people laugh in his films, but in 'Happy Gilmore' he's able to relate to the audience with his true feelings for the ones he cares about. I could sincerely feel the struggle that Sandler's character was going through to get the house back to his Grandma. Supporting actors such as Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Frances Bay, Ben Stiller, and Carl Weathers do a great job to make Happy's emotions come alive. 'Happy Gilmore' listed as comedy, family, and sports genres could truly also be listed as a romance, and an action film. This movie truly encapsulates and brings out the best of all genres. Each scene, line, emotion, and expression contributed to an unforgettable ending.