Review of Happy Gilmore (1996) by Harry W — 04 Mar 2014

Adam Sandler was always at his funniest during the earliest point in his career, in films like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, so during a day where I found myself feeling down suddenly I decided to watch Happy Gilmore and reflect on some good old laughs.

Since Golf is such a boring sport, it needed some comedy to brighten the mood. And since I didn't enjoy Caddyshack, I always looked to Happy Gilmore. And it proved a good decision because still to this day when I have seen the film more than 10 times and yet I still find myself laughing at it. One of the best things about Happy Gilmore is that the nature of the story is not too dramatic or too dim witted so it's a really easy film to watch, and it essentially gets easier every time. And even though it follows a somewhat predictable path and may not find success with audiences that are not already fans of Adam Sandler's comedy style, Happy Gilmore still proves to be pure entertainment.

The story is more meaningful simply because Adam Sandler's motives aren't dictated by his own selfishness like in many other films. In actual fact, it's the fact that he is working so hard because he loves his grandmother that he is willing to play his best out on the golf course, and in the process he even helps out a homeless man. Happy Gilmore is a great character, an angry but sympathetic one, and thanks the strength written into the protagonist and the nature of the story, it proves to have the true heart of both a sports film and a great comedy. Its still my favourite golf film to date, even though the only other three I've seen are The Legend of Bagger Vance and Caddyshack 1 and 2.

The film succeeds by riding Adam Sandler's humourous anecdotes in Happy Gilmore and thanks to a ridiculous script. And when I say ridiculous, I mean it in a great way. There are so many random lines he throws out there and he does it all very well. His hilarious dedication to character is impeccable and his energetic spirit makes him perfect for the role. Happy Gilmore is a film only really befitting to Adam Sandler, and he puts all his effort into making it an amiable joyous comedy for fans of both Adam Sandler and professional golf. The success in Happy Gilmore rests mostly on his performance and his dedication to writing, and he makes it a great star vehicle for himself and teams up with Dennis Dugan in their first collaboration to ride Happy Gilmore to comedic victory for the less picky of audiences. So fans of his can truly rejoice at the comedic success of his earlier effort before he went on to make notoriously crap films like Jack and Jill, Just Go With It and Grown Ups 2. And the rest of the cast play their part fairly well.

I've been a fan of Carl Weathers for a very long time due to his work in the Rocky series, as well as for his small role in Arrested Development. So to see him active and playing a large role in a mainstream comedy like this is terrific. His performance as Chubbs Peterson was terrific and he was really likable, as well as being a thoroughly good genial presence and the source of a fine chemistry with Adam Sandler. And the fact that Happy Gilmore even made reference to Rocky when Happy Gilmore takes Virginia Venit out on a date to an empty ice skate just as Rocky himself did for his girlfriend Adrien gives Happy Gilmore a subtle touch of additional appeal.

Christopher McDonald is a great supporting character in Happy Gilmore because his ability to deliver his lines well on time and keep in the constant spirit of the antagonistic nature maintained by his character Shooter McGavin is effective, and he does a great job playing a real asshole. He's not just some cheap movie villain, he's just a real dickhole and so one of the main reasons audiences may laugh at Happy Gilmore is when his ego ends up being his downfall. Christopher McDonald does a grand job in Happy Gilmore and he proves that he is in fact a talented actor both as a villain and as a comedic antagonist.

Julie Bowen is good to see from so early on her career considering how later on she experienced considerable success as the star of Modern Family. And while her character is a rather generic one, she does a decent job.

Richard Kiel's cameo was fairly hilarious as well, and its his funniest effort since his performance in The Longest Yard from 1975. Bob Barker also made a memorable comedic impact in his hilarious fight scene with Adam Sandler.

Lastly, Frances Bay's simple yet dedicated performance was very sweet and friendly and it gave a little more heart to the story as well as a root of development for the titular character Happy Gilmore. She did a really great job in a small role and was a truly nice touch to the cast and the story.

Lastly, Happy Gilmore has a lot of colour in it. The scenery is terrific in enhancing the story to be more convincing and the cinematography captures it all very well. Some of the images of crazy plot dynamics like Adam Sandler wrestling a shark or fighting Bob Barker are likely to stick in the minds of viewers for a long time after because neither are the most common film dynamic in a comedy or in any film whatsoever. It is strictly Adam Sandler and entertaining for people who find humour with slightly sadistic violence casually played into a comedy. A lot of the jokes in Happy Gilmore sound good on the surface, and on film they are even better.

So all in all, Happy Gilmore is an entertaining comedy vehicle for Adam Sandler that has a dedicated cast and the heart of a decent sports film.