‘Happy Gilmore’ is getting a sequel
It had to happen didn’t it? Nearly thirty years down the line from the release of the original, there’s a Happy Gilmore sequel in the works. Yesterday Netflix announced that the cult classic golf film would be getting a second instalment, and the Sandman (Adam Sandler) would return as the star. If you haven’t seen the original (you should be ashamed of yourself), Happy Gilmore follows a hockey player (Sandler) with anger issues that finds out he’s a dab hand at golf, and uses his skills to get back his grandma’s house after it’s repossessed. You can also expect a pro-golfer who lost his hand in a crocodile attack, and Ben Stiller as a psychopathic nursing home assistant — Stiller actually reprised that role for a little cameo in Sandler’s 2020 film Hubie Halloween, which is akin to the kind of easter egg you’d expect from Taylor Swift. And the man behind the camera for Happy Gilmore was Dennis Dugan, who also worked with Sandler on Big Daddy, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, and Grown Ups. An auteur, some may say.
There were hints a part deux of the 90s flick might happen — three years ago the Uncut Gems actor put out a video recreating his character’s iconic golf swing, and back in March it was Sandler’s Happy Gilmore costar Christopher McDonald that stirred up rumours of a sequel during a radio interview.
But will the sequel be any good? While there’s not been any news on how the lead’s story will progress in the second instalment, we’d say that given Sandler’s track record of Netflix collaborations, it’s not exactly set in stone that he’ll pick up his second Independent Spirit Award for the sequel — if you haven’t seen the Sandman’s acceptance speech when he won one of those for his role in Uncut Gems, stop what you’re doing and watch it right now.
When we talk about Sandler’s previous work with streaming giant Netflix, we’re of course referring to not only Hubie Halloween, but misses like The Do-Over, Murder Mystery, and Spaceman. There was something certifiably charming about You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, where his daughters took centre stage, but by and large, they’ve all emphasised that Sandler’s comedy career might be dwindling… But if you’re the Sandman, none of that really matters. No-matter how many times he screams down the camera or offers up culturally-insensitive characters (ahem, Don’t Mess With the Zohan), Sandler isn’t going anywhere. Real ones know that there’s something about Sandler that makes him an enduring cult figure, and that’s been true way before his edgy turn as Howard Ratner in the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems, and will continue to be true way after he serves up cinematic atrocity after cinematic atrocity. Thanks Punch Drunk Love! Thanks PTA!
In short? If Denis comes out of retirement – which seems likely, and like he might have actually sold his soul to Sandler – it will be a (typically Sandler) cracker. If the Sandman can persuade the Safdie brothers (or Noah Baumbach?) to lend their vision to the world of competitive golf, we’ll be queuing up for a midnight screening.
