In 1996, Adam Sandler starred in Happy Gilmore, a wild film about a golf prodigy whose talent was distinctly odd to watch. And his ability to raise the blood pressure of those around him was out of this world! The film, written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, was their second feature collaboration, the first being Billy Madison.
The new film, Happy Gilmore 2, finds Happy an alcoholic widower ex-golfer who returns to the sport to raise money to send his daughter to a Paris ballet school.
On the side of the good guys, we have the pros of the original game of golf. The names of these folks are ones you’ve read on the sports pages, some for decades.
On the side of the bad guys, we have the followers of Maxi Golf, the invention of Frank Manatee (Benny Safdie), the CEO of Maxi Energy Drink. The two whose faces were instantly apparent were Haley Joel Osment as Billy Jenkins and Reggie Bush as 8-Ball.
And as with any professional golf broadcast, the commentators are usually men we all know. Verne Lundquist returns to the desk from his portrayal in the first film. Post Malone (as Austin Post) does a wild job sitting with Verne and his partner doing the play-by-play of the games.
One additional note: the number of cast members with the Sandler surname surprised me. But each one did a good job portraying their characters. I am impressed!
This film is a fun frolic in cameos and caricatures of real people. The plot is designed to allow Happy to save the day for his daughter, while making a disaster of the bad guy’s lives. And, God help me, it works.
Happy Gilmore 2 is a fun summer movie. Check it out on Netflix!
Director: Kyle Newacheck
Cast: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Benny Safdie, Ben Stiller, Bad Bunny, John Daly, Dennis Dugan, Haley Joel Osment, Lavell Crawford, Jackie Sandler, Sadie Sandler, Sunny Sandler, Maxwell Friedman, Philip Schneider, Ethan Cutkosky, Conor Sherry, Steve Buscemi, Kevin Nealon, Kym Whitley, John Farley, Eric André, Martin Herlihy, Margaret Qualley, Verne Lundquist, Post Malone, Jack Giarraputo, Keegan Bradley, Fred Couples Bryson DeChambeau, Nick Faldo, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Sergio García, Charles Howell III, Brooks Koepka, Hunter Mahan, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Jack Nicklaus, Corey Pavin, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Lee Trevino, Bubba Watson, Seth Waugh, Will Zalatoris, Marcello Hernández, Travis Kelce
MPA Rating: PG-13 (for strong language, crude/sexual material, partial nudity and some thematic material)
Selig Rating: 4 stars
Runtime: 117 Min.
Release Date: 07/25/2025 (Netflix)
Language: English
Genre(s): Comedy, Sport
Trailer: HAPPY GILMORE 2 Official Trailer
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.