Happy Gilmore 2

Release year: 2025
My Rating: ★★ out of 5

Tagline: Happy Gilmore returns!

Synopsis: Happy Gilmore isn’t done with golf — not by a long shot. Since his retirement after his first Tour Championship win, Gilmore returns to finance his daughter’s ballet classes.

Man, this was so disappointing!

Like, I expected it. I didn't think it was going to be good, and unfortunately I was correct. I mean, was an Adam Sandler sequel 30 years after the original ever going to be good? Probably not, but that doesn't mean it had to be bad.

And not everything about this movie is bad. They brought back nearly all the original cast who is still alive. Unfortunately, all of the cast and the cameos feel really under utilized. I liked Eminem in this, but I wanted to see more of him. Instead they just use him for one scene as a fanservice/celebrity appearance that’s it. This movie feels like Zoolander 2 (that is a bad thing!). In both movies, instead of using the strengths of the star power they would still have with half of the cameos, they just decide to insert as many people as possible so we can be like "HEY, I KNOW THAT PERSON!". And it's a testament to both originals just how many people wanted to be involved in the sequel. I think I just would have liked to see more of fewer people than an overwhelming amount of celebrities they can barely cram in.

All that being said, the real star here is Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin. He slid right back into the character and was just as funny as he was in the original. I liked the idea they had to pair up Gilmore and McGavin for the sequel because they were always able to play off of each other so well. But still, I just feel like we don't see enough of him. I want more Shooter McGavin!

You want to know the real reason I don't like this movie? We were robbed of Julie Bowen! When I learned they killed her off before this movie, I was so bummed because I was excited to get more of her character. Instead they just wasted that. But they brought her back for a few scenes anyway, so I really don't understand why they did this. Maybe it was to serve the plot and give Happy a reason why he was down on his luck, but I feel like they could have even made them split up, and it would have been better as he tried to also win his family back. Maybe that makes Happy more unlikeable, but at least it doesn't feel like a waste.

Ultimately this movie feels bloated, but if you go into it with the sole desire to just see the characters again and get lots of references to the first movie, then you probably won't be disappointed. However, all it made me feel was that I would rather be watching the original.