Adam Sandler is all about keeping it in the family.
Sandler, 58, has become known for featuring his famous friends in his films — but no one is more A-list than his family. The comedian makes a point to cast his wife, Jackie, and their two daughters, Sadie, 19, and Sunny, 16, in nearly everything he does, and his latest film Happy Gilmore 2 is no different.
“Oh, my God, you’re just relieved. Once they do it well, nothing feels better as a parent,” Sandler told E! News in a July interview about putting his daughters in his movies. “It must be like when you’re the parents of a baseball player and you’re at the game and they get a hit. You just go, ‘Thank God.’ It’s just so much relief.”
Jackie only makes a brief cameo in Happy Gilmore 2 — a sequel to the 1996 hit comedy — but Sunny and Sadie take on more prominent roles, with Sunny even portraying the titular character (played by Sandler) and wife Virginia Venit’s (Julie Bowen) only daughter.
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Bowen, who reprises her character from the first movie — and also worked with Sandler on 2020’s Hubie Halloween — exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month that getting to work alongside Sunny and Sadie is always a high point of teaming up with Sandler, as is how comfortable the actor makes his sets.
“Everybody wants to feel like they’re home, and Adam does that for hundreds of people,” she explained. “When he talks about all the cameos and the guest stars, he doesn’t talk about getting a good performance out of them. He talks about thanking them for giving up their time, for standing around for 12 hours and doing their part. That has never changed. He’s always been that way.”
So, what roles does Sandler’s family have in Happy Gilmore 2? Keep scrolling to find out.
Sunny Sandler
Adam Sandler, Sunny Sandler Scott Yamano/Netflix © 2025.
The 16-year-old takes the spotlight in the Happy Gilmore 2, portraying Vennita, the only daughter of Happy and Virginia. Happy’s entire motivation centers around helping Vennita achieve her dreams, as he gets back into the game of golf in order to earn enough money to send her to a prestigious ballet school in Europe.
Despite also being dad to four sons in the film, it’s Happy’s special bond with Vennita that serves as the emotional core of the movie, helped by the fact the characters are played by a real father-daughter duo. Everything Happy does is for her benefit, and she takes care of him in return. When he gets too drunk to function, she puts him to sleep. When he doesn’t believe he can win the golf tournament, she is the one cheering him on the loudest. And he ultimately finds a way to send her to her dream school.
Sadie Sandler
Sadie Sandler, Adam Sandler Scott Yamano/Netflix © 2025.
Sadie appears as Charlotte, a fellow attendee of Happy’s Alcoholics Anonymous group. The pair find immediate common ground upon meeting, and Happy eventually comes to her defense when Happy’s nemesis Hal L (Ben Stiller), who has been hired as the “therapist” for their group, begins attacking her.
“I don’t like the way you talk to that kid. That kid has helped me more than you have, pal,” Happy says before Sadie’s character reveals she’s called the FBI on Hal because he forced AA attendees to do manual labor.
The two have a sweet bonding moment in the film’s final moments. “You’re a very cool kid,” Happy says to Sadie, and she responds, “You’re very cool too. You remind me of my dad.”
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Jackie Sandler
Jackie Sandler, Sunny Sandler Scott Yamano/Netflix © 2025.
While Jackie doesn’t have a large role in the film, she does make an appearance as Vennita’s ballet teacher. In fact, she’s the person who tells Happy that his daughter needs a “better teacher,” sparking his quest to get her to Europe.
