The original Happy Gilmore is a well-established comedy classic of the ‘90s. Personally, it was one of my favorite Adam Sandler vehicles when I was growing up. Like many of my generation, Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison were the two Sandler flicks we’d got to bat for when detractors would (often rightly) call out his many other pictures.

I still enjoy Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore but have fallen off with Sandler’s comedic efforts over the years. When I saw that Happy Gilmore 2 was going to be part of Sandler’s lucrative relationship with Netflix, I knew I was going to give this one a shot.

Even though I knew it was going to be exactly what I anticipated.

The Requel Strikes Again

The requel (a portmanteau of “reboot/remake” and “sequel”) formula is in full effect with Happy Gilmore 2. It’s structurally an echo of the first film with Happy in a low spot but eventually finding his redemption through golf and cameo appearances.

Unsurprisingly, Happy Gilmore 2 tries to bring up as much from the first movie as it can, including as many familiar faces as possible (we’ll get to that). Some work better than others; Christopher McDonald is falling back into place quite well as Shooter McGavin, but don’t expect him to remain villainous for too long. This flick is aiming for the heartstrings and wants to pluck them with everything in its arsenal.

And that’s where it gets sad.

Happy Deadmore

Happy Gilmore 2 is strangely preoccupied with death. The movie’s big setup in its opening prologue has Happy accidentally killing his wife (Julie Bowen), and then we continue to get hit over the head with the Grim Reaper’s scythe during a fight scene in a graveyard referencing numerous characters from the first film whose actors passed away.

Sandler co-wrote Happy Gilmore 2 and it’s clear he’s putting a lot of his own perspective into the movie. It’s a story about a former icon who is a beaten down, alcoholic mess surrounded by absent friends. Sandler’s aware of his age and seems to be injecting a cognizant sense of real mortality into the story of Happy Gilmore.

To be fair, that’s not a terrible bit of thematic heft, but it does feel improperly matched with a movie where Eminem plays the son of Joe Flaherty’s “Jackass!” guy.

A Few Laughs

I’ll admit that I laughed a handful of times during Happy Gilmore 2, but I just watched the movie mere hours ago and I couldn’t tell you what prompted them. Still, I expected to be miserable with a Sandler comedy at this stage of his career, so the fact it nabbed a giggle here and there is worth noting.

I didn’t expect much out of Happy Gilmore 2 and it provided precisely that. It wasn’t a terrible time but it was a long one; at nearly two hours, this is as indulgent as it wants to be and it’s rarely for the best. I can’t say I’d ever feel compelled to watch this again, whereas I still hold the first film close to my heart.

Now, I just hope Sandler doesn’t get itchy for Billy Madison 2.