Grab your dad, your cousin Ricky, and definitely alert your big brother who still quotes Billy Madison every Thanksgiving—because Happy Gilmore 2 has arrived, and it’s got more baggage than your Aunt Patty at a Vegas bachelorette weekend.
After nearly 30 years (yes, THIRTY), Adam Sandler dusts off the hockey skates and oversized temper tantrums to bring back the beloved-but-chaotic Happy Gilmore. But this time, instead of saving grandma’s house, he’s…accidentally murdering his wife with a golf ball?
Yeah. That escalated quickly.
Happy’s Still Mad—But Now He’s Sad
The film opens with a plot twist darker than Shooter McGavin’s spray tan: Happy, now a retired golf legend, accidentally kills his wife Virginia (Julie Bowen) during a golf game gone horribly wrong. This sends the now single dad of five into a tailspin of grief, guilt, and—you guessed it—booze.
Now, as a Sober Curator (and a sober Sandler sympathizer), I gotta say: the movie doesn’t totally trivialize alcoholism. Happy hits rock bottom, and joins an HAL (Healing Alkies for Life) AA group inspired run by Ben Stiller (returning in psychotic orderly mode). The disguise flasks throughout the film? Outstanding. Almost as good as the 75+ cameos. There’s a fake iPhone, a golf club, a golf ball, even a cucumber. It’s like the James Bond of bad coping skills.
The Plot Is Thin, But the Nostalgia’s Thick
Happy returns to the green to fund his daughter’s ballet dreams (played charmingly by Sandler’s real-life daughter Sunny), taking on an energy-drink-funded golf league run by Frank Manatee (Benny Safdie). And yes, Shooter McGavin slithers back onto the scene, still looking like a divorced real estate agent who sells condos in Boca.
The emotional beats between Sandler and Sunny do hit differently—it’s where the film tries to grow up. And for a guy who once taught us all how to spell “R-O-K,” that’s growth. Sort of.
A Cameo Buffet with Zero Portion Control
Let’s talk cameos. This film has more pop-ins than a Vegas wedding chapel. Rob Schneider’s back (duh), shouting “You can do it!” like it’s a legally binding clause in every Sandler contract. But now we also get:
- Bad Bunny as a caddy
- Travis Kelce as a golf villain (???)
- Eminem as the son of the original “Jackass!” heckler
- Guy Fieri flipping burgers in the background
- Margaret Qualley, Post Malone, Alix Earle, and Haley Joel Osment just, like, existing?
Even real-life golf pros show up—Nicklaus, Trevino, Couples, Morikawa. It’s like Sandler hosted a charity tournament and just kept rolling the cameras.
Sober But Not Serious
Happy Gilmore 2 flirts with a more grounded version of Sandler. He’s dialing back the shrieking, turning up the vulnerability, and delivering some honestly moving scenes—until the next bonkers dream sequence crashes through like a drunk guy in a clown car.
For those of us living a sober lifestyle, it’s both cringey and cathartic to see addiction played for laughs and growth. This isn’t Requiem for a Dream. It’s a golf comedy with a guy peeing into a whiskey bottle disguised as a sunscreen tube.
The stakes are low, the plot is predictable, and it runs about 30 minutes too long—but if you loved the first one, you’re probably not here for tight narrative arcs. You’re here to laugh, cringe, and quote until your partner tells you to knock it off.
Final Thoughts: A Caddyshack Fever Dream
Is Happy Gilmore 2 good? That depends. If you’ve spent the last three decades quoting “tap it in” every time you pay with a debit card, then yes—it’s a 10/10, five-stars, Best Picture contender in your heart. If you’re new here or not a Sandler devotee, it might feel like a fever dream with a golf cart chase.
It’s a nostalgia-packed, cheese-covered, cameo-drenched romp that doesn’t ask you to think—it asks you to laugh, remember the good ol’ days, and maybe, just maybe, reconsider what you’re drinking out of that cucumber.
???? Sober Curator Verdict:
Happy’s back. He’s older, a little sadder, still nuts, but maybe—just maybe—a little more self-aware. Bring snacks. And if you’re newly sober, maybe skip the flask jokes and focus on the family feels. Or yell “Jackass!” at the screen for old times’ sake.
Movie Night with The Sober Curator Sobees Score: 3.5 out of 5
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Happy Gilmore 2 – Official Trailer | Netflix
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