Relatable Raven Reviews

What’re they about?

Both movies focus on the titular Happy Gilmore, a wannabe hockey player who sucks at hockey but is somehow good at slapping a golf ball real far. In the first movie he’s trying to earn enough money to save his grandma’s house, in the second he’s trying to send his kid to ballet school and save the entire sport of golf, I guess? Things really escalated there.

Anyone I know in them?

Look, I’m just gonna go ahead and assume you know Adam Sandler so I’ll skip him and there’s like a million super famous cameos all up in these pieces and I ain’t got time to go through all of them so I’m just gonna go ahead focus on the main cast.

Christopher McDonald – I’m pretty sure he was probably a bigger actor back in the day but I really only know him from these and Hacks. Also for looking like if workplace sexual harassment was magicked into human form.

Julie Bowen – Known best for being the hot mom in Modern Family. No, not that one, the other hot mom.

Carl Weathers – Apollo Creed, man!

Bennie Safdie – One half of the Safdie brothers who directed Uncut Gems.

Bad Bunny – That hot Puerto Rican singer your mom likes.

So, are they any good?

I hadn’t watched the first one in YEARS and needed a refresher so I decided to watch them both back to back. Let me break it down for y’all.

Happy Gilmore 1 – Look, this was only the second movie that Adam Sandler did that he helped write (Billy Madison was the first), and while I am SO grateful that he didn’t do a stupid voice for it, it’s still not my favorite of his. Besides Mr. Deeds, I think this is his most forgettable film, to be honest. That’s why I needed to rewatch it. I was really surprised they decided to do a sequel of this one instead of Big Daddy or even Little Nicky. There’s just something about Sandler’s acting that throws me off. Like he’s trying so hard not to be over-the-top that he just ends up being completely flat. To it’s credit, that Bob Barker scene is amazing and the humor is slapsticky (does that count as a pun?), but not as immature and low-brow as most of his other movies from the 90’s. It’s a’ight (I have no idea if I spelled that right).

Happy Gilmore 2 – Ok, now this one surprised me. At first I was pissed because I had heard this cute story about how Julie Bowen was so sure she wasn’t going to be asked back and that Sandler’s new love interest would be some young, hot starlet but Sandler called her personally to tell her she was the heart of the movie and then THEY FUCKING KILLED HER OFF. And that’s not even a spoiler because it happens in the first THREE FUCKING MINUTES of the movie. After I paused to take a walk to calm down, I was genuinely surprised by how much I liked this movie. I really thought they were gonna phone in the plot and do a basic rehash of the original but they really switched things up on me, especially when it came to Shooter McGavin’s role in the whole thing. They over-used flashback sequences a little. Like do I really need to see a scene of Happy using his golf clubs 30 years ago when he finds them in the attic? They’re fucking golf clubs, I get it. Way too many callback gags, too. Seemed like almost every joke and secondary character was a reference. I loved how the movie paid tribute to the actors that have died since the first movie, though. And I thought seeing a ton of random celebrity cameos would be annoying but it was actually pretty fun. Who knew Travis Kelce could act?? I actually think I liked this one more than the original. The story has more heart, the stakes are higher which is more exciting and everyone looks like they’re having just the best time.

Anything else like them?

If you like the original, there are plenty of older Sandler movies out there for ya. My personal favorites are Big Daddy and Little Nicky mentioned before. If you’re looking for something a little fresher, Grown Ups is pretty solid. Also, if you’re in a festive mood, don’t sleep on Eight Crazy Nights. If you’re not keen on how goofy and immature these movies tend to skew, don’t worry, the Sandman’s got some more dramatic shit under his belt just for you. Uncut Gems is a crowd favorite, but I personally think his best acting is in Hustle, though. Just whatever you do, do NOT watch Jack and Jill. Not even ironically. It’s just not worth it, guys. Spare yourselves.