HAPPY'S BACK

Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore 2 manages to avoid a total misfire with its charm and nostalgic appeal

- STORY: TATAT BUNNAG

Happy Gilmore is back 29 years after the original movie helped make Adam Sandler a comedy superstar. Whether you're a fan of the 1996 film or not, there's no denying how important Happy Gilmore was to pop culture at the time and how it cemented itself as a cult sports comedy beloved by multiple generations.

So when the news broke that Sandler would be reviving the character for Netflix, I was immediately torn between curiosity and concern. Comedy sequels, especially those released decades later, are rarely successful. More often than not, they lean too heavily on nostalgia, recycle old jokes and lack the spark that made the original a hit.

There was definitely a worst-case scenario here: a tired lead actor phoning it in, a script overloaded with lazy callbacks and a parade of random cameos distracting from the plot. That would have been an insult to the original movie and its fans.

Thankfully, Happy Gilmore 2 doesn't fall into that nightmare category. That's not to say it's a comedy classic in its own right — far from it — but I was pleasantly surprised to find it had just enough charm and sincerity to keep me watching. While it’s nowhere close to topping the original, it’s also not the embarrassment it could've been.

Adam Sandler returns as Happy Gilmore, now a man in his late 50s whose professional golf career is long behind him. Once the king of the long drive, Happy has endured personal tragedy and financial trouble.

After the loss of a loved one, he's now broke and living modestly with his four children. His once-glorious lifestyle has been reduced to a suburban shuffle, with eccentric pro golfer John Daly amusingly crashing in his garage.

The central emotional hook of the story revolves around Happy's desire to support his daughter's dreams.