Happy Gilmore 2 might not win any Academy Awards, but I'll give it an A+. And heck, it might even inspire some people to get some AA. Beneath a barrel of laughs, a bunch of young Happy spawns kicking a piece of shit car, and maybe one too many dumb meatheaded jokes, it did something rare: it provided genuinely thoughtful commentary about where golf culture has gone. Plus, by the end, I found myself thinking, "If Adam Sandler can make movies like this, maybe I should write one too."
Let's get into it.
A Refreshing Sip of Sobriety
Happy Gilmore 2 made me really happy because I love how Happy gets sober, and his golf game comes back together.
It's a POV in the film that calls out how drunken golf is a waste. It's fun, I guess, but it's misaligned with the actual purpose of playing the game. I'm not here to shit on everyone having a beer on the back nine, but somewhere along the line, golf course drinking has gone OB.
Happy's road back to success lets that speak for itself without turning it into an after-school special.
Golf Swung Too Far in the Other Direction
The second thing Happy Gilmore 2 gets right: it's a commentary on how obnoxious golf has become.
Once upon a time, golf used to be stuffy, uptight, and with more rules about dress codes than actual gameplay. It needed to loosen up. And for a while, that was great. Golf became more accessible, more fun, more welcoming. I'd believe Happy Gilmore (the first one) had something to do with loosening up the stiffness and making the game more fun and approachable.
But now? Now we've got "loud golf." The pendulum swung from uptight snobs to guys treating every round like a full-on fiesta. Beer leagues and buddy trips on golf courses that are all about the boozing.
With an experienced comedic hand—and a movie targeted toward the people who probably need the message the most—they send a message and tap, tap, tap it in... just right. While the original movie was about breaking golf's stuffy barriers, this one asks: has it all gone a bit too far? There's a sweet spot between "remove your hat in the clubhouse" and "let's do Jägerbombs on the 7th tee," and we've missed it. We've gone from unnecessary etiquette to full-on golf idiots.
The Cameos and My FOMO
The cameos are fun. What's not to love about those? You can feel the good energy on set, the sense that everyone involved was having the time of their lives. Watching it, I also felt genuine FOMO. Not that I've done anything to deserve an invite into that circle, but still—make me a writer. Let me pitch a joke. Let me cameo! I would have loved to throw Eminem into a gator pond.
Part of me wishes I could make a shitton of money writing films about golf and silliness. And part of me knows I can do it.
Where's Tiger?
They couldn't work it out with Tiger Woods. I want to know that story. What happened? Scheduling? Money? Creative differences?
And more importantly, I want to propose this: Happy Gilmore 3 should feature Tiger. Not just a cameo. A real part of the plot. There's a movie there somewhere, and someone needs to write it.
If Adam Sandler Can Make Adam Sandler Movies… Johnny Michael can make Johnny Michael movies. Sames-for-yous.
I turned off the TV feeling inspired. Reinvigorated by a bunch of funny things that made me laugh and feel all great and goofy when I was younger. A sequel coming out 30 years later sends you on a lovely journey down memory lane—all the times you watched that movie or tried that Happy Gilmore shot and just yelled out... jackass!
If Adam Sandler can make movies—goofy, heartfelt, surprisingly thoughtful movies—then why can't I write one? I want to find ways to put things like that into the world. Somehow do those things and make those things that someone did for me.
Happy Gilmore 2 isn't high art. It's a comedy about golf that somehow managed to touch on sobriety, cultural overcorrection, and the simple joy of making something fun with your friends.
And if that's not worth aspiring to, I don't know what is.
