Legacy sequels aren't a new concept; the act of monetizing nostalgia has been practiced by filmmakers for decades, and the results have always been unpredictable. One of the earliest examples of this is The Color of Money, a sequel to The Hustler, which was acclaimed by both critics and audiences. Then came The Godfather Part III and the Star Wars prequel trilogy, which were hated by almost everyone. Blade Runner 2049 and Mad Max: Fury Road are considered great legacy sequels, but they're also two of the greatest films of all time.
The Halloween sequel trilogy proved hugely controversial, while the Creed trilogy was a genre-defining success. The list goes on. But the one film that has become almost synonymous with the term "legacy sequel" is Top Gun: Maverick. This cinematic behemoth seemingly perfected what filmmakers had been trying to do for years and expanded the horizons of action cinema to its limits. Although I didn't grow up watching Top Gun, it moved me deeply. What did I grow up with? That's right. Happy Gilmore, and I'm here to say that Happy Gilmore 2 is Adam Sandler's Top Gun: Maverick.
Director: Kyle Newacheck
Writers: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler
Stars: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald
Kyle Newacheck's Happy Gilmore 2, written by Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler, follows the main character after his first Tour Championship victory. Happy married Virginia and has five children with her: Vienna, Wayne, Gordie, Bobby, and Terry. Although he thrives as a professional golfer, his children seem to have no interest in the sport. So Happy wants to retire from golf and focus on his children. But Virginia insists he should keep playing that club as long as he can instead of quitting prematurely. This turns out to be a mistake, as one of Happy's signature long drives ends Virginia's life and sends the famous golfer into a downward spiral.
He turns to alcohol and drinks all his prize money. He attacks a foreclosure agent and ends up losing his late grandmother's house as well. Their children are forced to take menial jobs to make ends meet while living in an apartment. Meanwhile, Happy and Vienna move to a dangerous neighborhood; the former works at a convenience store to pay for his daughter's school fees. When he learns that she has the opportunity to study at the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet School, he decides to pick up his golf clubs again to secure her sky-high tuition. Two things hinder Happy's journey: his alcoholism and Frank's Maxi Golf Course.
To fully explain my comparison between Top Gun: Maverick and Happy Gilmore 2, I have to enter spoiler territory. So, you've been warned. Well, while Top Gun was about being the best fighter pilot of the day, Top Gun: Maverick was about being the best fighter pilot so that manned aircraft wouldn't be replaced by drones. It made the argument that war shouldn't be as simple as sending a drone to a certain location, dropping bombs, and calling it a day. It should affect the mind and body, and that should influence the decision to declare war or opt for diplomacy.
This, in turn, became a commentary on cinema and how AI and other soulless methods are chosen to create something as emotive as art, while humans are marginalized for being "unwieldy." Happy Gilmore was about a working-class man who takes on a sport reserved for the upper class and triumphs. It was an underdog story, and it showed that if there's a will, there's a way. Happy Gilmore 2 features surgically enhanced golfers who can swing harder than Happy, and then there's a golf course that's supposed to end traditional golf. And after presenting this chilling mix of body horror, capitalism, and entertainment, Tim and Adam pose the question: "Can old always be gold?"
I know almost nothing about golf, and I know Happy Gilmore 2 shouldn't be taken too seriously, but by pitting regular golfers against experienced ones, I think the movie speaks to how capitalists' need to profit from everything can have terrible consequences. Young people are always lured into these ventures under the guise of "creating an open market" and "opposing the practice of surveillance." As soon as a company becomes profitable, the doors are closed, and those who need the tools that were once publicly available are left high and dry.
In this economy, we see people in their 60s coming out of retirement to make ends meet, but because the rules have changed, they're forced to settle for less. And that, in my opinion, is unfair. As in Maverick, the movie's commentary can be extended to the evolution of comedy. Unfunny people like to say that comedy has become too progressive. I think it's being pulled in two opposite directions. There's one side that's too easily offended, and the other that's just plain disgusting. There's a middle ground, but it's shrinking rapidly. However, that's no excuse to give up. If you love what you do, fighting for it is essential.
Now, you might ask: if Happy Gilmore 2 managed to stir such deep thoughts in me, why does it have such a low rating? Well, because the movie takes about an hour to get going. The first half is truly unbearable. It's filled with cameos, references, and jokes that never had the slightest chance of working. The acting is a disaster. The visual narrative is pretty average. But the cameos are atrocious. If you're faint of heart, you'll probably give up within the first twenty minutes. However, in my opinion, if you do that, you'll miss the second half, which is truly brilliant. The entire golf course, especially the final green, is simply brilliant. In fact, there's such a beautiful aerial shot of that green that I took a picture of it to cherish it forever. All the performances in the second half are great.
There are several moments where Adam Sandler looks at his real-life daughters, Sadie and Sunny, and they are so tender it's impossible not to be moved. Christopher McDonald is once again the lead. His energy is outstanding. Benny Safdie continues to demonstrate his incredible acting talent. Doing this after Oppenheimer is insane. Despite having little to no acting experience, I think Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, and Scottie Scheffler are quite good. Ben Stiller, as always, is fantastic. Bad Bunny is truly splendid. Eminem, Travis Kelce, and Boban Marjanovic deliver the best cameos; the rest are tolerable at best and disgusting at worst. Throughout the 2000s, I must have watched Happy Gilmore at least 50 times. After that, I never got around to rewatching it. The day Happy Gilmore 2 was announced, the image of Scooter kissing Happy's grandmother, while she's wearing KISS makeup, flashed before my eyes. That's how deeply that movie impacted me.
When I rewatched it in preparation for this legacy sequel, I realized it's one of the best comedies of all time. Happy's return to the golf course isn't perfect, and it's certainly not Top Gun: Maverick. If I wasn't nostalgic for the first film, I would have trashed it outright. But unlike many legacy sequels that try too hard to appeal to new audiences or don't try at all, I appreciate the fact that Kyle Newacheck and his team tried to make a relevant point through the absurdist lens of Sandler's humor. It's left the door ajar for a sequel, and I hope Sandler and his team cap off this trilogy by introducing robot golfers to further their message about the importance of celebrating humans and humanity. Well, if that sounds like a good recommendation to you, be sure to watch Happy Gilmore 2 on Netflix.
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