Happy Gilmore 2 Putting Its Way to Netflix

Movies

We’re at the stage of IP mining where IPs that we didn’t even realize were franchises are getting sequels, prequels, reboots, remakes, and what-have-yous. At Netflix’s upfront presentation today (via Variety), the premier streaming service revealed that they’re developing a sequel to Happy Gilmore, Adam Sandler’s sports comedy from the 90s. If you’ve never seen it, Happy Gilmore stars Sandler as the title character, a violence-prone hockey player who becomes a professional golfer to win enough money to save his grandmother’s house, which is about to be seized by the government. Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Ben Stiller, and the late great Carl Weathers, Richard Kiel, and Bob Barker also starred in the film, which was directed by Sandler’s frequent collaborator, Dennis Dugan (who also directed episodes of some great TV shows, like Picket Fences and NYPD Blue). There’s not much information on Happy Gilmore 2 yet, besides that it will once again star Sandler – and Christopher McDonald, probably.

I usually dread hearing a new Adam Sandler movie is in the works (sort of; I don’t watch them anymore and haven’t for a long time, but I still groan), but Happy Gilmore is a reminder that he used to be legitimately funny and made some really good comedies. I saw this in the theater when it came out (my grandmother took me, and she loved it too because she was awesome), as did all my friends, and we quoted it constantly. Christopher McDonald’s Shooter McGavin is the stuff of comedy villain legend, perfectly smug and condescending while slowly growing worried that he may be underestimating Happy, while Carl Weathers manages to give a very wacky movie some genuine heart as Happy’s mentor. James Bond fans (like myself, although I didn’t get into Bond till high school, so Happy Gilmore came first for me) loved seeing Richard Kiel, who was Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, in a wild part as an old enemy of Happy’s who becomes one of his most enthusiastic supporters. And Bob Barker, who hosted The Price is Right at the time, has a legendary cameo that may be the best scene in the movie.

So, yeah, Happy Gilmore is pretty great and is the second-best golf movie only because Caddyshack exists and Goldfinger doesn’t count. (Tin Cup sucks, and The Legend of Bagger Vance is a snooze.) But I don’t know if I want a sequel. Happy Gilmore was a self-contained story, and there’s no real reason to revisit it, and a lot of the actors have passed away, which can’t help but put a damper on the movie. Maybe they can get around that; one of the characters died in the movie, and a repeat of Bob Barker’s cameo would just pale in comparison. But why would Happy have to play golf again? It was a novelty once, but a second time is a pretty big contrivance. And Shooter McGavin is back? Sure, he’s great, but I liked where Happy Gilmore left him. What could be fun is if Shooter comes back in an Apollo Creed type of role as Happy’s new mentor to train him to beat a new golf pro, which would allow for a nice tribute to Carl Weathers. I don’t know; maybe it’ll be good. But I don’t trust many of these franchise resurrections anymore, and Adam Sandler is not what he once was.