‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Movie Review: Adam Sandler Swings Back With Nostalgia in a Tamer, Cameo-Studded Sequel (LatestLY Exclusive)

Happy Gilmore 2 Movie Review: Yet another legacy sequel, yet another cult favourite character returning to the screen after a couple of decades. You know what that means, right? Right? Yep - Happy Gilmore is now going through a full-blown mid-life crisis. Adam Sandler returns to one of his most beloved '90s roles in Happy Gilmore 2, directed by Kyle Newacheck (What We Do in the Shadows), playing the golfer-by-accident whose swing still comes powered by rage. ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Teaser: Fans Rejoice As Adam Sandler Unveils the First Sneak Peek of the Sequel.

The film brings back most of the surviving cast from the original, with tributes to the ones who’ve passed, without getting dramatic or sentimental. Otherwise this wouldn't be a Happy Gilmore movie, right?

'Happy Gilmore 2' Movie Review - The Plot

So what’s Gilmore up to this time? After winning the championship at the end of the first film, Happy goes on to win more titles, marries Virginia (Julie Bowen), and raises five kids - four rowdy sons and a daughter, Vienna (Sunny Sandler), who’s more like her mum. But Happy’s reckless behaviour leads to financial ruin. A freak golfing accident tragically takes Vienna’s life, the family downsizes, and Happy spirals into alcoholism.

Watch the Trailer of 'Happy Gilmore 2':

To raise funds for Vienna’s ballet programme, Happy returns to pro golfing. But the sport is now under threat from Maxi Golf, a zany, fast-paced version of the game backed by shady entrepreneur Frank Manatee (Benny Safdie). Think of it as golf’s answer to IPL’s cricket revolution. To protect traditional golf, Happy and a band of old-school pros must take on Manatee’s flashy team.

'Happy Gilmore 2' Movie Review - A More ‘Woke’ Gilmore?

As someone who enjoys Sandler’s comic timing but not always his taste, I’ve always had a soft spot for Happy Gilmore. It’s his funniest film with the least amount of juvenile sleaze. But how does that humour age in 2025, where 'woke' isn’t just a word, it’s an entire discourse?

Surprisingly, Sandler (perhaps now more aware or mature, or simply a dad of two teen daughters) seems to get that some old jokes don’t land anymore. One character cracks a line about a woman’s looks and is promptly shut down. Happy imagines his wife in lingerie in his "happy place," only to quickly switch to a more age-appropriate vision - him having a smooth bowel movement. Meta much? The film essentially says, "Yeah, we could have made those jokes... but we didn’t."

That said, it’s not entirely reformed. There are still visual jokes involving naked male butts, donkey-breath gags that fall flat, and the inevitable old-people-peeing-in-public scenes. Now what's an Adam Sandler movie without some toilet humour?

'Happy Gilmore 2' Movie Review - A Tempered Return to Familiar Turf

Like most comedy sequels made decades later - Coming to America 2, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F - Happy Gilmore 2 feels softened. The fury that once defined Happy is dialled down but not disappeared. The jokes don’t always land, though there are flashes of brilliance: Happy’s inventive drinking methods, his match with young golfers (Eric André, Martin Herlihy and Margaret Qualley) that turns quite destructive, Shooter McGavin’s (Christopher McDonald, funny as always) first meeting with Manatee that turns into a coffee-spilling confrontation etc.

Ben Stiller returns as Haloysius Lieberman in a performance that's more eccentric than funny. And the film leans hard into nostalgia - cameos, flashbacks, family members of original characters, through quirky gags.

Like the cemetery fight I mentioned earlier. What struck me as particularly strange was Julie Bowen’s character being listed among the deceased - a choice that seemed more about the unavailability of other actors (for obvious reasons: they’re no longer alive). Bowen, of course, is very much alive; her character simply falls victim to that tired sequel trope of killing off spouses to force the protagonist into grief (Psst… Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, anyone?)

'Happy Gilmore 2' Movie Review - Hit the Balls Still Hard!

Happy Gilmore 2 shines when it brings Happy back to the course. While it can’t recapture the chaotic chemistry between Happy and Shooter (who is now on his side) or top Bob Barker’s legendary cameo, it tries. Bad Bunny steals scenes as Happy’s new Spanish caddie, Oscar. Real-life golf pros play themselves, lending authenticity and humour as they roast themselves and even join Happy in the final tournament against the Maxi golfers.

Other cameos include Travis Kelce (yes, that Travis Kelce) getting smeared with honey and mauled by a bear. It’s as ridiculous as it sounds - and kind of hilarious. Also watch out for an unrecognisable Eminem playing the son of character who meets quite a grisly demise.

The final tournament delivers plenty of entertainment, with a handful of genuinely fun moments. And how brilliant is Benny Safdie (of the Safdie Brothers, who directed Sandler in his career-best performance in Uncut Gems) as the eccentric main antagonist? It’s a joy to watch him fully embrace the film’s absurdity, as his character endures a series of painful encounters, like being hurled into a cage of live lobsters. Equally impressive is Haley Joel Osment as a rival golfer who undergoes hip surgery purely to hit the ball harder.

Sandler, now embracing a more restrained persona, has joined the nepotism bandwagon - these days, he routinely casts his daughters in his films (even his wife makes an appearance as Vienna’s ballet tutor). Can't complain much when it doesn't hamper the film. While Happy Gilmore 2 thankfully remains allergic to sentimentality, there’s still a genuine warmth in Sandler’s scenes with his daughter(s). ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ Movie Review: Eddie Murphy Brings Back Pulpy '80s to Modern Times in This Fun but Familiar Legacy Sequel.

'Happy Gilmore 2' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

As legacy sequels go, Happy Gilmore 2 isn't bad, and that's saying something when the last legacy sequel I reviewed was the I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot. It offers a fair share of chuckles, some fun celeb cameos, and a slightly more self-aware Sandler still entertainingly working out his shtick on the golf course. While it doesn’t quite match the energy and the wacky slapstick humour of the original, and some gags still stink (literally), there’s a weird, warm charm to seeing Happy Gilmore grow up - just a little. Happy Gilmore 2 is streaming on Netflix.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 26, 2025 02:18 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).