Um Maluco no Golfe

In Happy Gilmore, Sandler plays the part of a determined hockey player who doesn't make the team but soon inadvertently discovers that his hockey skills translate very nicely onto the golf green. Until the point in the film where Happy begins playing golf, most of the laughs come from his misfortune (`Happy Gilmore… I called your name, didn't I?' [eagerly] `No, you didn't.' `Oh, well, better luck next year!!'), but it is the conflictive interaction between himself as a self-proclaimed hockey player and the much more formal and (for lack of a better word) high class game of golf that makes up the majority of the entertainment for the rest of the film.

There is clearly a take on the classic odd-couple comedy structure here, as Sandler's vulgar hockey habits collide with the neatness and formality of the golf green, and for the most part, this comedy scheme works pretty well here. Sandler seems to adopt the character of Happy Gilmore with great relish as he displays violent acts of hilariously misplaced aggression, clearly foreshadowing his similar actions as Bobby Boucher in The Waterboy. Indeed, some of the funniest parts of the film come from his lengthy streams of profanity at the misbehaved ball when it doesn't go where he wants it to go (`PIECE!! OF!! MONKEY *beep*!!').

So you have an undeniably entertaining and amusing character who does undeniably funny things, but it is at the logical level that this film falls on its face. Luckily for the movie and for its fans, this is not the most important element of a movie like this. It's not very likely that a slob like Happy, who doesn't make the hockey team, is going to suddenly find himself bringing in thousands and thousands of dollars left and right, and stick to his plan to buy his grandmother's house back. You would think that, having seen that he can make that much money, he would at least have kept going for a while instead of quitting as soon as he had accumulated enough to buy back the house. A noble cause, obviously, but no red blooded American male on the planet is going to just quit the game because he prefers hockey or he hates his lead opponent. But who cares? Sandler delivers the steady stream of laughs as Gilmore with such skill that the comedy of the film far overshadows any such imperfections.

Gilmore himself seems to be a bit overly violent in scenes where it doesn't seem entirely necessary, and there is clearly some overdone product placement, but it doesn't take away from the rest of the film. Mike Meyers made brilliant use of product placement in Wayne's World in such ways that added hugely to the comedy of the film (although he tripped over this technique in Austin Powers 2, when he made it massively over-emphasized and stonily unamusing), and the excessive violence of the Gilmore character is justified (although just barely) by the fact that his imperfect characteristics make his efforts (or lack thereof) to fit in with professional golfers even more amusing. As the pros stand around sipping expensive wine and discussing their respective accomplishments, Happy walks in asking where the pinball machine and the keg are. They want fame and recognition, he wants money and beer (and Virginia, the sexy reporter who fills the role of the obligatory love interest in the typical Sandler film).

There are a lot of scenes in Happy Gilmore that, as much as I personally enjoy the movie, simply fall flat (many of which involve the homeless guy who Happy employs as his caddie, or the nutcase that Shooter McGavin employs to destroy Gilmore's chances of winning the tournament, or anything involving Chubbs' prosthetic hand) but the film succeeds where it is supposed to. Sandler presents Gilmore as a strangely likeable character, despite all of his destructive habits, and the film is peppered with other notable performances, not the least of which are by Carl Weathers as Chubbs, the former golf pro who takes upon himself the immense task of taming the wild Gilmore, and Christopher MacDonald, in yet another brilliantly hate-able role as the immutable Shooter McGavin.

Happy Gilmore is a comedy from Adam Sandler, which means that you already know what kind of movie that you are going to get here, so don't complain if it turns out to be what you expected. Sandler does not make award-winning films, and chances are he never will, but the comedic value of Happy Gilmore is unquestionable. It is, to sum it up just as briefly as movies like this can be summed up, a perfect example of what I like to call Fast Food Cinema. It's a lot of fun, but there's no nutritional value.

My favorite Adam Sandler movie.

I just think it aligns perfectly with his comic persona. He seems to fit this character perfectly. It's the kind of adolescent silliness that I gravitate toward. I can't tell you how happy I was that my 9 year-old seemed to approve ("That was a very good movie"). And she's way more mature than her old man is.

It's not just the character of Happy Gilmore that's memorable here, but also Shooter McGavin, and Christopher McDonald deserves credit for making the entitled jackass a solid villain. Same for Carl Weathers, and you would think he'd be slumming it here, but he sure doesn't show it.

Best of all? Out-of-Nowhere Bob Barker; secure enough in his celebrity to openly parody it with a free-for-all fistfight.

Tell me "The Price is Wrong, b***h!" isn't one of Sandler's best lines.

Frustrated ice hockey player Happy Gilmore will never make it into the sport despite his intense hitting strength and aggressive game. When he is seen by ex-golf pro Chubbs Peterson, on a driving range, Happy is offered the chance to enter a golf contest. When his Grandma's house is repossessed, Happy enters in order to make money quickly. However soon it becomes about more than money as pro Shooter McGavin tries to show him up.

Those watching an Adam Sandler comedy usually are prepared for the type of humour that they are about to experience. I know I didn't sit down expecting clever, witty word play or an intricate, playful script that toys with my emotions. No, I knew that I was ready for the man-child's clowning and lots of dumb, silly jokes. So I actually quite enjoyed my time spent watching this film as I knew what I was getting into. The plot is simply dumb but of course that's the point! The fun is supposed to be in watching Happy getting where he's going rather than wondering if he'll come out on top or not.

The jokes are pretty run of the mill for Sandler. They all have a certain quality that will raise a vague smile often enough to enjoy, but doesn't really ever make you laugh out loud more than a handful of times. Of course for lots of times, Sandler's overacting (or overreacting!) makes things funnier and he does an OK job with the material. The actual role is the same one he always plays and is not hard for him. Guest is better with witty support but Sandler pretty much runs the film without ruining it.

While it didn't totally grab my full attention and have me rolling, it was amusing and light enough not to have to concentrate on – which is what I was looking for on a cold Saturday afternoon. Not really worth checking out if you can't stand Sandler, but neutrals on the subject (such as me) will find it passable enough comedy. Die hard fans will, of course, love it to death but fear not, for a vengeful God awaits them!

Adam Sandler may not be the all-round actor who can deliver many different comic performances but he does have a certain comic style. Happy Gilmore is a failed Hockey player who cannot skate and has a lack of any self-discipline. His life seems to be a complete failure until he finds out he can hit a golf ball over 400 yards. At first you might feel little empathy for Happy as he obviously deserves all the bad luck he gets from the way he treats his friends. But the introduction of Shooter to the screen suddenly makes you root for the underdog. The plot is thrown together to get the most out of Sandler and his antics on screen. Some of the scenes are totally unbelievable particularly when a car is driven on to the golf course to run down Happy! But no matter how many times I see the film it can still make me laugh.

A "pro" golfer duking it out with veteran game-show host Bob Barker right in the middle of a tournament. That scene alone makes this one of the more memorable comedies of the last 30 years. Almost everyone I know has either seen or heard of that scene and everyone laughs at it.

It IS ludicrous and that's what makes it so funny. In fact, most of the movie is totally preposterous, totally unbelievable and totally wacky, which is Adam Sandler's trademark in these comedies. He's low key but violent, as he was in Mr. Deeds, Punch-Drunk Love and a few other films.

Here, Sander is even more vocal and violent than normal and definitely more crude, which is saying something since this actor usually doesn't play guys with a lot of class. "Happy" is a hot-tempered hockey player who can hit a golf ball 400 yards so he tries his hand on the PGA tour to help raise money for his grandmother. I just shake my head even writing that last sentence, it sounds so stupid....but this is a stupid movie with an incredibly stupid story but is hilarious, for the most part.

Anyone who is a golfer would appreciate this movie more than others, because Sandler says and does things we'd all like to do on the links at times but, thankfully, don't. In short: this is a crude but very funny movie.