Fellman's Movie Reviews

Happy Gilmore is a 1996 comedy starring Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, and Carl Weathers. Happy has spent his entire life trying to become a professional hockey player. But when his grandma has her house repossessed, he has to find a way to get the money. Happy discovers his slapshot skills can transfer over to golf when former golfer Chubbs Peterson sees him and decides to train him and get him on the pro tour. Happy has to beat Shooter McGavin to get the money, and save his grandma from the nursing home Happy unknowingly put her in with the cruel and devious nurse. 

Happy Gilmore seemed a lot funnier 20 years ago when I was a lot younger than it does now. It’s still kind of funny. It has its moments. But it’s not “hilarious” funny like other comedies are. You know how some comedies make you burst out laughing. Happy Gilmore doesn’t do that anymore. Adam Sandler just doesn’t appeal to you once you get over a certain age, I guess.  

I think it’s more for nostalgic reasons than anything else that people still think Happy Gilmore is funny. They don’t actually watch it. They just remember watching it. Sure it was funny when you watched it back then. But lots of things were funny when you watched it back then. People thought Full House was a great show at one point. Rosanne Barr had her own TV show for god knows how many years. Things look completely different when you look at them in retrospect.  

Happy Gilmore does have its moments, though. The bit with Bob Barker is a movie classic. I’ll always give it to Bob for being in this movie. And Christopher McDonald just plays an excellent villain. Whatever movie he’s in. He’s just a villain. He’s typecast. It’s not his fault. He’s just good at it. And Ben Stiller as the covertly criminal nursing practitioner? That’s a stroke of writing genius right there.  

But when it comes down to it, I usually laugh out loud at most comedies that I watch. At least, at some of the scenes. And when I watched Happy Gilmore, I didn’t find myself busting up laughing. I just watched it. And that’s not what a comedy is for. A comedy should make you physically laugh. If it doesn’t do that, it’s not really that funny. And Happy Gilmore doesn’t do that. 

So, yeah. Go and see Happy Gilmore. It’s not necessarily a bad movie. It’s still pretty funny. But if you’re looking for something that’s going to make you bust up laughing, you might be disappointed. It’s not really THAT funny. And as always, keep on watching, with a smile on your face…