Happy Gilmore (1996)

Director:

Dennis Dugan

Writers (WGA):

Tim Herlihy (written by) &
Adam Sandler (written by)

Release Date:

16 February 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

He doesn't play golf... he destroys it.

Plot:

A rejected hockey player puts his skills to the golf course to save his grandmother's house.

Plot Keywords:

Hockey | Golf | Grandmother's House | Golf Course | Tournament

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Adam Sandler	...	Happy Gilmore
Christopher McDonald	...	Shooter McGavin
Julie Bowen	...	Virginia Venit
Frances Bay	...	Grandma
Carl Weathers	...	Chubbs
Allen Covert	...	Otto
Robert Smigel	...	IRS Agent
Bob Barker	...	Himself
Richard Kiel	...	Mr. Larson
Dennis Dugan	...	Doug Thompson
Joe Flaherty	...	Jeering Fan
Lee Trevino	...	Himself
Kevin Nealon	...	Potter
Verne Lundquist	...	Announcer
Jared Van Snellenberg	...	Happy's Waterbury Caddy

Also Known As:

Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and some comic sexuality.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Netherlands:MG6 (video premiere) | Iceland:L | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Sweden:11 | South Korea:12 | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | USA:PG-13 (No. 34362) | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 (video premiere) | Germany:6 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Company:

Brillstein-Grey Entertainment

Trivia:

The concept was inspired by Adam Sandler's childhood friend Kyle who was a hockey player. Kyle regularly played golf with Sandler and Sandler's father. Kyle currently is a teacher in Manchester, NH (Sandler's home town) and coaches the high school hockey team.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: There is a dream sequence at the end where Chubbs is alive and playing the piano and singing. The initial camera angle shows Chubbs playing and then pans so you can no longer see the keys. Chubbs then raises up his hands to show that his natural hand has returned. However, despite having both hands off the piano keys, we can still hear the piano being played.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[opening narration voice over]
Happy Gilmore: My name is Happy Gilmore. Ever since I was old enough to skate, I loved hockey. I wasn't really the greatest skater though. But that didn't stop my dad from teaching me the secret of smacking his greatest slap shot.
[Young Happy, hits a hard plastic ball into his father's forehead]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gilmore Girls: You Jump, I Jump, Jack (#5.7)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Wooly Bully

A film that I treasure.

This film is the one that introduced me to one of my favorite actors, Adam Sandler. His movies are mostly hit-or-miss gag machines, but this is one of his movies in which nearly every gag works. I almost miss the old Adam Sandler. The old Adam Sandler character would be a man who acts nice, but turns violent and angry when he doesn't get his way. Now he plays a mild-mannered every-man who makes little wisecracks. Not that the latter isn't funny, but the former is what he'll always be remembered for, and this is a perfect example of an Adam Sandler's true comedic side.

Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) is a nearly unlikeable loser who after a strangely traumatic childhood, grew up to be a raving, anti-social lunatic, who happens to be obsessed with hockey. He constantly tries out for hockey teams, and proudly holds two league records (Most time spent in the penalty box, and he was the only person in history to ever take off his skate and try to stab somebody). One day, his girlfriend dumps him, he doesn't make the hockey team, and the IRS repossesses his grandmothers house which he grew up in. Soon, he discovers that he has an incredible talent for golf, with a record breaking long drive. Unwillingly taken under the wing of one-handed former golf pro Chubbs Peterson (Carl Weathers), and becomes a golf sensation due to his long drive, and extremely rude behavior, much to the dismay of the leading tour money winner, Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald). A bitter rivalry and a race-against-time ensue, as Happy tries to earn back his grandma's house, and beat Shooter.

Happy Gilmore is a movie that I truly adore, and will always cherish. There are many quotable lines, and hilariously random scenes and/or characters. One of the funniest ones is a cameo by Ben Stiller as a cold-blooded orderly at an old folks home, who treats the citizens like inmates. One of the funniest comic bits in any Adam Sandler movie is the sequence in which Happy gets into a fistfight with Bob Barker, the host of "The Price is Right." For some reason, Bob fails to notice the heckler who's most frequently uttered word never fails to affect Happy's game for the worst.

Another hilarious thing about this movie is how many of the characters in the movie manage to play their parts and keep a straight face, even when Happy is assaulting innocent people for the smallest reasons, and cussing out the golf ball when it won't go "home." Happy is one of a group of quirky characters in the film, but much of the humor comes from the reactions of the serious characters, and/or the extras when Happy does something stupid. One hilarious example of this is when Happy repeatedly screams out every word that can't be said on TV, well... on TV. The overall premise of the film is fun, and the film delivers non-stop laughs. Sit back and enjoy the classic Adam Sandler vehicle. I highly recommend this film, and give it 10/10.

It is proudly rated PG-13 for Language and Comic Sexuality. Sex: 4/10 Violence: 5/10 Swearing: 5/10 Drugs: 2/10