Happy Gilmore is back, and he’s older, grumpier, and somehow deadlier with a 9-iron. After years off the green, he’s pulled back into the world of high-stakes golf with tragedy, loss, and a tournament that makes the PGA Tour look like mini-golf. It starts with a bang—literally—and swings into a chaotic comeback story that doesn’t quite land a hole-in-one.
Adam Sandler once again swings for the fences and brings his actual family along for the ride—his wife and daughters take on decent-sized roles, and surprisingly? They’re not bad! Could the Sandler dynasty be Hollywood’s next thing? Maybe.
Bad Bunny shows up—and this might shock you—but he’s actually funny. He lands a few proper laughs, and I did not have “Bad Bunny makes me chuckle in a golf movie” on my 2025 bingo card.
You’ve got the nostalgic return of Christopher McDonald (Shooter McGavin himself!) and the ever-weird-but-wonderful Steve Buscemi. And to really hammer the point home, the film drops in original clips from the first movie to jog your memory. It’s fan service—but it kinda works.
Oh, and cameos? Cameos galore. Ben Stiller. Eminem. Cameron and his pod, The Bad Friends pod. Even Kid Cudi. It’s like a cinematic group chat.
The editing technique of slicing in clips from the OG Happy Gilmore is a nice touch. But pacing is the real villain here—it’s slow. The film drags in the back nine, and the tone shifts jarringly.
It kicks off strong with a recap and some solid dry humour. You think: “Alright, I’m in for a classic redemption arc.” But halfway through, the wheels come off—and a weird, out-of-nowhere golf tournament hijacks the movie and crashes it straight into absurd town. It becomes a chaotic mix of slapstick and forced emotion, and the tone feels like two different films were welded together with duct tape and nostalgia.
And it’s long. Like, 30 minutes too long. Could’ve wrapped it up quicker and spared us the second-hand embarrassment from some scenes.
There are moments of fun—mainly due to the cameos and returning characters—but ultimately? It’s a movie that maybe should’ve stayed in the clubhouse. It’s got heart, sure. But the mojo? Definitely missing. It feels like it arrived 10 years too late to the party, and now everyone’s just politely clapping between sips of lukewarm beer.
