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Happy Gilmore

  • 1996
  • PG-13
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
263K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
843
386
Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore (1996)
A rejected hockey player puts his skills to the golf course to save his grandmother's house.
Play trailer2:16
2 Videos
99+ Photos
High-Concept ComedySlapstickComedySport

After his grandmother's house is repossessed by the IRS, a bad tempered hockey player takes his talents to golf to earn the big bucks and get his grandmothers house back.After his grandmother's house is repossessed by the IRS, a bad tempered hockey player takes his talents to golf to earn the big bucks and get his grandmothers house back.After his grandmother's house is repossessed by the IRS, a bad tempered hockey player takes his talents to golf to earn the big bucks and get his grandmothers house back.

  • Director
    • Dennis Dugan
  • Writers
    • Tim Herlihy
    • Adam Sandler
  • Stars
    • Adam Sandler
    • Christopher McDonald
    • Julie Bowen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    263K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    843
    386
    • Director
      • Dennis Dugan
    • Writers
      • Tim Herlihy
      • Adam Sandler
    • Stars
      • Adam Sandler
      • Christopher McDonald
      • Julie Bowen
    • 415User reviews
    • 78Critic reviews
    • 31Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 4 nominations total

    Videos2

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:16
    Trailer
    Happy Gilmore: Throwing Punches With Bob Barker
    Clip 4:11
    Happy Gilmore: Throwing Punches With Bob Barker
    Happy Gilmore: Throwing Punches With Bob Barker
    Clip 4:11
    Happy Gilmore: Throwing Punches With Bob Barker

    Photos193

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    + 187
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    Top cast68

    Edit
    Adam Sandler
    Adam Sandler
    • Happy Gilmore
    Christopher McDonald
    Christopher McDonald
    • Shooter McGavin
    Julie Bowen
    Julie Bowen
    • Virginia Venit
    Frances Bay
    Frances Bay
    • Grandma
    Carl Weathers
    Carl Weathers
    • Chubbs
    Allen Covert
    Allen Covert
    • Otto
    Robert Smigel
    Robert Smigel
    • IRS Agent
    Bob Barker
    Bob Barker
    • Bob Barker
    Richard Kiel
    Richard Kiel
    • Mr. Larson
    Dennis Dugan
    Dennis Dugan
    • Doug Thompson
    Joe Flaherty
    Joe Flaherty
    • Jeering Fan
    Lee Trevino
    Lee Trevino
    • Lee Trevino
    Kevin Nealon
    Kevin Nealon
    • Potter
    Verne Lundquist
    • Announcer
    Jared Van Snellenberg
    • Happy's Waterbury Caddy
    Ken Camroux-Taylor
    Ken Camroux-Taylor
    • Coach
    • (as Ken Camroux)
    Rich Elwood
    • Assistant Coach
    Nancy Hillis
    • Terry
    • (as Nancy McClure)
    • Director
      • Dennis Dugan
    • Writers
      • Tim Herlihy
      • Adam Sandler
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews415

    7.0263.1K
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    Featured reviews

    9ccthemovieman-1

    To Be Remembered Forever: 'Happy' And Bob Barker Trading Blows

    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.
    8Anonymous_Maxine

    Adam Sandler has never been a real favorite of the critics, but Happy Gilmore is undeniably one of his most successfully hilarious comedies.

    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.
    7jaysilentbob37

    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
    d-crowder

    Slapstick humour that does not need you to think but with excellent timing.

    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.
    10nucksfan4life

    Turn off brain, watch movie, laugh, enjoy, laugh some more

    "Happy Gilmore" is the Adam Sandler movie to see. If everyone had to see one Sandler movie before their lives were complete, I would seriously hope this is the movie they see. It's nice to see golf and hockey in a movie again. I don't think there is another movie out there that makes me laugh as much as "Happy Gilmore" does. You have Happy, the ultimate hero, fighting to win a life of security for his grandma. There's Shooter McGavin, the villain you love to hate, who attempts to foil Happy's quest. And then there's Mr. Larson, Happy's 8' tall monster of a former employer, threatening Shooter at every turn. Hey Bob Barker is in this movie! It doesn't get much funnier than Mr. Price Is Right insulting our hero. Well maybe Ben Stiller's part in this movie is funnier, as he corruptly directs a retirement home. It doesn't matter what's the funniest. This whole movie is one hilarious moment after another.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Bob Barker wasn't sure if he wanted to be in the movie. When he learned that he was going to win the fight with Adam Sandler, he accepted the role.
    • Goofs
      At the beginning when Happy is playing hockey, he hits the puck at the glass which the two coaches are standing behind. The glass clearly gets broken but then in the next close-up shot of the two coaches, the glass is back. A reflection can be seen in it.
    • Quotes

      Shooter McGavin: [after buying grandma's house in an auction] You're in big trouble though, pal. I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast!

      Happy Gilmore: [laughing] You eat pieces of shit for breakfast?

      Shooter McGavin: [long pause] No!

    • Crazy credits
      The End appears before the end credits roll.
    • Alternate versions
      Happy's line of "The price is wrong, bitch" is changed depending on the channel. Some versions replace "bitch" with "geek"; others replace it with "Bob."
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Broken Arrow/Black Sheep/Beautiful Girls/A Midwinter's Tale/Antonia's Line (1996)
    • Soundtracks
      Tuesday's Gone
      Written by Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant

      Performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd

      Courtesy of MCA Records

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 16, 1996 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore
    • Filming locations
      • Furry Creek, British Columbia, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Brillstein-Grey Entertainment
      • Robert Simonds Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $12,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $39,041,354
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $8,514,125
      • Feb 18, 1996
    • Gross worldwide
      • $41,422,354
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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