Happy Gilmore (1996)
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59% of critics liked it
(51 reviews) -
83% of users liked it
(916,287 ratings)
Adam Sandler's second popular starring vehicle after Billy Madison is a goofy lowbrow paean to golf, hockey, and the comic hysterics of its childlike star. In Happy Gilmore, Sandler plays the title character, a raw, determined, but ultimately untalented hockey player who keeps trying out for the… More Adam Sandler's second popular starring vehicle after Billy Madison is a goofy lowbrow paean to golf, hockey, and the comic hysterics of its childlike star. In Happy Gilmore, Sandler plays the title character, a raw, determined, but ultimately untalented hockey player who keeps trying out for the pros. When Happy discovers his grandmother (Frances Bay) will lose her home if she doesn't fork over 270,000 dollars to the IRS, he tries to figure out how he can possibly scrounge up the cash. An idea strikes during a game of one-upmanship with a couple furniture movers stripping his grandmother's home: On his first-ever swing, he drives a golf ball farther than the movers have ever seen. Before long, he has transplanted the foul-mouthed, aggressive persona of the hockey rink to the links, winning an amateur tourney that earns him a spot on the pro tour. Throttling everyone from a helpless caddy to game show host Bob Barker during the course of his 90-day quest to amass prize money, Happy also wins the sport a legion of new fans with his in-your-face style. Guiding him on his quest is a whimsical retired pro who lost his hand to an alligator (Carl Weathers) and an attractive public relations woman charmed by Happy's antics (Julie Bowen). Opposing him, however, is sneering hotshot Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald), who will do anything to win his championship jacket and see Happy fail. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi
- Directed By
- Dennis Dugan
- Written By
- Adam Sandler
- Genres
- Comedy
- In Theaters
- Feb 16, 1996 Wide
- Studio
- MCA Universal Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
[A] one-joke Caddyshack for the blitzed and jaded.
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Brian Lowry, Variety
There are about three minutes of funny material in Happy Gilmore, and pretty much all of them are in the trailer.
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, Time Out
Superior disposable comedy.
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Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
It may smell awful from a distance, especially if you have low tolerance for lowbrow humor, but up close this yarn about an unlikely golf star is fairly painless.
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Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
You don't feel that Sandler and director Dennis Dugan are trying for the kind of subversiveness that might just make Happy's brutal anarchy more effective.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Adam Sandler
as Happy Gilmore
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Christopher McDonald
as Shooter McGavin
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Julie Bowen
as Virginia
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Frances Bay
as Grandma
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Carl Weathers
as Chubbs
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Allen Covert
as Otto
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Bob Barker
as Himself
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Ken Camroux
as Coach
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Stephen Dimopoulos
as Italian Guy
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Joe Flaherty
as Jeering Fan
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D.J. Jackson
as Mover
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Andrew Johnston
as Crowd Guy (Waterbury)
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Richard Kiel
as Mr. Larson
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Betty Linde
as Elderly Woman
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Kevin Nealon
as Potter
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Fred Perron
as Waterbury Heckler
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John Shaw
as Daniel Lafferty
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Lee Trevino
as Himself
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Dennis Dugan
as Doug Thompson
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Ben Stiller
as Hal (Nursing Home Orderly)
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Simon Webb
as Doctor
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Douglas Newell
as Starter # 4 (Pro-Am)
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Dave Cameron
as Reporter # 2
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John Destrey
as Zamboni Driver
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David Kaye
as Reporter
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Helen Honeywell
as Crazy Old Lady
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Robert Smigel
as IRS Agent
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Peter Kelamis
as Potter's Caddy
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Will Sasso
as Mover
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Michelle Holdsworth
as Babe on Green
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Verne Lundquist
as Announcer
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Brett Armstrong
as Shooter's Tournament Caddy
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William Samples
as 2nd Starter (AT&T)
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Jared Van Snellenberg
as Happy's Waterbury Caddie
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Rich Elwood
as Assistant Coach
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Nancy McClure
as Terry
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Helena Yea
as Chinese Lady
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Ellie Harvie
as Registrar
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Ian Boothby
as Guy on Green
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Kimberly Restell
as Crowd Girl (Waterbury)
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Paul Raskin
as 1st Starter (Waterbury)
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Ted Deeken
as Auctioneer
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Jim Crescenzo
as Shooter's AT&T Caddy
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Stephen Tibbetts
as Pro Golfer
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Edward Lieberman
as Pro Golfer
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Donald MacMillan
as Young Happy
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Louis O'Donoghue
as Happy's Dad
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Lisanne Collett
as Happy's Mom
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Frank L. Frazier
as Blue Collar Fan
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Zachary Webb
as Batting Kid
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Mark Lye
as Himself
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Lou Kliman
as Reporter
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Brent Chapman
as Official
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Jessica Gunn
as Signed Chest Woman
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Phillip Beer
as Cowboy Joe
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Fat Jack
as Jack Beard
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Charles L. Brame
as Abraham Lincoln



