'Happy Gilmore 2' review: Sandler swings back with cameos, chaos, and plenty of old friends

Courtesy of Netflix

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It’s long been a running joke in Hollywood that Adam Sandler loves filming destination movies so he can turn a vacation into work, and that he never misses a chance to cast his buddies.

“Happy Gilmore 2,” arriving nearly 30 years after the original, doesn’t take place in some tropical paradise, but it does feature plenty of familiar Sandler co-horts, and then some. The list of cameos, ranging from famous actors to real-life athletes, is massive. (I counted over 100 in the end credits alone.) The film leans into this with a running gag of surprise appearances, callbacks, and tributes. At one point, a scene set in a cemetery literally pauses to honor cast members from the first film who have passed away. It’s surprisingly tender.

Sandler has always been a sentimental guy, and that affection for his friends and family shines through in “Happy Gilmore 2,” for better or worse.

The movie opens with a voiceover that brings us up to speed. Happy is now married, has five children, and is considering stepping away from the sport that made him a legend. He can’t go anywhere without being mobbed. He’s spoken about in the same breath as Tiger Woods. But when his wife Virginia (Julie Bowen) abruptly leaves, Happy spirals into a full-blown crisis.

Unlike the first movie, where he was just trying to save his grandma’s house, this time the stakes are rooted in fatherhood. His youngest daughter, Vienna (played by Sandler’s real-life daughter Sunny), wants to study abroad in Paris, which doesn’t come cheap. It’s the kind of simple but personal motivation that’s enough to pull Happy out of his post-DUI slump (he crashed a golf-kart) and back onto the green. He even turns down an offer to join MAXI, a flashy upstart golf league clearly modeled after LIV, which threatens to upend the professional golfing world.

That tension between tradition and spectacle helps give “Happy Gilmore 2” its spine. Unlike in the original, where Happy had nothing to lose, this time he has a lot to prove: to his daughter, to his fans, and to a generation of golfers who’ve grown up watching him. Real-life pros like Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, Jack Nicklaus, and Scottie Scheffler show up playing exaggerated versions of themselves, and they all seem to be in on the joke. Their presence adds some authenticity and lets the audience feel like they’re part of the clubhouse.

But while the cameos are fun, the movie doesn’t always know when to stop. For every inspired bit (like Bad Bunny stealing scenes as Oscar, Happy’s chaotic caddie), there are others that fall flat (Travis Kelce and Boban Marjanovic show up for… reasons). The sheer volume of guest appearances sometimes threatens to overshadow the story.

Still, the film delivers on what Sandler fans are likely showing up for. There’s plenty of physical comedy and absurd gags (including a running joke where Happy turns random objects like cucumbers and iPhones into makeshift flasks).

The return of Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) goes in a genuinely surprising direction, and Ben Stiller’s Hall, the villainous orderly from the original, makes a memorable comeback that flips the dynamic in unexpected ways. Even supporting characters like Robert Smigel’s IRS agent and Blake Clark’s Farmer Fran pop in for a quick dose of nostalgia.

“Happy Gilmore 2” knows exactly what it’s doing. It’s not aiming for critical acclaim or franchise reinvention. It’s a victory lap, a hangout movie, a streaming-era sequel made for fans who just want to see Sandler and the gang goof off and chase one last laugh. It won’t have the same cultural footprint as the original, but it’s perfectly serviceable, often very funny, and surprisingly sweet. A fitting sequel that knows its audience and doesn’t overthink it.

Grade: B- 

HAPPY GILMORE 2 is now streaming on Netflix.