Happy Gilmore

Directed by Dennis Dugan, Happy Gilmore follows Adam Sandler’s short-tempered title character as he attempts to raise money for his grandmother by competing in a series of golf tournaments – with Happy’s unexpected success quickly raising the ire of an arrogant competitor named Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald). It’s an exceedingly silly premise that’s employed to perpetually entertaining and agreeable effect by Dugan, as the filmmaker, working from a screenplay by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, delivers an easygoing comedy that benefits substantially from its proliferation of affable, enjoyable attributes – including several stand-out performances and an assortment of laugh-out-loud funny gags. (In terms of the former, Sandler’s typically charming work here is matched by a stellar roster of periphery players, although it remains abundantly clear that McDonald’s captivating, scene-stealing turn as the larger-than-life villain remains an obvious highlight within the proceedings.) And although the movie admittedly does boast a small handful of lulls, Happy Gilmore is, by and large, a memorable and endlessly quotable (“I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast!”) Sandler vehicle that holds up impressively well all these years later.

*** out of ****