Happy Gilmore | |
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Directed by | Dennis Dugan |
Written by | |
Produced by | Robert Simonds |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Arthur Albert |
Edited by | Jeff Gourson |
Music by | Mark Mothersbaugh |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $12 million [1] |
Box office | $41.2 million [2] |
Happy Gilmore is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, produced by Robert Simonds, and starring Adam Sandler in the title role, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, and Carl Weathers.
It tells the story of an unsuccessful ice hockey player who discovers a newfound talent for golf and competes in a golfing tournament to save his grandmother's home from foreclosure. After winning, he suddenly becomes a big star on the pro golf tour and a working-class hero. The screenplay was written by Sandler and his writing partner Tim Herlihy, in their second feature collaboration after the previous year's Billy Madison . The film also marks the first of several collaborations between Sandler and Dugan.
Happy Gilmore was released in theaters on February 16, 1996, by Universal Pictures. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film was a commercial success, earning $41.2 million on a $12 million budget, and it won an MTV Movie Award for Best Fight for Sandler and Bob Barker. As of 2024, a sequel is in development.
Happy Gilmore is a short-tempered, unsuccessful ice hockey player whose only skills are fighting and a powerful slapshot he learned from his late father. His inability to skate limits his professional prospects. When he returns home after yet another failed tryout, his girlfriend, Terry, a kindergarten teacher, leaves him because of his lack of success.
The next day, Happy learns that his grandmother owes the IRS $270,000 in back taxes; she has 90 days to pay off the debt or face foreclosure on her house. Happy sends his grandmother to a retirement home, where residents are secretly mistreated, until he can figure out a way to pay off the debt.
Two movers repossessing Happy's grandmother's furniture challenge him to a long-drive contest using his grandfather's old golf clubs. With an unorthodox, slapshot-style swing, Happy hits a ball some 400 yards thrice in a row, winning $40 from the movers. He then decides to start hustling golfers at a driving range and meets Chubbs Peterson, a former professional golf tour star who lost a hand in an alligator attack. Chubbs urges Happy to enter a local tournament where the winner will earn an automatic spot on the tour; Happy, desperate to reclaim his grandmother's house, agrees when Chubbs informs him of the significant prize money involved.
Happy wins the tournament and quickly becomes a fan favorite on the tour thanks to his extraordinarily long drives and unorthodox antics. He also meets arrogant Shooter McGavin, the dominant player on tour, who disapproves of Happy's lack of golf etiquette. Though his driving is incredible, Happy's putting is terrible, and his profane on-course tantrums soon draw the ire of tour Commissioner Doug Thompson. Tour public relations head Virginia Venit intervenes and persuades Thompson not to expel Happy from the tour, citing improved television ratings with a broader spectrum of viewers, higher attendance, and new sponsorship offers; she promises to help Happy with his anger. Happy improves his performance and behavior with Virginia's support, and the two form a romantic connection.
Shooter hires a heckler named Donald to taunt Happy at a Pepsi Pro-Am event in San Francisco; Happy plays poorly as a result of Donald's heckling, leading to a fistfight with his celebrity partner, Bob Barker. In a subsequent meeting about the brawl, Thompson decides not to expel Happy because of the high television ratings of the tournament but still gives him a $25,000 fine and a one-month suspension.
Virginia secures Happy a lucrative endorsement deal with Subway to make up for the lost revenue, but Grandma Gilmore's house is still put up for auction by the IRS. Shooter, made aware of Grandma's situation, spitefully outbids Happy to buy the house. Happy strikes a deal with Shooter for the upcoming Tour Championship: If Happy wins, Shooter will return the house to Grandma, but if Shooter wins, Happy will quit the tour. Knowing he must improve his short game to win, Happy seeks out Chubbs, who helps Happy improve his putting by practicing at a miniature golf course. As thanks, Happy presents Chubbs with the head of the alligator that bit off his hand, but a startled Chubbs falls out a window to his death.
Happy is paired with Shooter for the Tour Championship. Shooter takes an early lead in the tournament, with Happy close in second. Determined to win the tournament for Chubbs and his grandmother, Happy plays well and leads at the end of the 3rd round. Shooter, desperate to finally win a Tour Championship and get rid of Happy, again hires Donald, who drives a car onto the course and runs over Happy, impairing his long-drive ability and focus. Shooter takes the lead again, but Happy, encouraged by his grandmother, rallies to tie him.
On the 18th and final hole, Shooter puts his tee shot in the crowd, but is still able to save par with a long putt. Right before Happy tries his putt for the win, a television tower damaged by Donald's car falls onto the green and blocks Happy's line to the hole, but Happy miraculously uses it as a Rube Goldberg machine to sink his putt for the win. Enraged, Shooter tries to steal Happy's gold jacket but is beaten by a mob of fans led by Happy's imposing ex-boss, Mr. Larson. Happy, Grandma Gilmore, his caddy Otto, and Virginia celebrate at his grandmother's house, where Happy sees a vision of a two-handed Chubbs with Abraham Lincoln and the alligator waving to him in the heavens above.
Happy Gilmore was directed by Dennis Dugan, [3] and written by Saturday Night Live (SNL) alumni Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler. [4] [5] Herlihy and Sandler were roommates in college and wrote stand-up comedy together, before moving on to screenplays. [4] After Sandler was fired from SNL in 1995, he moved on to films. [6] He and Herlihy wrote Billy Madison (1995), [4] [5] which proved successful for distributor Universal Pictures. As such, Herlihy and Sandler began a new project. In an office during a brainstorming session, they came up with a high-concept premise for a film about a "hockey player who smacks a 400 yard drive". [5] Judd Apatow performed a script rewrite, although he went uncredited. [7]
The Happy Gilmore character is loosely based on Sandler's childhood friend Kyle McDonough, who played ice hockey and would golf with Sandler as they grew up. Sandler could never hit the ball as far as McDonough, and figured that McDonough's hockey skills gave him an edge. [8] Meanwhile, Chubbs Peterson's missing hand is an in-joke referencing actor Carl Weathers' film Predator (1987), which depicts his character losing his arm. [9] Herlihy and Sandler included any joke that made them laugh and do not remember who came up with which, although Herlihy takes credit for Shooter McGavin's "I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast" line. [5] In a 1994 interview, Sandler cited the golf comedy Caddyshack (1980), [10] a film he and Herlihy bonded over in college, [11] as inspiration. [10]
Former pro golfer Mark Lye served as a consultant on the script, [12] and told Herlihy and Sandler after seeing their initial ideas, "You gotta be crazy. You cannot do a movie like that." [13] According to Lye, the initial drafts featured Happy winning the Masters Tournament: "They had the green jacket. They were desecrating the USGA. Making fun of Augusta National." [13] He suggested that Happy win a fictional tournament, and Herlihy and Sandler changed the jacket's color from green to gold. Lye also disliked the unrealistic nature of early drafts, which depicted Happy repeatedly making 400-yard drives, so he took the crew to a PGA Tour event so they could understand the atmosphere of golf. [12] [13] The final script, the one Lye gave approval, was Herlihy and Sandler's fifth draft. [13]
Dugan became attached to direct through Sandler. Years earlier, Dugan had attempted to cast Sandler in one of his films, but the producers did not let him because Sandler was not well-known. "A couple of years later, [Sandler] is big", Dugan said. "I wanted to be hired to direct Happy Gilmore with him. I walk in the room, and he says: 'You're the guy who wanted to give me that part. I don't need to know anything else, I want to work with you.'" [14] Happy Gilmore was produced on a budget of $12 million [9] and filmed entirely at locations in British Columbia. Most scenes taking place at golf courses were filmed at Pitt Meadows at the Swan-e-set Bay Resort & Country Club, [15] while interior shots, such as those in the broadcast booth, took place in an abandoned Vancouver hospital. [16] Arthur Albert served as cinematographer, while Mark Lane was the set decorator. [17] Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh composed the film's soundtrack. [9]
Christopher McDonald declined the role of Shooter McGavin twice because he was tired of playing villains and wanted to spend more time with his family. [9] [18] Kevin Costner was approached but turned it down in favor of another 1996 golf-themed comedy, Tin Cup , while Bruce Campbell lobbied hard for the part. [9] McDonald became interested in the role after winning a round of golf, and decided to take it after he met with Sandler. According to McDonald, Dugan "didn't want to see the Bad Guy 101 again" and gave McDonald the freedom to improvise on set. [18]
Happy Gilmore features appearances from Richard Kiel, known for playing Jaws in the James Bond film series; [3] Bob Barker, the host of The Price Is Right ; [9] and Verne Lundquist, a golf sportscaster. [16]
According to Lundquist, he filmed his scenes in the abandoned hospital as production wrapped. Sandler's New York University roommate Jack Giarraputo sat next to Lundquist in every shot, as Sandler wanted him to appear in the film. In 2016, Lundquist stated he still gets a monthly $34 check from the Screen Actors Guild for his appearance in the film. [16]
According to Sandler, Ed McMahon was originally hired to do the fight scene instead of Bob Barker, but McMahon changed his mind when he learned about the movie's crude humor and didn't want to lose the fight, so Bob Barker was chosen because Chuck Norris was Barker's neighbor and taught him karate and Sandler rewrote the script to make Barker win the fight.
Filming took place from July 6 to September 1, 1995, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Happy Gilmore was a commercial success, ranking number two at the U.S. box office on its debut weekend with $8.5 million in revenue, behind Broken Arrow . The film was made for $12 million and grossed a total of $41.2 million worldwide, with $38.8 million of that at the North American domestic box office. [2] [1]
On Rotten Tomatoes, Happy Gilmore has an approval rating of 62% based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Those who enjoy Adam Sandler's schtick will find plenty to love in this gleefully juvenile take on professional golf; those who don't, however, will find it unfunny and forgettable." [19] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 31 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [20] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade "B+" on an A+ to F scale. [21]
Brian Lowry of Variety stated that "The general tone nevertheless makes it difficult to elevate the gags beyond an occasional chuckle". Lowry only noted a few scenes he found inspired, including the fight scene with Bob Barker and when Happy attempts to find his "Happy Place" which was described as "Felliniesque". [22] Roger Ebert gave the film one and a half stars out of four, stating that Adam Sandler's character "doesn't have a pleasing personality: He seems angry even when he's not supposed to be, and his habit of pounding everyone he dislikes is tiring in a PG-13 movie". Ebert also noted the film's product placement stating that he "probably missed a few, but I counted Diet Pepsi, Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Subway, Budweiser (in bottles, cans, and Bud-dispensing helmets), Michelob, Visa cards, Bell Atlantic, AT&T, Sizzler, Red Lobster, Wilson, Golf Digest , the ESPN sports network, and Top-Flite golf balls". [23] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a grade "D+" calling it "A one-joke Caddyshack for the blitzed and jaded," although he did praise Sandler's confident performance. [24]
Darren Bignell of Empire wrote: "The real surprise is that it's a lot of fun, with Sandler becoming more personable as the film progresses, and a couple of truly side-splitting scenes." [25]
The Lord of the Rings , A History of Violence and Eastern Promises actor Viggo Mortensen is reportedly a fan of the film. [26]
The film has developed a cult following in the golf community, with Golf.com, Consequence of Sound , and Golf Digest praising the film, predominantly praising the villain Shooter McGavin. [27] [28] [29]
The "Happy Gilmore swing", featuring a walking or running approach, is often imitated or attempted for fun, including by touring golf professionals. [30] Three-time major champion Pádraig Harrington is particularly well known for his impression and even uses the technique in training. [31] The TV series Sport Science has featured Harrington's "Happy Gilmore swing", demonstrating how it can indeed generate additional distance, though at the cost of accuracy. [32]
Long drive champion and professional golfer Jamie Sadlowski, also a former hockey player who can hit golf balls over 400 yards, has been called "the real-life version of Happy Gilmore". [33]
Lee Trevino regretted his appearance in the film and said he would not have done it if he had known how much swearing there would be in the movie. [34] [35]
In 2020, McDonald reprised his role as Shooter in the trailer for the video game PGA Tour 2K21 . [36]
The scene with Barker beating up Gilmore increased interest in The Price Is Right among younger demographics, particularly young men. Barker said that someone in the audience asked him about Happy Gilmore almost every day. Barker parodied the Happy Gilmore fight in a 2014 episode of The Bold and the Beautiful , where he fought Wyatt Spencer after arguing with him. [37]
In 2015, Sandler and Barker reenacted their fight for the Comedy Central Night of Too Many Stars fundraiser in aid of autism charities. [38]
The fight scene was also highlighted in special primetime episodes of The Price Is Right, as well as various news articles that announced Barker's death on August 26, 2023, at the age of 99.
Year | Award | Category | Result |
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1996 | MTV Movie Award | Best Comedic Performance - Adam Sandler | Nominated |
1996 | MTV Movie Award | Best Fight - Adam Sandler and Bob Barker | Won |
1996 | Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | Worst Actor - Adam Sandler | Nominated |
1997 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Actor - Adam Sandler (also for Bulletproof ) | Nominated |
1997 | Kids' Choice Awards | Best Movie | Nominated |
In September 2022, Sandler stated that he hoped to eventually make a sequel, saying he had been creating ideas for what a follow-up film would be, while stating the character would be involved in a senior golf tour. [39]
In March 2024, Christopher McDonald stated in an interview that he had been shown a first draft of the script of the sequel by Sandler, reviving speculation of a sequel being made. On May 15, 2024, Netflix confirmed a sequel was in development. [40] Filming is scheduled to begin in New Jersey in September 2024. Travis Kelce is expected to have a cameo in the film. [41]
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor and comedian. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, his accolades include nominations for three Grammy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2023, Sandler was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Robert William Barker was an American media personality and animal rights advocate. He hosted CBS's The Price Is Right, the longest-running game show in North American television history, from 1972 to 2007. Barker also hosted Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.
Carl Weathers was an American actor, director and a linebacker in the NFL and CFL. His roles included boxer Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films (1976–1985), Colonel Al Dillon in Predator (1987), Chubbs Peterson in Happy Gilmore (1996), and Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise. He also portrayed Det. Beaudreaux in the television series Street Justice (1991–1993) and a fictionalized version of himself in the comedy series Arrested Development, and voiced Omnitraxus Prime in Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2017–2019). He had a recurring role as Greef Karga in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian (2019–2023), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
The Wedding Singer is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore and Christine Taylor, and tells the story of a wedding singer in 1985 who falls in love with a waitress. The film was released on February 13, 1998. Produced on a budget of US$18 million, it grossed $123 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics. It is often ranked as one of Sandler's best comedies.
Big Daddy is a 1999 American comedy-drama film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Steve Franks, Tim Herlihy, and Adam Sandler from a story conceived by Franks, and produced by Sid Ganis and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Sandler, Joey Lauren Adams, Jon Stewart, Rob Schneider, Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse, and Leslie Mann, with Allen Covert and Josh Mostel in supporting roles. The plot follows a 32-year-old man who gets dumped by his girlfriend for not accepting responsibility and then tries to be responsible by adopting a five-year-old boy who appears on his doorstep.
Richard Dawson Kiel was an American actor. Standing 7 ft 3 in (221 cm) tall, he was known for portraying Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979). Kiel's next-most-recognized role is the tough but eloquent Mr. Larson in Happy Gilmore (1996). Other notable films include The Longest Yard (1974), Silver Streak (1976), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Cannonball Run II (1984), Pale Rider (1985), and Tangled (2010).
Billy Madison is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis. It stars Adam Sandler in the title role, Bradley Whitford, Bridgette Wilson, Norm Macdonald, Darren McGavin, Mark Beltzman, and Larry Hankin. The film was written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy and produced by Robert Simonds, and was Macdonald's feature film debut. It made around $26.4 million worldwide and debuted at number one at the box office.
Little Nicky is a 2000 American action fantasy comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler, and Brill, and starring Sandler in the title role, Patricia Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr., Rhys Ifans, and Rodney Dangerfield with supporting roles by Allen Covert, Kevin Nealon, Jon Lovitz, Michael McKean, and Quentin Tarantino.
Happy Madison Productions, Inc. is an American film and television production company founded in 1999 by Adam Sandler, which is best known for its comedy films. Happy Madison takes its name from the films Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, and distributed by Universal Pictures.
Allen Stephen Covert is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for his starring role in the 2006 comedy film Grandma's Boy, and his supporting actor role in the movie Strange Wilderness (2008). He is a frequent collaborator of actor and friend Adam Sandler with prominent roles in such films as Happy Gilmore (1996), The Wedding Singer (1998), Big Daddy (1999), Little Nicky (2000), Mr. Deeds (2002), Anger Management (2003), 50 First Dates (2004) and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007).
Christopher McDonald is an American film, television, theatre and voice actor.
Dennis Barton Dugan is an American film director, actor, and comedian. He is known for directing the films Problem Child, Brain Donors, Beverly Hills Ninja and National Security, and his partnership with comedic actor Adam Sandler, for whom he directed the films Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, The Benchwarmers, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Grown Ups, Just Go with It, Jack and Jill and Grown Ups 2. Dugan is a four-time Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director nominee, winning once.
Timothy Patrick Herlihy is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and playwright.
Grown Ups is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler and Fred Wolf, produced by Sandler and Jack Giarraputo, and starring Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, and Maya Rudolph. The film tells the story of five lifelong friends who won their junior high school basketball championship in 1978. They reunite three decades later for a 4th of July weekend after learning about the sudden death of their basketball coach.
Jack and Jill is a 2011 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan from a script by Steve Koren and Adam Sandler. Released on November 11, 2011 by Columbia Pictures, the film stars Sandler in a dual role as the titular twin siblings, as well as Katie Holmes and Al Pacino. It tells the story of an advertisement executive who dreads the visit of his unemployed twin sister during Thanksgiving and overstays into Hanukkah at the time when he is instructed to get Al Pacino to appear in a Dunkin' Donuts commercial.
Jared X. Van Snellenberg is a Canadian psychiatry professor focusing on schizophrenia neuroimaging research and former child actor. Best known for his role in Happy Gilmore, Van Snellenberg works as an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University.
Grown Ups 2 is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler, Fred Wolf, and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Sandler and Jack Giarraputo. It serves as a sequel to the 2010 film Grown Ups. The film features the returning cast of Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, and many more. Lenny moves his family back to his hometown, where he reunites with his old friends. Together, they face bizarre situations and new enemies in the form of a local fraternity.
Pixels is a 2015 science fiction comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written by Tim Herlihy and Timothy Dowling, based on a story by Herlihy. Loosely adapted from the 2010 short film of the same name by Patrick Jean, the film stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad and Brian Cox. Combining animated video game characters and visual effects, the film involves an alien race misinterpreting video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, to which they respond by attacking Earth with technological replicas of characters from the games. The President of the United States assembles a team of former arcade champions to lead the planet's defense.
Hubie Halloween is a 2020 American mystery/horror-comedy film directed by Steve Brill, co-written by Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler, and starring an ensemble supporting cast consisting of Sandler, Kevin James, Julie Bowen, Ray Liotta, Rob Schneider, June Squibb, Kenan Thompson, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Buscemi, and Maya Rudolph. The film follows a Halloween-loving delicatessen worker who must save the town of Salem, Massachusetts from a kidnapper as various hijinks occur.
"Let It Go" is a song by American record producer DJ Khaled, featuring Canadian singer Justin Bieber and British-American rapper 21 Savage. It was released on May 10, 2021, as the second single from Khaled's twelfth studio album, Khaled Khaled. Khaled, Bieber, and Savage wrote the song with producer SkipOnDaBeat, while the song was also produced by Al Cres. Deemed a "fun" song, it is supported by bouncy production and playful lyrics about not worrying over what cannot be controlled and, instead, "let it go".