It may be one of Adam Sandler's better films, but still not that great

Rating: 5/10 (10 December 2015)

1996's Happy Gilmore is often regarded as one of Adam Sandler's best comedy, a film with a solid fanbase. It is deserving of that status, being more tolerable then his later offerings.
Sandler stars as Happy Gilmore, a Bostonian man who aspiring ice hockey player who has no skating abilities and anger management problems, but has a killer slap shot. When his grandmother's home is repossess by the IRS Happy turns his talents to golf and quickly becomes a sensation. But his angry persona and blue collar roots results in Happy making enemies on the Pro Golf Tour.
Despite the praise Happy Gilmore received it is a standard Sandler film, having moments of violent slapstick and angry outbursts, a mega-douchy villain, a love interest and having some sort of family element. Fortunately Sandler's more crass and overly sentimental material is not evident like it is his later films, nor is its message as harass like I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Happy Gilmore's problem is simply the humour is not funny or consistent enough. There is no dept the humour on offer or the slapstick lacks invention. The best moment is when Happy has a fight with Bob Barker but it is really a joke for an American audience. The most noticeable thing about the film's direction is its exaggerated sound effects when Happy hits a golf ball or when someone gets hit.
Happy Gilmore has a standard sports movie storyline which in the perfectly acceptable for a comedy; it gets the job done even its story is predictable. At least there was some variation because of the family story, Happy's attempts to romance the tour's head of PR and the clash of culture between Happy's unfiltered personal style compared to the refined, upper class world of professional golf. Happy is responsible for a working-class, beer drinking audience coming to watch golf, wanting a show and outbursts, shaking up the natural order of the golfing world.
Happy Gilmore was made before the worst excesses of Sandler's career, but his shtick was hardly great to begin with. There are many better comedies of this style out there.