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I reckon there was about a decade, between 1995 and 2005, when Adam Sandler was, relatively speaking, on the top of his game. This period included movies such as Billy Madison, Little Nicky, Big Daddy, the first Happy Gilmore, Mr. Deeds, Anger Management, 50 First Dates, his best comedy The Wedding Singer and of course the much vaunted Punch Drunk Love. Whether he was playing an unsuspecting sports star, a put upon small business owner, an indecisive grad student or even once the offspring of the Devil, he brought the same easy humour, relatable frustration and amiability to everything he did. 

Since then, and let’s note that we are now discussing a twenty year period, his movies have definitely not been as strong. There have been occasional successes like Funny People and Uncut Gems, but there has also been some unwatchable dross like Grown Ups 1 and 2, Jack & Jill, The Ridiculous 6 and Hubie Halloween. Not that this has hurt him, Netflix having tied him into a lucrative exclusivity deal, but in the current climate it is a surprise that it has taken him, and indeed his very generous studio benefactors, this long to bring out a legacy sequel to one of the films he made in his heyday. 

The danger here was that he would be dining out on, and again I’m being relative here, past glories. Actually though, with Happy Gilmore 2, Sandler and his creative partners have successfully taken us back to a time when he wasn’t an overpaid has been. (I don’t mean to be uncharitable to Adam Sandler, by all accounts he is a really nice guy, but that streaming company gave him SOOOO much money.)

Happy Gilmore 2 is a fun film. That old Sandler persona is back, albeit in an older person, and it all has the same mix of silly sight gags, quirky characterisation and simple storytelling that madd his a star. The fact that this shows that familiar easy, if admittedly sometimes dark, humour from his work in the late nineties and early noughties is actually key because part of the reason that his later movies have not worked is because the jokes have been so forced. This is all just gently entertaining again though and it’s an enjoyable watch. Some of the outdated elements of his previous films are referenced and addressed as well so it isn’t just as though we’ve got back in time without consideration. 

If you are a fan of prime Sandler then you’ll really like this. If you are a fan of Happy Gilmore in particular then you’ll won’t be disappointed and if you are a fan of golf you will love it. Not only does it honour the sport but it also celebrates many of the players with a series of cameos that are well performed and nicely woven in. (Although for some reason the female golf stars don’t get to play themselves like the men.) Elsewhere there are some appearances from other famous faces too and everyone brings their game.

The obvious thing now would be for there to be more belated sequels from that initial run of Sandler’s films. I hope this is not where they go though. Instead they should keep the elements that worked all those years ago and that land nicely again here but apply them to new stories.

Although a new version of The Wedding Singer might be fun. If we follow actual timescales that would have it set in 2012 which could only mean one thing; Gangnam Style!

Come on Adam, you know you want to.