For ’90s kids, Happy Gilmore is an important film. It may be the most important of Adam Sandler’s catalogue. It’s quotable, charming, and Happy himself is a fairly interesting character. He’s rageful, sure, but he also has a decent heart at his core. He’s easy to root for. But as likable as the film is, it’s just as consistently funny. The Bob Barker fight, the Happy Place sequence…most of it works. Admittedly, the sequel is a little less consistent, but as we saw with Dumb and Dumber To and Zoolander 2, legacy comedy sequels can go far, far worse than Happy Gilmore 2.
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What follows are the five best jokes in the film. They’re not ranked, but they’re all just about as funny as anything in the original classic. Naturally, SPOILERS for Happy Gilmore 2 follow.
1) The Mailbox
The opening of the film, as one might expect, catches the viewer up on Happy’s life for the past twenty years or so. He had a video game made out of his exploits, he’s had five kids with Julie Bowen’s Virginia Venit, and he’s mostly happy. That is, until one of his swings sends the ball right into Virginia’s forehead, killing her.
It’s a shocking development. And it’s one that sends him down the path of boozing, punching a repo man, getting sued, and losing his grandma’s house. And, as they’re moving, he waves bye to one of his neighbors, watering his perfectly manicured lawn. This fades into him getting waved to by Steve Buscemi, watering the inside of a mailbox with his urine.
2) “We’re Not Scientists”
In the original Happy Gilmore, Ben Stiller’s Hal L. is an abusive elder care professional. In Happy Gilmore 2, he’s the abusive head of an Alcoholics Anonymous-like organization called H.A.L. or Healing Alkies for Life.
After he and Happy catch up, he goes up to his podium and introduces the new member to the group. Happy does the standard “Hello, I’m Happy Gilmore and I’m an alcoholic” to which Hal replies “Oh, we don’t say ‘alcoholic,’ we’re not scientists. We’re just people, trying to get by. We say ‘alkie.’ Between the “we’re not scientists” bit and thinking “alkie” is more dignified than “alcoholic,” it’s one of the film’s best dialogue exchanges.
3) “This Guy Is Losin’ It”
The first time we reunite with Shooter McGavin, he’s at a parole hearing. We learn he’s been in an institution for 29 years for a litany of crimes, all of which were committed throughout the events of the first film. When Gilmore’s name is brought up, McGavin’s calm demeaner very swiftly slips away. The next time we see him is just after his name is brought up at the pro club, where Happy is dining with the likes of Jack Nicklaus.
We cut to McGavin, who is sitting in his cell reading Stephen King’s The Shining. He’s laughing as he reads it and chuckle mutters to himself, “This guy’s losin’ it!” Talk about a hilarious lack of self-awareness.
4) Eminem’s Cameo
Eminem’s cameo in Happy Gilmore 2 was one of the more exciting elements of the film’s trailer. On top of it being a cameo from Eminem, it was also readily apparent who he would be playing.
Specifically, the son of Joe Flaherty’s iconic “Jackass!” screamer in the original film. They’re dressed identically and yell the same thing, after all. However, Flaherty’s character was just run off in the original film. Here, Eminem’s Donald Jr. yells “Jackass!” and is confronted by Happy, whose four boys then proceed to beat the tar out of Donald Jr. and throw him into a lake. It just so happens that lake is filled with a bunch of alligators who then proceed to thrash Donald Jr. around like a ragdoll. But, according to Donald Jr., he “Doesn’t care” about what’s currently happening to him.
5) Every Moment with Bad Bunny
Bad Bunny AKA Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is the scene-stealer of Happy Gilmore 2. After cameos in F9 and Bullet Train, he really gets his chance to shine here as Oscar, Happy’s caddy.
The rapper is able to imbue Oscar with a charming naivete and excitement that’s palpable, but instead of being grating that naivete is consistently hilarious. When he brings his cousin on as his caddy (making his cousin the caddy of a caddy), we accept it and find it humorous instead of a distraction. When he enters a batting cage and catches a ball in his teeth, we see a sheepish go-getter beginning to gain confidence. Bad Bunny was a great choice for the film, and just as he proved on Saturday Night Live, he can nail a line delivery just as he can act with solely his facial expressions and posture.
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Image courtesy of HBO
