Happy Gilmore (1996)

Directed by Dennis Dugan. Starring Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Carl Weathers, Frances Bay, Dennis Dugan, Bob Barker, Ben Stiller, Allen Covert, Joe Flaherty, Kevin Nealon, Richard Kiel. [PG-13]

Sandler is Happy Gilmore, a short-tempered wannabe hockey player who discovers his powerful slap shot translates to incredibly long drives with a golf club, so he joins the professional golf tour, and his wild antics translate to enthusiastic crowds and big ratings, but consternation from purists, including smarmy rival Shooter McGavin (McDonald). Sloppy, goofy, and sometimes very funny sports comedy won’t win any Sandler converts, but it’s probably his most consistently enjoyable “pure” comic vehicle to date. Theoretically, Happy is able to get away with most of his obnoxious behavior because he’s doing it all to earn enough money to save his sweet grandmother’s house, but in practice, it’s because stuffed-shirts deserve to be knocked down a few pegs…and because anyone who regularly plays golf can sympathize with the urge to throw a violent tantrum or two. Best known for a fist fight that breaks out between Happy and his celebrity pro-am partner, Bob Barker, but the story’s main foe is even funnier, as McDonald scores a much juicier supporting role than your average antagonist to a funny-man star (“Damn you people…go back to your shanties!”). Rampant product placement (chain restaurant Subway, in particular) wears thin long before the end. Judd Apatow did uncredited rewrites on the script. Ben Stiller also went unbilled for his small-but-hysterical role as a sadistic nursing home orderly. A handful of pro golfers and sportscasters make cameo appearances, most notably the “sage” Lee Trevino.

69/100