Happy Gilmore (1996)
81%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 4 nominations
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
Happy Gilmore is a classic Adam Sandler movie that’s perfect for a night in with friends and some beers. Sure, it’s not high-brow humor, but who needs that when you have Sandler’s signature obnoxiousness and boyish charm? The movie is a one-joke Caddyshack for those who are blitzed and jaded, and it’s all about sudden, outsized explosions of violence from the otherwise placid, childlike Happy. But that’s what makes it so hilarious! Director Dugan maximizes the laughs through careful timing and counterpoint, and there are plenty of moments that will have you laughing out loud. So grab a beer, sit back, and enjoy the ride.
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures, Pascal Pictures, Marvel Studios,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Furry Creek, British Columbia, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for language and some comic sexuality
Year of Release
1996
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 32m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 16, 1996 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 31, 2006
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Frances Bay, Carl Weathers, Allen Covert, directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler, comedy, PG-13, box office gross $38.8M, reviewed by Dave Kehr, Owen Gleiberman, Brian Lowry, Darren Bignell, Edward Guthmann, Kevin Thomas, directed by Robert Simonds, Universal Pictures, Surround Sound, Stereo
Worldwide gross: $41,205,099
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $78,650,048
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,138
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 8,576,886
US/Canada gross: $38,824,099
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $74,105,324
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 895
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,514,125
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $16,251,298
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 750
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $12,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $22,904,946
Production budget ranking: 1,296
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $12,334,313
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $43,410,788
ROI to date (est.): 123%
ROI ranking: 843
Christopher McDonald – Shooter McGavin
Julie Bowen – Virginia Venit
Frances Bay – Grandma Gilmore
Carl Weathers – Chubbs Peterson
Allen Covert – Otto
Director(s)
Dennis Dugan
Writer(s)
Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler
Producer(s)
Robert Simonds
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (54) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (33) | Rotten (21)
The comedy is never more than sudden, outsized explosions of violence from the otherwise placid, childlike Happy. But director Dugan maximizes the laughs through careful timing and counterpoint.
February 16, 2016 | Rating: 3/4
Dave Kehr
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
[A] one-joke Caddyshack for the blitzed and jaded.
April 15, 2008 | Rating: D+
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
There are about three minutes of funny material in Happy Gilmore, and pretty much all of them are in the trailer.
April 15, 2008
Brian Lowry
Variety
TOP CRITIC
At the end of the day, it’s exactly what most spectators would really love to see on the fairway.
April 15, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
Darren Bignell
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It may smell awful from a distance, especially if you have low tolerance for lowbrow humor, but up close this yarn about an unlikely golf star is fairly painless.
June 18, 2002 | Rating: 2.5/4
Edward Guthmann
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
You don’t feel that Sandler and director Dennis Dugan are trying for the kind of subversiveness that might just make Happy’s brutal anarchy more effective.
February 13, 2001 | Rating: 2/5
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
…holds up impressively well all these years later.
February 23, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
[Adam] Sandler vascillates between obnoxiousness and boyish charm and winds up winning plenty — including the majority of audience members — in the end.
January 2, 2018
Deborah Hornblow
Hartford Courant
there’s still plenty of true immaturity to go around
August 26, 2013 | Rating: 3.5/5
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
Adolescent humor at its best/worst. Lots of profanity.
January 1, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Alex Orner
Common Sense Media
Fans of sport and brash, boisterous comedies will find a lot to love here.
April 15, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/5
James Jennings
Film4
February 23, 2008 | Rating: 2/5
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com…
Plot
A Hockey player wannabe finds out that he has the most powerful golf drive in history. He joins the P.G.A. tour to make some money to save grandma’s house. The downside is that his hockey player mentality doesn’t really go on the P.G.A. tour. Especially with the favorite to win the championship.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for Happy Gilmore.
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