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Happy Gilmore is a 1996 comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and written by Saturday Night Live alumni Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler. Sandler stars as Happy Gilmore, an unsuccessful ice hockey player who discovers a talent for golf. Under the guidance of golf veteran Chubbs Peterson, Happy enters a tournament to win US$270,000 so he can pay off his grandmother's debts. Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, and Carl Weathers costar, while Allen Covert, Kevin Nealon, and Richard Kiel, among others, appear in supporting roles.

After their film Billy Madison (1995) proved successful for Universal Pictures, Herlihy and Sandler began writing Happy Gilmore. They based the character on Sandler's childhood friend Kyle McDonough, who played ice hockey and would golf with Sandler. Former pro golfer Mark Lye (who makes a cameo appearance) served as a consultant, and worked with Herlihy and Sandler to make the script less insulting to golf and more realistic. Happy Gilmore was produced on a $12 million budget in British Columbia, and most golf scenes were filmed at Pitt Meadows at the Swan-e-set Bay Resort & Country Club.

Happy Gilmore was released on February 16, 1996, to generally negative reviews. Although deemed an improvement over Billy Madison, the film was condemned for its humor—which some critics described as unfunny and mean-spirited—and constant reliance on violence, while Sandler's performance was met with both praise and criticism. Despite this, Happy Gilmore was a commercial success and earned $41.2 million at the worldwide box office, inspiring Sandler to set up a production company, Happy Madison Productions. The film's reputation has improved over time, and has been retrospectively described as a cult classic and one of Sandler's best films.

Plot
Happy Gilmore is an aspiring ice hockey player who lacks skills aside from a powerful slapshot. After a failed tryout, Happy's girlfriend leaves him. The next day, Happy learns that his grandmother owes the IRS US$270,000. The IRS repossesses her home and intends to auction it off in 90 days unless she can repay the amount. While repossessing his grandmother's furniture, the movers challenge Happy to a long-drive contest. After Happy wins a bet with a long-distance shot, he begins hustling golfers at a driving range. Chubbs Peterson, a former golf star who lost his hand after an alligator attack, convinces Happy to enter a local tournament with a big prize.

With Chubbs' help, Happy wins the tournament and a spot on a pro golf tour. He quickly becomes a fan favorite for his long drives and eccentric behavior, such as asking fans to cheer instead of staying quiet and hiring Otto, a homeless man, as his caddie. Golf star Shooter McGavin sees Happy as a detriment to golf etiquette. Tour commissioner Doug Thompson tries to expel Happy, but PR head Virginia Venit, citing higher TV ratings and attendance, convinces him to reconsider. Virginia offers to work with Happy, and his performance and behavior improve.

Happy pulls in larger and more rambunctious crowds and, during one of his games, he wrestles and kills the alligator that took Chubbs' hand. During a pro-am tournament, Shooter hires an unruly fan to heckle Happy and his partner Bob Barker. Happy and Bob get into a fist fight, and Happy is fined and suspended from the tour. Virginia secures Happy an endorsement deal with Subway, which earns him the money to take back his grandmother’s house. However, Shooter spitefully outbids them on the house and offers it to Happy if he quits. Virginia talks Happy out of it, saying his grandmother would rather see him be successful than have her house back.

Happy and Shooter strike a deal: if Happy wins, Shooter will return the house, but if Shooter wins, Happy will quit. Happy and Chubbs head to a miniature golf course to practice putting. Happy improves and, to thank Chubbs, presents him the head of the alligator. Chubbs, startled, falls out of a window to his death. Now determined to win for both Chubbs and his grandmother, Happy plays well, and leads Shooter by the end of the third round. On the final day, per Shooter’s orders, the heckling fan hits Happy with a Volkswagen Beetle. Happy's injuries rob him of his long-drive ability and he falls behind, but after a surprise visit from his grandmother, he pulls even with Shooter with one hole to play.

On the 18th hole, a TV tower falls and blocks the green. Happy sinks a miraculous trick shot, winning the tournament. Enraged, Shooter steals the winner’s jacket, but is beaten up by Happy's ex-boss Mr. Larson and a mob of fans. With his grandmother's house recovered, Happy sees a vision of a two-handed Chubbs, Abraham Lincoln, and the alligator and waves to them as his grandmother, Virginia, and Otto look on in confusion.

Cast
A high-strung former hockey player who discovers a unique talent for golf An arrogant pro golfer and Happy's rival The PR director for the Pro Golf Tour and Happy's love interest A former golfer who becomes Happy's coach and mentor Happy's grandmother and caretaker
 * Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore:
 * Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin:
 * Julie Bowen as Virginia Venit:
 * Carl Weathers as Chubbs Peterson:
 * Frances Bay as Grandma:

The cast also includes: Allen Covert as Otto, a homeless man who becomes Happy's caddy; Kevin Nealon as Gary Potter, a calm pro golfer; Richard Kiel as Mr. Larson, Happy's towering former boss; director Dennis Dugan as Doug Thompson, the commissioner of the golf tour; and Joe Flaherty as a fan who heckles Happy. Additionally, Ben Stiller appears uncredited as Hal L., a sadistic orderly running a nursing home. Jared Van Snellenberg and Peter Kelamis play caddies, Will Sasso plays a mover, and Lee Trevino, Bob Barker, Verne Lundquist, and Mark Lye appear as themselves.

Development


Happy Gilmore was directed by Dennis Dugan, and written by Saturday Night Live (SNL) alumni Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler. Herlihy and Sandler were roommates in college and wrote stand-up comedy together, before moving on to screenplays. After Sandler was fired from SNL in 1995, he moved on to films. He and Herlihy wrote Billy Madison (1995), which proved successful for distributor Universal Pictures. As such, Herlihy and Sandler began a new project. In an office during a brainstorming session, they came up with a high-concept premise for a film about a "hockey player who smacks a 400-foot drive". Judd Apatow performed a script rewrite, although he went uncredited.

The Happy Gilmore character is loosely based on Sandler's childhood friend Kyle McDonough, who played ice hockey and would golf with Sandler as they grew up. Sandler could never hit the ball as far as McDonough, and figured that McDonough's hockey skills gave him an edge. Meanwhile, Chubbs Peterson's missing hand is an in-joke referencing actor Carl Weathers' film Predator (1987), which depicts his character losing his arm. Herlihy and Sandler included any joke that made them laugh and do not remember who came up with which, although Herlihy takes credit for Shooter McGavin's "I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast" line. In a 1994 interview, Sandler cited the golf comedy Caddyshack (1980), a film he and Herlihy bonded over in college, as inspiration.

Former pro golfer Mark Lye served as a consultant on the script, and told Herlihy and Sandler after seeing their initial ideas, "You gotta be crazy. You cannot do a movie like that." According to Lye, the initial drafts featured Happy winning the Masters Tournament: "They had the green jacket. They were desecrating the USGA. Making fun of Augusta National." He suggested that Happy win a fictional tournament, and Herlihy and Sandler changed the jacket's color from green to gold. Lye also disliked the unrealistic nature of early drafts, which depicted Happy repeatedly making 400-yard drives, so he took the crew to a PGA Tour event so they could understand the atmosphere of golf. The final script, the one Lye gave approval, was Herlihy and Sandler's fifth draft.

Dugan became attached to direct through Sandler. Years earlier, Dugan had attempted to cast Sandler in one of his films, but the producers did not let him because Sandler was not well-known. "A couple of years later, [Sandler] is big", Dugan said. "I wanted to be hired to direct Happy Gilmore with him. I walk in the room, and he says: 'You're the guy who wanted to give me that part. I don't need to know anything else, I want to work with you.'" Happy Gilmore was produced on a budget of $12 million and filmed entirely at locations in British Columbia. Most scenes taking place at golf courses were filmed at Pitt Meadows at the Swan-e-set Bay Resort & Country Club, while interior shots, such as those in the broadcast booth, took place in an abandoned Vancouver hospital. Arthur Albert served as cinematographer, while Mark Lane was the set decorator. Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh composed the film's soundtrack.

Casting
Christopher McDonald declined the role of Shooter McGavin twice because he was tired of playing villains and wanted to spend more time with his family. Kevin Costner was approached but turned it down in favor of another 1996 golf-themed comedy, Tin Cup, while Bruce Campbell lobbied hard for the part. However, McDonald became interested in the role after winning a round of golf, and decided to take it after he met with Sandler. According to McDonald, Dugan "didn't want to see the Bad Guy 101 again" and gave McDonald the freedom to improvise on set.

Besides Sandler, Kevin Nealon was the only SNL cast member to have a role in Happy Gilmore.

Happy Gilmore features appearances from a Richard Kiel, known for playing Jaws in the James Bond film series, Bob Barker, the host of The Price is Right, Verne Lundquist, a football sportscaster

According to Lundquist, he filmed his scenes in the abandoned hospital as production wrapped. Sandler's New York University roommate Jack Giarraputo sat next to Lundguist in every shot, as Sandler wanted him to appear in the film. In 2016, Lundguist stated he still gets a monthly $34 check from the Screen Actors Guild for his appearance in the film.

Release
Happy Gilmore was released by Universal Pictures on February 16, 1996, during Presidents' Day weekend. It opened in 2,022 theaters and made $8,514,125 during its opening weekend—an average of $4,210 per theater—and finished as the second biggest earner of the weekend. The film ultimately played in 2,069 theaters and finished its run with a total of $41,205,099, 94% of which ($38,824,099) was made in North America. According to Screen Rant, Happy Gilmore started a trend of Sandler's films performing well commercially despite poor reception.

Critical response


Happy Gilmore opened to generally negative reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a "B+" grade on scale of A to F. Roger Ebert gave the film one and a half stars out of four, describing it as "the latest in the dumber and dumbest sweepstakes". Ebert found the Happy Gilmore character unlikable due to his constant anger and tendency to resort to violence. He also criticized the product placement, writing "Happy Gilmore is filled with so many plugs it looks like a product placement sampler in search of a movie". Entertainment Weekly (EW) unfavorably compared Happy Gilmore to Caddyshack, and, like Ebert, criticized the reliance on violence for "stupefying" humor. EW described Sandler's confident performance, despite a lack of charisma, as the sole highlight.

Brian Lowry, writing for Variety, similarly said that Happy Gilmore makes Caddyshack "look like Masterpiece Theatre", and estimated there was about three minutes of material he thought was humorous. Lowry disliked Sandler's performance and noted only a few scenes he found inspired, such as the fight scene with Barker and when Happy attempts to find his "happy place" (which Lowry described as "Felliniesque"). However, he thought the film was an improvement over Billy Madison because it had a more likable protagonist. Stephen Holden of The New York Times thought the humor was lacking and lamented that while "Happy Gilmore contains the germ of what might have been a pungent comic satire of class warfare and sports, it is far too eager to be the Dumb and Dumber of the links to take its ice-hockey-versus-golf metaphor to the next step."

The San Francisco Chronicle Walter Addiego described Sandler's violent behavior as "pretty much the whole joke in Happy Gilmore, and it makes for a long 92 minutes". Though offering some praise for Nealon's performance and the fight scene with Barker, Addiego summarized the film as "way-below-par". Likewise, TV Guide called the film a "sorry excuse for a comedy" and lambasted mean-spirited humor that depicted elderly and animal abuse. The publication suggested Happy Gilmore would have worked better had it starred Jim Carrey (finding Sandler untalented) and, unlike other critics, called the Barker fight scene the film's worst. Nonetheless, TV Guide offered mild praise for Weathers, Nealon, and McDonald (whose performance it called the best), and said Happy Gilmore was still better than Billy Madison.

On a more positive note, Darren Bignell of Empire, who gave Happy Gilmore three out of five stars, wrote "there's a nice edge to the McEnroe-style histrionics because, at the end of the day, it's exactly what most spectators would really love to see on the fairway". Bignell found some of the scenes considerably amusing, and praised the performances of Sandler and Weathers. Writing for the Washington Post, Richard Harrington said that "Happy Gilmore may not be an ace in the hole, but it beats par by a long shot". He found the plot predictable but serviced by deftly executed cameos—such those of Weathers and Barker—and Sandler's performance. Harrington called Happy Gilmore "the most enjoyable film yet by a recent alumnus of Saturday Night Live" and found it a significant improvement over Billy Madison.

Accolades
Happy Gilmore won the first MTV Movie Award for Best Fight for the fight scene with Barker. Conversely, Sandler was nominated at the 1997 Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Actor, but lost to Pauly Shore and Tom Arnold.

Legacy
Contemporary review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes offers a 61% approval rating from 54 critics—an average rating of 5.6/10. The site provides the consensus: "Those who enjoy Adam Sandler's schtick will find plenty to love in [Happy Gilmore] gleefully juvenile take on professional golf; those who don't, however, will find it unfunny and forgettable." The film also has a score of 31 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 14 critical reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".