The overall rating of a review is different from a simple average of all individual ratings.
Advantages:
There are so many advantages to this movie that it's tough to put them into one little box but anyhoot - IT'S JUST A REALLY REALLY FUNNY FILM SO WATCH IT - OKAY ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ??
Disadvantages:
Now let me see . . . . . . . - NONE !
Recommendable
Yes:
Detailed rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to similar films?
SoundtrackOutstanding
How does it compare to others by the same director?Good
Happy Gilmore is quite simply one of the funniest comedies ever made. True, it may not be to everyone's taste, but not even the most miserable git among us should be able to go through the film without breaking a smile. When I first saw the film I didn't expect anything from it. A film about golf cannot be the most appealing choice of any cinema goer, but it has to be said that this film even gives Caddyshack a run for its money (and indeed carries on running long after Caddyshack is left behind, gasping for breath)!
So, the story….. Adam Sandler is Happy, an ice hockey player with a fantastic shot, bad temperament and only one problem. He can't skate! He falls over more times in the opening scenes of this movie than I did the last time I drank some Absinthe! Anyway, he loves his Grandma, just as any real American movie hero does (!), and is devastated when she is punished for not paying her taxes, her house repossessed and being sent to a retirement home. Happy decides that it is up to him to get the money to pay back the government, and thus reinstate his Grandma in her home. The way that he finally discovers to do this is, when he is discovered by a golf legend played by Carl Weathers, is to enter golf tournaments.
However, as you can imagine, his temper gets the better of hi on many occasions and instead of playing the gentleman's game, he proceeds to pick more fights that a very hungry Mike Tyson! This idea for a film would have made it satisfactory, if it were not for the factors that make it brilliant. Adam Sandler is perfectly cast as the zany, angry Happy Gilmore, and his arch nemesis on the course is Shooter Mcgavin, played equally as well by Christopher McDonald. The fact that this film is 90 minutes long, a perfect length for a comedy so as we don’t start to get bored, is only a small factor in the smoothness of the film. It has all the elements of screwball comedy, and a few magical extras thrown in as well. Take, for example, when Happy is learning how to putt. He learns on a crazy golf course, and finds that by going to his 'happy' place he can kind of become some form of Jedi Knight! Then of course is the brilliant moment when he is shouting to the ball to 'Go Home!'.
Sandler co-wrote this comedy with Tim Herilhy, and elements of his own manic personality are clearly evident. For me he is the new Jim Carey. Indeed, with films like Billy Madison and Bulletproof the characters that he plays do at times seem way over the top, and you find yourself wishing that he would just shut up. But at the end of the day you know the character is sweet, and the jokes are always delivered on time and in great force. But with Happy Gilmore you just can't get enough. The script is perfect and simplistic, and the performances are overplayed and also underplayed as to the importance of the character's role within the narrative. The only problem with this film is that by the time it's over you want more. It's one of those films where you sit dreading the final scene, simply because the movie has to end sometime.
One of the classics of the future…….
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Adam Sandler fans are sure to enjoy this no-brainer comedy, but everyone else is strongly ... more
advised to proceed with caution. Before scoring a more enjoyable hit with his 1998 comedyThe Wedding Singer, the formerSaturday Night Livegoofball played Happy Gi...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Adam Sandler fans are sure to enjoy this no-brainer comedy, but everyone else is strongly ... more
advised to proceed with caution. Before scoring a more enjoyable hit with his 1998 comedyThe Wedding Singer, the formerSaturday Night Livegoofball played Happy Gi...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Adam Sandler fans are sure to enjoy this no-brainer comedy, but everyone else is strongly ... more
advised to proceed with caution. Before scoring a more enjoyable hit with his 1998 comedyThe Wedding Singer, the formerSaturday Night Livegoofball played Happy Gi...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Adam Sandler fans are sure to enjoy this no-brainer comedy, but everyone else is strongly ... more
advised to proceed with caution. Before scoring a more enjoyable hit with his 1998 comedyThe Wedding Singer, the formerSaturday Night Livegoofball played Happy Gi...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Fun for all ages, a great bit of light-hearted relief. Disadvantages: No major ones at all, but why couldn't they make the film longer, or at least a sequel
superfrenchguy 26.06.2006 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Happy Gilmore (DVD)
Advantages: Fun for all ages, a great bit of light-hearted relief. Disadvantages: No major ones at all, but why couldn't they make the film longer, or at least a sequel
superfrenchguy 26.06.2006 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Happy Gilmore (DVD)
![Happy Gilmore [DVD] [1996]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78542188.jpg "Happy Gilmore [DVD] [1996]")
very helpful by (100%):
![Happy Gilmore [DVD] [1996] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/75129130.jpg)
![Happy Gilmore [DVD] [1996] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/71549022.jpg)
