A Happy Place
 Mar 25th, 2004
(Mar 27th, 2004)
Advantages:
Very funny, Very Funny and Very funny
Disadvantages:
Time it was on, a little old now
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to similar films?
more
  sirmitchalot
About me:
Well I moved to Stoke-on-Trent last September- Staffs Uni yay! Only no, seriously this uni sucks. Li...
Member since:08.11.2002
Reviews:71
Members who trust:45
Review rated by 40 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
Produced by- Universal- 1996
Length- 92 mins
Genre- Comedy/Romance
Age rating- 12 Cast-
Adam Sandler- Happy Gilmore
Christopher McDonald- ‘Shooter’ Mcgavern
Julie Bowen- Virginia the P.R lady
Carl Weathers (Rocky’s Apollo Creed)- ‘Chubbs’ Story
Since he was little, Happy had always wanted to be a Pro-Hockey player.
He would be if it wasn’t for one minor snag, he isn’t actually any good. However, he did have one advantage over all other players. His father taught him a special ‘slap-shot’. Tragedy struck when his father was killed, coincidentally during a hockey game. Even this though did not put him off wanting to be a Pro-hockey player. Seeing as his mother had left when he was even younger, he had to go and live with his grandmother (which is a lot of people’s worst nightmare, I mean I love my nans, but I don’t think I’d want to live with them), but apparently he learned to live with her.
As well as being bad at hockey, after his father died he developed a short fuse and a bad temper, which meant no one would want to cross him.
After being laughed out of hockey tri-outs for the umpteenth time and subsequently starting a brawl, his girlfriend leaves him and if all that wasn’t bad enough, his Grandmother is in trouble with the IRS for not paying taxes for the last 10 years. She looses her house and ends up in a retirement home with a prison guard/slave driver male nurse (Ben Stiller).
While helping the remote men, he discovers his Grandfather’s golf clubs. He speaks his mind as usual taking the p##s and telling them to get back to work, so they bet him he can’t even hit a ball and as luck would have it he can hit a ball 400 yards.
While using his new found skill to hustle money at the local driving range, an ex-pro ‘Chubbs’ and tells Happy he could also become a pro.
With a bit more luck
he manages to win the local open and gets onto the Pro-Tour. Unfortunately he brings with him his attitude problems, lack or restraint and his general ‘I’m not a golfer, I’m a Hockey player, and I’m just doing this for the money’ look.
Everyone is at first keen to see how he plays being new blood and all, until he takes his first shot and misses, letting out the worst display of unsportsmanship they’ve ever seen. This brings him even more attention, especially from the P.R woman Virginia and the Tour’s favourite to win, ‘Shooter’ Mcgavern. It’s the kind of attention Happy wants from Virginia, but unluckily for Happy it is bad attention he gets from Shooter who is out to get him expelled from the tour. He hates Happy’s way of playing golf, his new found popularity and just Happy in general.
Will he get his grandmother’s house back, will things work out with Virginia, will he get the better of Shooter and will he finally realize he is a golfer not a hockey player?
Well these are all questions that can be answered by watching this film.
Most memorable film moments-
There are many memorable moments in this film, but I have picked out there in particular that I thought were great;
The Stabbing Incident- apparently Happy got two records in his High School Hockey career, one was for most time spent in the penalty box, the other was for being the only player to take his skate off and try and stab someone (Unless you count Halloween H20).
I mainly remember this one because it shows how truly mad he was, and also because of an incident I saw on the news a few weeks ago where Hockey players started a brawl. It reminded me of this, fortunately it didn’t involve some one trying to stab any body with their skate.
Bob Barker- a lot of people liked this part in particular. He is kind of the Bruce Forsythe of America, and presented the American The Price is Right. A plant in the crowd deliberately caused a fight between the two; as they were meant to be on the same team, but Mr. Barker actually wanted to repeat on last years win. Happy’s game wasn’t going so well, so after some cross words they start a fight, or rather bob does, as Happy is reluctant to hit an old guy at first. They use this catchphrase a lot ‘The Price is Wrong Bitch’. Happy actually gets his ass kicked for once.
400- where Happy first realizes his power, he breaks a window, the man comes out he manages to knock him out, then his wife leans out of the window and shouts, but also gets hit, and falls out the window and off the roof. Then they decide to go back in.
So is this the film for you?
Well you either like Adam Sandler or you don’t, he is an acquired taste. Personally I think Adam Sandler’s style of comedy main involves him getting angry and putting on a possessed/demonesque sounding voice on and then starting a fight, and at other times putting on a childish voice to try and look sweet or a simpleton- like the voice he used in The WaterBoy.
Putting anger into his comedy reminds me of Jack Nicklson, his film As Good as It gets was probably one of the two funniest films I’ve seen on t.v for the past few months, this being the other one.
Anger Management has the pair of them in it, I haven’t seen it, one of the reasons is that I could probably end up injured from laughing so much. No honestly I would like to see it; there just aren’t enough hours in the day.
If you liked The Water Boy and Big Daddy, then you should enjoy this as it is sort of a mash of the two. It’s a little more believeable/sensisble than The Water Boy, but just a little more chaotic and fantasy like than Big Daddy. Some of you may think that is a bad thing, but I think it’s a mash that works well.
If you like a good laugh, Adam Sandler, and just generally watching your mates getting beat up and laughing then this is probably for you.
On the other hand if you don’t have a sense of humor or deplore all kinds of violence and just generally dislike Adam Sandler, then why not watch it any way, if only to torture yourself and have something to moan about afterwards..
If i were you I would watch it to see how they can make a film about golf actually funny and interesting.
My Opinion
The biggest let down for me was not about the film, more about the time it was broadcast, 12 at night. There is violence and bad language, but the worst of the bad language was bleeped out. Any way, they put a film like Jaws on at 3 in the afternoon, on a Sunday, and that has people being eaten, and it’s been on many times before (even though it is pretty weak ass now, they shark doesn’t even look remotely real to me, but it’s not as bad as the one in the 3rd film though)
We did have it on a double feature tape, which also featured Big Daddy, but unfortunately it was scrambled so it had to go in the bin, a waste of £5.
To record the film myself I lost a few hours sleep. Was it worth it? Well if you’ve read the opinion up to now you know I think it was, and I can always catch up with sleep on the weekend. I have seen a lot of Adam Sandler’s films, some I wish to see, but are hardly ever on or are on at times when I’m asleep. Two of the best are on at good times, The Water Boy and Big Daddy. This does well for me to keep up with them ,but I think I still like the Water Boy more, as I think he plays Bobby the dummy very well.
I did wander why Rob Schnider did not make his usual cameo appearance (probably off doing his own films). I expected him to be either a crazy guy in the crowd like in The Water Boy, or even his Caddy. This role though was taken up by the Director himself.
I like Sandler’s brand of comedy and was glad this featured a lot of it I wouldn’t say it is the best film I’ve ever seen, and I wouldn’t force you to go out and buy it. I would suggest to you that if it is ever on t.v you should watch it, unless you can’t wait up for it to be on, but that’s what Video Plus is for. I’m sure if you’ve ever seen an Adam Sandler film, and enjoyed it, then you will enjoy this too. I’m sure it will make a change to the usual reality t.v crap that’s on ever day.
If you do end up getting to watch this film, and you like it, there are others you can watch, besides the ones I have already mentioned; Big Daddy
The Water Boy
Billy Madison
Little Nicky
Mr Deeds
Anger Management
Air Heads
The Wedding Singer
For information on this and other films starring Sandler, there is a website devoted to him;
www.adamsandler.com <http://www.adamsandler.com> To Members-
As usual leave your comments if you will if you feel there is anything wrong of anything missing you would like to see. Your help is much appreciated.
Pictures of Happy Gilmore (DVD)
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![Happy Gilmore [DVD] [1996]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78542188.jpg)
by (5%):
07.12.2005 01:55
One of my favourite film. Great review
21.08.2004 21:38
I'm not sure I'd like this and I didn't like the "Wedding Singer" either. "Big Daddy" was ok though.
15.04.2004 12:16
I prefer big daddy and mr deeds but it's a great film.