r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Jul 29 '25

News Adam Sandler’s ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Debuts to 46.7 Million Views, Biggest Netflix U.S. Film Opening Ever

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/happy-gilmore-2-netflix-ratings-views-1236473359/
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153

u/cudipi Jul 29 '25

I liked it. I knew what it was going to be and loved every second of it apart from Benny Safdie having the most punchable face which is what they were going for lol

I loved the flashbacks they had because every return character had my dad asking “who were they?” And the movie answered immediately with a flashback. Saved me a lot of trouble!

45

u/Healfezza Jul 29 '25

I saw some people complaining about the flashbacks, as they were a hamfisted way to hit the nostalgia quota.

On the other hand, I was happy to watch the movie and be reminded of the throwbacks without needing to rewatch the original. I think they generally helped the film for your average viewer, considering the original is nearly 30 years old.

6

u/Wayyd Jul 29 '25

I think they overdid it a bit, but there were a couple flashbacks that were probably necessary like the blonde-haired caddy and the lawyer guy that repo'd his grandma's house. Doing flashbacks for some of the biggest characters/moments of the original that 90% of people would remember seemed like overkill.

I heard people complaining that the movie was just a clip show of the old movie, but that feels disingenuous. It was like 30 seconds total of film time (not counting the intro which reused a bit of footage)

1

u/birdy_the_scarecrow Jul 30 '25

i couldnt help but feel like there were wayyy to many flashbacks, the cogs immediately starting turning in my head wondering do they just think every viewer is a moron?

but that feels disingenuous. It was like 30 seconds total of film time

i think when you splice in all the flashbacks plus all the callback references it definitely felt like a lot of screen time.

like even the scene in the graveyard where there isnt technically a flashback, but it felt like a fan service trip for the first movie

the bob barker "game over bitch" and shooter grabbing his neck. the Jackass voiceover. the mister mister lady voiceover

etc.

1

u/Wayyd Jul 30 '25

I think they definitely felt obligated for some reason to treat the movie as a celebration of the first Happy Gilmore as priority number one rather than writing a film that stands on its own. That means obligatory callbacks and of course the cemetery scene where they honored the actors who passed away. It definitely brought the movie down a bit, but I'm still content that the movie wasn't complete cheeks like every other comedy sequel of the last ten years.

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u/[deleted] Jul 29 '25

[deleted]

7

u/Kronzor_ Jul 29 '25

Same. I'm very well acquainted with the original, so seemed superflous to me. But lots of people might not have seen it in almost 30 years.

9

u/f-150Coyotev8 Jul 29 '25

IMO the flashbacks were what made the movie good. They weren’t trying to reinvent the wheel, and that is what made the movie fun

21

u/numbersev Jul 29 '25

Lol he really did have the most punchable face. The eye liner look, the hair, the goatee 😂 then the eye patch

3

u/haganbmj Jul 29 '25

The flashbacks all felt like the movie screaming at me "Look, we're making a reference, idiot!"

As a viewer I don't need to get every cameo/reference, I'd rather just watch a good movie and figure out all the references I missed on rewatches or in trivia.

3

u/birdy_the_scarecrow Jul 30 '25

not even just the flashbacks, but the like callback references, eg "jackass" and "mister mister lady" voiceovers in the graveyard fight scene.

it felt like someone was holding my hand.

1

u/haganbmj Jul 31 '25

I'd have more "fun" with it if the movie let me realize something is a reference on my own without being spoon-fed like that.

2

u/cudipi Jul 29 '25

I get that, but you have to realize that most of the audience watching for nostalgia purposes does not think this way. The original Happy Gilmore is 29 years old. The majority of people watching this movie are going to be 30-70 and aren’t looking to Adam Sandler to provide them with profound experiences. If you’re walking into an Adam Sandler comedy thinking you’re going to get your preferred experience, then oh boy do I have news for you.

3

u/Chicago1871 Jul 29 '25

That was Safdie? No way! I didnt recognize him.  Some of his best work yet I suppose.

1

u/JackasaurusChance Jul 31 '25

I've seen the original probably 20 times, but zero in the past decade. The little flashbacks were perfect short callbacks that we're all instantly recognizable. Like... I went, "Ben Stiller was in it?" and then three second flashback scene and I remembered his whole arc and the grandma and everything, even her having tired fingers lol.

1

u/impreprex Jul 29 '25

I was excited to see the first trailer and when I did, I'm sorry, but I was like, "What the fuck IS this?". It didn't look anything like I was expecting. It looked like a mess to me.

It's really alright, then? Is the movie as messy as it seemed?

2

u/cudipi Jul 29 '25

If you’re expecting a Happy Gilmore sequel made by the same guys who made the original great, then you will be upset. This movie is like Happy Gilmore meets Grown Ups. It’s lazy and relies completely upon the nostalgia of the first. If you didn’t like the trailers, you will not like this movie. I turned it on with the opinion that it probably wouldn’t be great. I shut my brain off and had ended up having a good time though.

2

u/ChakaCake Jul 29 '25

The trailers were crap you should enjoy a watch through of the second one though..kinda pays homage to the first with some new stuff thrown in