Golf Comedy Survives The Rough
If the historic mission of comedy is to deflate pomposity and reassure the underdog, then Adam Sandler’s new mayhem-on-the-links picture, “Happy Gilmore,” is a proud bearer of the standard.
It’s far from a seamless job. The yarn is a rip-snorter, but director Dennis Dugan seems content with a plain-vanilla documentation of a story that calls for eccentricity on the aft side of the camera, as well.
Sandler’s rough-edged good nature prevails, however. The “Saturday Night Live” veteran and emerging big-screen star lurches impressively between ill-tempered slapstick violence and sentimental tenderness, with an unexpected emotional depth.
Happy Gilmore (Sandler) is a frustrated hockey player whose brutality on the ice is exceeded only by his inability to skate. When introduced by chance to the more gentlemanly game of golf, Happy finds himself catapulted into a world of high-dollar tournament play.
His ferocious drive is certain to make him a winner … and just in time to save dear old Grandma (Frances Bay) from homelessness. If only he can restrain himself at the putt.
The screenplay by Tim Herlihy and Sandler is reminiscent of Pat Harrington Jr.’s classic stand-up routine about a golf-playing ape, with the sanctity of the country-club circuit invaded by a creature of the wild.
Sandler makes a pretty convincing wild beast, at that, by driving his character with temperamental anxieties that can only have come from unhappy experiences.
The best writing occurs during the prologue, where a witty montage of counterfeit home movies explains what tragedies have shaped Happy Gilmore.
It’s a bittersweet setup for a film that is a great deal smarter than many people will care to believe.
But the slapstick audience isn’t paying for nuances of character. The big drawing card of “Happy Gilmore” will be a knock-down-drag-out fistfight between Sandler and veteran TV personality Bob Barker.
Such lowbrow wit abounds throughout, involving such supporting players as Christopher McDonald (as an envious “real” golfer), Carl Weathers (as a patient tutor for the hotheaded Gilmore), and big Richard Kiel (as an intimidating fan).
Newcomer Julie Bowen provides a wholesome romantic interest.
MEMO: Two sidebars appeared with the story: 1. “Happy Gilmore” Locations: Lincoln Heights, Lyons and Showboat cinemas. Credits: Directed by Dennis Dugan; starring Adam Sandler, Richard Kiel, Bob Barker, Carl Weathers, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald Running time: 1:32 Rating: PG-13
2. Another view Here’s what another critic says about “Happy Gilmore:” Lawrence Toppman/Charlotte Observer: I’ve always thought watching Adam Sandler carry a movie would be as much fun as stuffing piranha down my underwear. His lisping, babyish cretins may be funny for five minutes at a time on “Saturday Night Live,” but he sucked all the breathable air out of “Airheads.” I went grumblingly to “Happy Gilmore” this week. And, to my amazement, guffawed more than once.
2. Another view Here’s what another critic says about “Happy Gilmore:” Lawrence Toppman/Charlotte Observer: I’ve always thought watching Adam Sandler carry a movie would be as much fun as stuffing piranha down my underwear. His lisping, babyish cretins may be funny for five minutes at a time on “Saturday Night Live,” but he sucked all the breathable air out of “Airheads.” I went grumblingly to “Happy Gilmore” this week. And, to my amazement, guffawed more than once.