"Happy Gilmore" by Dennis Dugan: a review

In the epitome of life changing events, an aspiring, but hopeless hockey player finds his true calling as he takes on an entirely foreign sport in order to buy his beloved grandmothers’ home back. Happy Gilmore is a comedic interpretation at the speedy maturing of a careless young man, after being rejected, yet again, at the one sport he felt he was destined to star in... Hockey. After winning a bet with an untouchable drive, he sets out to the driving range to make a little extra cash to buy his grandma’s house back, since she was in incredible default with the IRS. During his stint at the range, he is spotted by a veteran golfer who is determined to make him a golfing sensation.

Lured by the promise of the “big bucks”, and the knowledge that no one can drive a golf ball half as far as he can, Happy joins a local golf tournament to qualify as a member in the national golf tour. His hockey mentality still in full swing, as evident by his reckless outbursts, he wins the local tournament, earning his place in the national tour. After witnessing one such outburst, the tour manager decides to let Happy go, until he is told by the public relations representative that golf’s ratings have never been higher. Reluctantly, Happy is allowed to continue, with a warning to control his temper.

Though a completely inexperienced golfer, Happy slowly makes his way up within the tour standings through a hilarious sequence of events from a golf pro that seems to have a rubber arm. Between being hazed by the cocky professional golfer who hates Happy to punching it out with Bob Barker, Happy’s happy antics continue to bring a much younger crowd to a sport that had previously been populated by an older generation. During the tour, Happy develops a quiet relationship with the public relations representative, who pushes Happy to concentrate harder on winning the championship.

In the culmination of events, the tour championship pits Happy against his professional rival. Things get ugly when Happy’s rival hires a loyal fan to sabotage any chances of winning for the young golfer. With a steadfast determination, Happy overcomes the insurmountable obstacles, to win the tournament, and buy his beloved grandma’s house back.

Happy Gilmore is solely responsible for drawing a younger crowd to the gentleman’s sport of golf while increasing his stats along the way. The story of triumph in the midst of tragedy continues to bring smiles to the fans of the resultant Happy Madison production company.