Happy Gilmore 2
Netflix
If you want an example of streaming licensing weirdness, look no further than what’s about to happen on Netflix. The service has made a big deal about managing to make a sequel to Happy Gilmore nearly 30 years after the release of the Adam Sandler classic. But Netflix is removing the original movie just a week after it airs.
Happy Gilmore 2 is out this Friday, July 25. Happy Gilmore 1, which has climbed to #3 on Netflix ahead of the sequel’s release, is being removed from Netflix, along with a wider slate of movies, on August 1. Yes, movies and shows come and go, but this is an especially bizarre example, where if you want a Happy Gilmore refresher and don’t want to hop streaming services, you have a week to do so. Happy Gilmore will still be airing on Hulu or Peacock, but not Netflix, going forward.
It certainly seems like Netflix should have tried to get this sequel out much sooner, but production may have been pushed to its limit to get it out by now, I suppose. Still, rather poor planning on their end.
Happy Gilmore 2 is bringing back other core cast members besides Sandler like Julie Bowen, Ben Stiller and Christopher McDonald. As its most prominent new cast member, it has the red-hot Margaret Qualley, fresh off her high-profile turn in The Substance. Unfortunately, a larger role was written for Carl Weathers, Sandler’s mentor in the first film, before he passed away in February 2024.
As for what exactly is going on in this 30-years-later sequel, here’s the synopsis:
“Happy Gilmore isn’t done with golf – not by a long shot. Adam Sandler’s short-fused legend swings for a comeback to make his kid’s dream come true.”
Happy Gilmore is one of those classic comedies that critics deemed just okay at the time (a 63% score) and fans loved (an 85% score with 250,000 reviews in on Rotten Tomatoes). It’s widely regarded as one of Sandler’s best, and it’s certainly surprising to see him return to the role after he’s branched into much different films like Uncut Gems. He’s found success on Netflix before with Murder Mystery 1 and 2 opposite Jennifer Aniston, widely watched comedies.
So, hurry up and watch Happy Gilmore if you perhaps have not done so in the last 29 years. You have a week, or really, you have a day if you want to watch it before the actual premiere of the movie tomorrow.
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