Adam Sandler Celebrates 25th Anniversary of ‘Happy Gilmore’ With Golfing Video
25 years later, the price is still wrong.
Yes, on this date 25 years ago — February 16, 1996 — a legend was born. It was the legend of a hockey player who discovers a preternatural ability for golf. I speak, of course, of Happy Gilmore, the seminal Adam Sandler comedy that cemented the actor’s transition from Saturday Night Live cast member to full-fledged movie star.
The first reviews weren’t great — Roger Ebert gave the film 1.5 stars and said it was “the story of a violent sociopath.” But the movie resonated with Sandler fans, grossing almost $40 million against a $12 million budget, and quickly becoming a perennial favorite on cable and home video. And so, to commemorate this extremely important holiday, the Sandman posted a video to Twitter, where for the first time in 25 years (at least according to him) he tried the classic Happy Gilmore running driver swing.
Who knows whether Sandler really hasn’t done this in several decades — or whether he required multiple takes for this video to get it right — but he nailed a drive that would make Happy proud and make Shooter McGavin weep. Watch for yourself below:
It’s too bad he did hit it so well, because that meant Sandler couldn’t run up to the ball and scream various obscenities at it for not going in the hole. “Why didn’t you just go home? That’s your home! Are you too good for your home? Answer me!” And so on.
If you want to watch Happy Gilmore tonight in honor of its anniversary, it is currently streaming on HBO Max.
Gallery — Movies With Baffling CinemaScores: