Happy Gilmore

About Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore tells the story of an aspiring hockey player that has one of the best slapshots in the amateur game coaches have ever seen. It is a shot that is set to make Gilmore a top hockey player. Unfortunately, there is one major problem to stop him from skyrocketing to the top of the hockey world. Gilmore cannot skate. He also has an anger issue and temper that can explode at the drop of a hat. After experiencing another unsuccessful tryout and getting dumped by his girlfriend, Gilmore finds out his grandmother owes the IRS $270,000. If she cannot pay the IRS, all of her worldly possessions will be repossessed.

After being challenged to a golf ball driving contest, it quickly becomes apparent that Gilmore can drive a ball 400 yards with an unorthodox hockey-style swing. He goes on to challenge golfers at a driving range and wins bets against them by outdriving them. This leads to Gilmore meeting former pro golfer Chubs Peterson, a golf pro working at a local course after losing his hand. Peterson offers to help Gilmore hone his game and enter a local tournament. The prize? A spot on the pro golf tour where Gilmore can make enough money to pay off his grandmother’s tax bill.

Happy Gilmore's Relation To Sport Business

While playing on the pro golf tour, Gilmore meets Virginia Venit (Julie Bowen), a public relations director working for the circuit. The two end up becoming romantically linked, but in the beginning, Venit must quell the outrage of the powers that be in golf towards Gilmore. The old guard of the golf world has a strong distaste for Gilmore and his antics on the golf course. He lacks golf etiquette, doesn’t dress in golf attire, and is foul-mouthed which hurts the circuit’s image. Venit must work her magic as a PR director to convince the very people that want to throw Gilmore off the tour that he is perfect for golf.

The tour’s executives may hate Gilmore but the public absolutely love him. Suddenly, golf’s popularity is at its highest point and people are discovering the game all thanks to Gilmore. Venit has to navigate the tricky waters of PR to smooth every problem that is created by the young golfer. It isn’t too different than what a real sports PR person must do. For all of her work, she is able to keep Gilmore on the tour and challenge top golfer Shooter McGavin.

Although Happy Gilmore is highly inaccurate, it doesn’t distract from the film being good. So often a suspension of belief is needed when watching films and Happy Gilmore is no different. The film’s release in 1996 was just before Sandler exploded with other projects that made him far more famous. It may not be as funny for younger generations. Yet, when taking a sport like golf, often criticized for being slow, boring, and white, Happy Gilmore gives it a life it never had before.

In a complete coincidence, Happy Gilmore was released in 1996 just as Tiger Woods turned pro as a golfer. Woods quickly took the PGA Tour by storm and was the biggest thing in golf for the next 10 years. It was as if Happy Gilmore was a precursor to prepare the golf world for something new and unexpected.

Why watch Happy Gilmore?

Happy Gilmore belongs on The Shelf because it is a seminal sports movie. For all of the inaccuracies about how Gilmore becomes a professional golfer, it isn’t any more far-fetched than The Rookie or The Bad News Bears. Yet, those movies are loved by plenty of filmgoers. What makes Happy Gilmore a fun watch is its interaction between characters and seeing a person that has failed at almost everything find success in a very different and unexpected way. Whether a golf fan or not, Happy Gilmore is a film that shouldn’t be missed for anyone that loves sports flicks.

Trailer & Extras