Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Happy Gilmore 2.
“It’s all in the hips!” Everyone’s favorite golfer is back for another round inHappy Gilmore 2. This time, the stakes are even higher for hockey-player-turned-golf-champion Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler). Since his 1996 Tour Championship in the firstHappy Gilmoremovie, Happy has collected more victories and enjoyed the fame and fortune that came with it.But after an unexpected tragedy (literally) strikes his family, he walks away from the game permanently.
Now Happy’s a single dad of five, just trying to make ends meet. A retail worker by day and always an alcoholic, he decides to turn things around to pay for his youngest daughter, Vienna Gilmore’s (Sunny Sandler) expensive ballet education.But just as Happy starts his journey from retirement back to the golf course, the last person he expects shows up: Shooter McGavin(Christopher McDonald). Like always, Shooter’s about toshake things up all over again.
Shooter McGavin Is Best Remembered as the Cheating Golf Snob in ‘Happy Gilmore’
The firstHappy Gilmoremovie introduced Shooteras a self-serving antagonist determined to preserve the prestige and sanctity of golf from scruffy newcomers like Happy. For a long time, Shooter was the PGA Tour’s fan favorite. However, despite his popularity, he failed toattract the kind of viewershipthe organizers had hoped for. When a bumbling Happy stumbles into the tournament with his hockey-inspired golf swing, Shooter initially dismisses him. But once he sees Happy’s powerful, unconventional drive outshine his own, he starts to feel threatened.
What truly made Shooter the despicable villain were his underhanded cheating tactics. He bribes a heckler named Donald (Joe Flaherty) to distract Happy during a pro-am event, which leads to poor performance andan infamous fistfight withBob Barker, resulting in a $25,000 fine and a one-month suspension for Happy. Shooter takes his bullying outside the course as well. When Grandma Gilmore’s (Frances Bay) house goes up for auction, he spitefully outbids Happy to pressure him into quitting the tour. In the end, his poor sportsmanship backfires, ultimately pushing him out of the sport by the end ofHappy Gilmore.
‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Review: A Largely Refreshing Throwback to Adam Sandler’s Classic ’90s Comedies — With a Modern Shine
A worthy successor to the 1996 comedy classic.
Shooter McGavin Is Given a Redemption Arc in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’
In the aftermath of the 1996 Tour Championship inHappy Gilmore, Shooter is arrested and put into a mental institution, obsessing over his humiliating loss to Happy. Just when it seems he’s doomed to spend the rest of his life behind bars, eccentric CEO Frank Manatee (Benny Safdie) unexpectedly bails him out and invites him to join his new Maxi Gold team.Frank’s pitch is simple: this is Shooter’s chance to finally beat Happy, with a little help from Frank’s surgical modifications.
ButHappy Gilmore 2avoids the obvious revenge plot and makes things refreshing by doing the opposite: giving the bad guy a redemption arc.For Shooter, gold has always been about purity and tradition. His initial hatred for Happy wasn’t just about losing; it came from watching the game. He loved gettingupended by some random hockey playerwith no prior experience in golf.
So when Shooter learns that Frank’s new “Maxi Golf” tournament is less about golf and more like a jacked-up mashup of the PGA Tour andAmerican Ninja Warrior, he’s mortified.Despite the temptation of finally defeating the man who got him locked up for nearly 30 years, Shooter refuses to join, choosing to stand by the integrity of the game over his personal vendetta.
Not Only Does Shooter Help Happy Win, but He Also Scores a Victory of His Own
It doesn’t take long for a Happy-Shooter reunion to happen inHappy Gilmore 2. After years of pent-up resentment, Shooter relishes the idea of finally landing a couple of punches on Happy’s face — and the feeling’s mutual. But thirty years later, both men have changed. The aggressive fire they carried back in 1996 has simmered down. They’re older now, and by the time they’re done throwing hands, they’re slumped next to each other, breathless.The hostility fades, and a fragile truce begins to form.
Shooter eventually asks if Happy’s been surgically enhanced by Frank’s team. Happy denies it, saying it’s just himand the late Chubbs Peterson’s(Carl Weathers) mentorship. That’s when something clicks for Shooter. He realizes that Happy never meant to ruin the sanctity of golf. He genuinely loves the game. It’s a turning point. From that moment on, Shooter joins forces with Happy and the rest of the team to take down Frank’s biologically modified Maxi Golf squad.
Just because Shooter hasn’t swung a club in three decades doesn’t mean he’s lost his stride. There’s a reason why he’s called “Shooter” in the first place. WhenBrooks Koepkabreaks his arm mid-game, Happy gets a reluctant Shooter to step in on the sixth hole. He insists his competitive days are long gone, but it doesn’t take much for Happy to bring out the “old pistols.”In five seconds flat, Shooter nails a perfect shot from an icy patch, winning the hold and Koepka’s entire match.
It’s a full-circle moment. In the originalHappy Gilmore, Shooter believed he had to cheat to win, despite his natural talent.But this time, he didn’t need any tricks. It was all skill, and more importantly,pure, old-school golf— just as Shooter likes.And the fact that he pulled it off with one swing on a wild, unconventional course made the victory even sweeter.
