Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore (1996)

  • 59% of critics liked it
    (51 reviews)

  • 83% of users liked it
    (916,287 ratings)

Adam Sandler's second popular starring vehicle after Billy Madison is a goofy lowbrow paean to golf, hockey, and the comic hysterics of its childlike star. In Happy Gilmore, Sandler plays the title character, a raw, determined, but ultimately untalented hockey player who keeps trying out for the… More

Play Trailer

PG-13,
Directed By
Written By
Adam Sandler
Genres
Comedy
In Theaters
Feb 16, 1996 Wide
On DVD
Feb 24, 1998
MCA Universal Home Video

Critic Reviews

  • Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

    [A] one-joke Caddyshack for the blitzed and jaded.

  • Brian Lowry, Variety

    There are about three minutes of funny material in Happy Gilmore, and pretty much all of them are in the trailer.

  • , Time Out

    Superior disposable comedy.

  • Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

    It may smell awful from a distance, especially if you have low tolerance for lowbrow humor, but up close this yarn about an unlikely golf star is fairly painless.

  • Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

    You don't feel that Sandler and director Dennis Dugan are trying for the kind of subversiveness that might just make Happy's brutal anarchy more effective.

Read all 22 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Tyler R


    It's sad to see where Adam Sandler is right now and compare him to what he was like in the 90's. It just makes you wonder one thing: What happened? Happy Gilmore is definately one of the better movies that Sandler has been in. He plays Happy Gimore, a hockey player with a… More

  • Albert K


    A good time, nothing more, nothing less.

  • Eric A


    Quick witted humor throughout which I really liked. It was also fast paced and straight to the point, no extra long time developing a story line. All in all, I liked the film, but I don't place it on a high pedestal like other people seem to do. Also, something I noticed to be… More

  • Directors C


    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] There are a lot of memorable scenes in Happy Gilmore and a few bits are full of the Sandler charm. Undeniably, it's very silly and the film's premise is quite simply an excuse for Adam Sandler to do… More

  • Alexander D


    Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) is a naïve, hot-headed man who has lived his entire life aspiring to be a professional hockey player. Upon playing golf one day, his peers come to discover that he can drive a golfball farther than anyone in the world. At first reluctant, Happy decides… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Also available on

UltraViolet Retailers

Other Retailers

Subscription Services

Not Available
Not Available

Cast

See more (57)

Trailers & Clips