Happy Gilmore 2 delivers much of what fans of the original will expect, without giving them substantially more. Adam Sandler returns as an older, exhausted Happy whose life has fallen apart. His daughter's expensive ballet training provides a reason to return to golf. The comeback is predictably loud, chaotic and well stocked with nostalgia.
The film runs on jokes, guest appearances and fan service rather than a particularly strong story. I laughed aloud at several moments when Happy loses control. The excessive anger, absurd golf shots and familiar Sandler rhythm still work. Some jokes continue long after they have made their point, but slapstick and feeling occasionally meet very effectively.
Bad Bunny's restrained presence as the caddie provides a useful contrast to Sandler's eruptions. Cameos arrive in such quantities that the film sometimes resembles a pop-culture revue. It is too much in places, although having grown up with the original, I found that nostalgic pull difficult to resist completely.
Sandler is not subtle here, nor does the character require him to be. The scenes with his daughter Sunny, who plays Vienna, provide something more genuinely warm. Their father-daughter relationship gives the film an emotional foundation without overwhelming the comedy with sentimentality.
The narrative is the weak point. Returning characters are not always integrated well, and the story often feels like permission to move from one gag to another. References, flashbacks and familiar details accumulate without much forward movement. The visual direction is competent and unobtrusive; the music does a better job of linking comic and emotional moments.
This is a film for existing fans. It is older, louder and fuller than the original, rather than a particularly inventive development of it. I laughed, shook my head and enjoyed enough of the reunion. I give it 3 out of 5 points: entertaining, with some real heart, but no hole-in-one.