Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald on how Adam Sandler's ‘Happy Gilmore' changed golf

Boston Globe

3 days ago

From left: Christopher McDonald and Adam Sandler in "Happy Gilmore 2."
Scott Yamano/Netflix
In the original film, Sandler played the brash and anger-prone titular character, a former hockey player who dreamed of playing for his beloved Boston Bruins, but found that his slap-shot skills were better suited for the back nine. Trying to raise money to save his grandmother's Connecticut home, Sandler's Happy turned into an unlikely pro-golf star, with his unorthodox play and feisty demeanor drawing a whole new (and wild) fanbase to the game.
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''Happy Gilmore' the movie and Happy Gilmore the character gave this kind of cool, weird cachet to golf,' said Julie Bowen, 55, who reprises her role from the original film as Happy's love interest, Virginia Venit. She added, in a recent Zoom interview, 'There's a little bit of that rock 'n' roll rebel attitude that I guess it turns out we all want to claim for our own, even the golf world.'
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Julie Bowen in "Happy Gilmore 2."
Courtesy of Netflix
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Set decades after the first film, the sequel features Happy now married to Virginia, with a big family of kids. But after stepping away from golf, Happy is forced to pick up his clubs again to win enough money to pay for the prestigious ballet school his daughter Vienna (played by Sandler's real-life daughter Sunny) wants to attend.
While the original film poked fun at the sport and its old-fashioned conventions, golfers new and old have embraced 'Happy Gilmore' since it hit the big screen nearly three decades ago, with a who's who list of legends and today's stars lining up for parts in the sequel, including Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Lee Trevino, and even the great Jack Nicklaus.
McDonald recalled his first day on set, where he wanted to just stop by and 'get a lay of the land,' which happened to be when a lot of current and former golf pros were filming a scene.
'They're all sitting there, and I waited for a break and I walked in, and then all of a sudden they all looked at me and went, 'Shooter!',' said McDonald. 'It was one of those magic moments that I wish I could encapsulate, but it'll always be in my mind.'
'I would sit down and talk to Jack Nicklaus, I mean come on, for like an hour,' he added. 'He was the nicest guy in the world, giving me tips here and there and just talking about his career.'
From left: Adam Sandler and Rory McIlroy on the set of "Happy Gilmore 2."
Scott Yamano/Netflix
The list of celebrity cameos goes beyond golf to include Eminem, Margaret Qualley, Post Malone, Travis Kelce, and Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (a.k.a. Bad Bunny).
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Tim Herlihy, who co-wrote the first film with Sandler, also co-wrote 'Happy Gilmore 2' with the New Hampshire-raised comic. Dennis Dugan, who directed the original, reprises his role as golf tour commissioner Doug Thompson in the sequel, which is directed by Kyle Newacheck. Other returning faces include Ben Stiller as the wacky orderly Hal L.
Having worked with Sandler on the original film and more recently on the 2020 Salem-set comedy
'It's a boyish enthusiasm and something that was evident from the first 'Happy Gilmore,'' said Bowen. 'He's really collaborative and fun to work with and become only more so over the years.'
'He's got that director's head at all times, and if a scene is not working … he'll go, 'How do we make this better? Let's change that. Let's do this',' said McDonald.
Adam Sandler in "Happy Gilmore 2."
Courtesy of Netflix
Bowen, a Brown University graduate, said Sandler's mix of heart, humor, and rage made Happy's angry New Englander persona memorable.
'There's something really lovely and raw and real about people that lead from the heart like that,' she said.
The actress described the new film as 'a little bit more sad and heartfelt' than the first movie, but with a big focus on family, which is no surprise as Sandler is 'a dad first and foremost' whose happy place is with his loved ones, according to Bowen. In addition to his daughter Sunny, Sandler's other daughter Sadie and wife Jackie have roles in the film.
'He says he's happy that [his daughters have] gotten into acting, I'm like, did they have a choice?,' Bowen joked. 'They grew up on a set because he loves being with them.'
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'He really wanted to bring in his life experience and highlight how important family is to him,' she added. 'And that's a no-brainer for me. I mean, my kids own me, you know, and he gets that. So being surrounded by all the kids, piles of kids, it was just pure joy.'
McDonald, who got his start in acting at the Charles Playhouse in Boston after graduating college ('It all started in Beantown, baby!' he quipped), said that, even after all these years in the business and hundreds of credits to his name, Shooter is still the role he gets recognized for the most.
Christopher McDonald in "Happy Gilmore 2."
Courtesy of Netflix
'To this day, I mean, I can't walk through an airport or walk down the street in New York or in Boston, and I'll hear, 'Shooter!' And I give them the old thing,' McDonald said. 'It's really a joy, and I'm glad I'm back, and I'm over the moon about how it turned out.'
'Happy Gilmore 2
'
premieres Friday on Netflix.
Matt Juul can be reached at