July 26, 2025 • 5 mins
Nearly 30 years after the original, Happy Gilmore's long-awaited sequel arrived on Netflix this week.
Adam Sandler reprises his iconic role as he returns to the world of golf after his victory at the Tour Championship in the original 1996 film.
Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald and Ben Stiller also reprise their roles from the original, alongside some new faces played by Bad Bunny, Margaret Qualley and Travis Kelce.
Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall reveals whether this sequel lives up to the wait.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
We have been hearing from Taylor Swift this weekend. She
has been raving about the little cameo her boyfriend does
in the new film Happy Gilmore too. Steve Newle, editor
at Flex Dot Color and Zed, has also been watching
Happy Gilmore, but I'm not entirely sure whether he is
thrilled about it as Taylor Swift is. Welcome, good morning,
(00:33):
good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Look, I've never had to consider if I'm existing in
the same headspace as Taylor Swift before, so thank you
for opposing me that challenge.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Try.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
I didn't realize that it was Travis Kelcey when I
was watching the film, to be honest.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
So that's a good thing.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
I think. Good on you, Travis Kelcey. He plays a
not nice character. I was about to call him something else,
but I probably shouldn't.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
The right we can imagine it.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah, and that's the kind of character that does populate
the Happy Gilmore universe, right, Like I'm a huge sucker
for a slobs versus Snob's comedy, So that might be
Animal House, it could be Ghostbusters, like there's a real
kind of long tradition of this, particularly in American comedy
of like the Everyday Joe, Who's Got a potty Mouth,
(01:17):
taken Down, the Taking Down, the toffee Nosed Delete, and
nine ninety six is Happy Gilmore was was one of
two films of Adam Sandler's that I don't think we
already got the full Adam Sandler affect her in the
nineties because New Zealand isn't really a Saturday night live country,
and I don't think we already got his kind of
musical comedy through that period as well. But Happy Gilmore
(01:37):
and Billy Madison were just absolute staples of the VHS
and DVD rental era, like those things. Just I was
a multiple rewatcher of these films from the video store.
They'd frequently make up my five to ten dollars pile. Yeah,
and what Happy Gilmore was great? It was just this
anarchic comedy from the fact that he is, you know,
(01:57):
a hockey player turned golf with no respect for the tradition,
loves fighting like a hockey player does, love's getting wasted.
And also the humor is often very unkind in these films,
like a lot of injuries, a lot of people getting
hit by golf balls if you like people getting hit
by golf balls, and Happy Gilmore too is also up
your ally's a lot of that. However, where this does
fall down is there has been some discussion this was
(02:19):
one for the fans.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
I don't know if it really does kind of capture
the ethos of the first film that much. But it's
a giant victory lab. All the supporting cast or family
members of the supporting cast are there. Christopher McDonald, who
was the villain in the first Happy Gilmore film It
was memorably has the line eight pieces of s like
you for breakfast, which is probably one of the most
(02:41):
quotable lines in that film. He's back here and fantastic.
Benny Saftie, who directed Adam Sandler and Uncut Gems, you know,
one of his occasionally critically reputable films. He's here as
a bad guy too, who started a new professional golf
league that's like making golf all cool and like it's
all like cool for the attention of the attention Paul
kids of today. And weirdly, so weirdly, Sander's characters that
(03:04):
defend the leaguegacy and true legacy of golf. Even though
he's and is it.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Kind of set thirty years later, they haven't.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Pretended that it opens. And very quickly we go from oh,
here's everything that happened since the first film. You'd think
that life would be great, but this has happened. But
this has happened, But this has happened, and very very quickly,
Sandler's character is working stacking the groceries or stacking the
vegetables in a grocery store. No longer a successful golfer.
I've kind of struggled with this. There are enough kind
(03:33):
of chuckles along the way. It's a giant victory lap
for people that love the first film. Okay, but even
though it was late at night on a Friday, and
I was watching it after I'd come home, which should
be the perfect time for a happy Gilmore movie, it's
a bit of a stroke.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
It didn't quite hit I noticed as well. It's of
course screening on Netflix, and I see that they're also
screening the original. Hevy, gil you start with that, I think.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
So, Look, it's a great rewatch. I watched the original
maybe within the last year sometime. It really holds up
it's a fun film. This one probably won't have that
same rewatchability.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Hey tell me, Breaking Bad creative Vince Gilligan is returning
with a new sci fi serious.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Of speaking of happy things. The tagline for the show
Happiness is Contagious. The show is called Pluribus. Terrible title
to get out. I know we have to really get
our heads around how we pronounce this or what it's
all about. It's shrouded in mystery. Apple TV has shared
what they call a glimpse at Pluribus this weekend, which
(04:33):
is maybe like a twenty second long clip and I
won't spoil it for you, but don't expect a trailer.
This is not even a teaser trailer. This is just
a couple of shots from a thing. What makes me
more excited than this very short video, though, is well.
First of all, it's great that Gilligan's back. He hasn't
done anything since one season of a show called Battle
Creek in twenty fifteen. That's all he's done since better
(04:55):
called since the Breaking Bad universe anyway. But he reunites
with Rea Seahorn, who's the fantastic female lead of Better
Call Saul here and not much not about the show.
It's going to be out in November of this year,
so it's not too far away. What we know so
far is that Seahorn plays Carol quote the most music,
the most miserable person on earth who must save the
(05:18):
world from happiness. Intrigue, I'm happy, Gilmore two to saving
the World from Happiness. Gilligan says that there's no crime
and no methamphetamine in this show, right.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
I love it. Thank you so much, Steve appreciated.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to news Talks it'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
We have been hearing from Taylor Swift this weekend. She
has been raving about the little cameo her boyfriend does
in the new film Happy Gilmore too. Steve Newle, editor
at Flex Dot Color and Zed, has also been watching
Happy Gilmore, but I'm not entirely sure whether he is
thrilled about it as Taylor Swift is. Welcome, good morning,
(00:33):
good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Look, I've never had to consider if I'm existing in
the same headspace as Taylor Swift before, so thank you
for opposing me that challenge.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Try.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
I didn't realize that it was Travis Kelcey when I
was watching the film, to be honest.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
So that's a good thing.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
I think. Good on you, Travis Kelcey. He plays a
not nice character. I was about to call him something else,
but I probably shouldn't.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
The right we can imagine it.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah, and that's the kind of character that does populate
the Happy Gilmore universe, right, Like I'm a huge sucker
for a slobs versus Snob's comedy, So that might be
Animal House, it could be Ghostbusters, like there's a real
kind of long tradition of this, particularly in American comedy
of like the Everyday Joe, Who's Got a potty Mouth,
(01:17):
taken Down, the Taking Down, the toffee Nosed Delete, and
nine ninety six is Happy Gilmore was was one of
two films of Adam Sandler's that I don't think we
already got the full Adam Sandler affect her in the
nineties because New Zealand isn't really a Saturday night live country,
and I don't think we already got his kind of
musical comedy through that period as well. But Happy Gilmore
(01:37):
and Billy Madison were just absolute staples of the VHS
and DVD rental era, like those things. Just I was
a multiple rewatcher of these films from the video store.
They'd frequently make up my five to ten dollars pile. Yeah,
and what Happy Gilmore was great? It was just this
anarchic comedy from the fact that he is, you know,
(01:57):
a hockey player turned golf with no respect for the tradition,
loves fighting like a hockey player does, love's getting wasted.
And also the humor is often very unkind in these films,
like a lot of injuries, a lot of people getting
hit by golf balls if you like people getting hit
by golf balls, and Happy Gilmore too is also up
your ally's a lot of that. However, where this does
fall down is there has been some discussion this was
(02:19):
one for the fans.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
I don't know if it really does kind of capture
the ethos of the first film that much. But it's
a giant victory lab. All the supporting cast or family
members of the supporting cast are there. Christopher McDonald, who
was the villain in the first Happy Gilmore film It
was memorably has the line eight pieces of s like
you for breakfast, which is probably one of the most
(02:41):
quotable lines in that film. He's back here and fantastic.
Benny Saftie, who directed Adam Sandler and Uncut Gems, you know,
one of his occasionally critically reputable films. He's here as
a bad guy too, who started a new professional golf
league that's like making golf all cool and like it's
all like cool for the attention of the attention Paul
kids of today. And weirdly, so weirdly, Sander's characters that
(03:04):
defend the leaguegacy and true legacy of golf. Even though
he's and is it.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Kind of set thirty years later, they haven't.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Pretended that it opens. And very quickly we go from oh,
here's everything that happened since the first film. You'd think
that life would be great, but this has happened. But
this has happened, But this has happened, and very very quickly,
Sandler's character is working stacking the groceries or stacking the
vegetables in a grocery store. No longer a successful golfer.
I've kind of struggled with this. There are enough kind
(03:33):
of chuckles along the way. It's a giant victory lap
for people that love the first film. Okay, but even
though it was late at night on a Friday, and
I was watching it after I'd come home, which should
be the perfect time for a happy Gilmore movie, it's
a bit of a stroke.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
It didn't quite hit I noticed as well. It's of
course screening on Netflix, and I see that they're also
screening the original. Hevy, gil you start with that, I think.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
So, Look, it's a great rewatch. I watched the original
maybe within the last year sometime. It really holds up
it's a fun film. This one probably won't have that
same rewatchability.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Hey tell me, Breaking Bad creative Vince Gilligan is returning
with a new sci fi serious.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Of speaking of happy things. The tagline for the show
Happiness is Contagious. The show is called Pluribus. Terrible title
to get out. I know we have to really get
our heads around how we pronounce this or what it's
all about. It's shrouded in mystery. Apple TV has shared
what they call a glimpse at Pluribus this weekend, which
(04:33):
is maybe like a twenty second long clip and I
won't spoil it for you, but don't expect a trailer.
This is not even a teaser trailer. This is just
a couple of shots from a thing. What makes me
more excited than this very short video, though, is well.
First of all, it's great that Gilligan's back. He hasn't
done anything since one season of a show called Battle
Creek in twenty fifteen. That's all he's done since better
(04:55):
called since the Breaking Bad universe anyway. But he reunites
with Rea Seahorn, who's the fantastic female lead of Better
Call Saul here and not much not about the show.
It's going to be out in November of this year,
so it's not too far away. What we know so
far is that Seahorn plays Carol quote the most music,
the most miserable person on earth who must save the
(05:18):
world from happiness. Intrigue, I'm happy, Gilmore two to saving
the World from Happiness. Gilligan says that there's no crime
and no methamphetamine in this show, right.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
I love it. Thank you so much, Steve appreciated.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to news Talks it'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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