Happy Gilmore

"He doesn't play golf... he destroys it."

1996 1h 32m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🍅

66%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 3,495🍅66%Rotten Tomatoes●31Metacritic★7IMDB · 306,390

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Failed hockey player-turned-golf whiz Happy Gilmore — whose unconventional approach and antics on the green courts the ire of rival Shooter McGavin — is determined to win a PGA tournament so he can save his granny's house with the prize money. Meanwhile, an attractive tour publicist tries to soften Happy's image.

“He doesn't play golf... he destroys it.”

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Cast

Adam Sandler
Happy Gilmore
Julie Bowen
Virginia
Christopher McDonald
Shooter
Frances Bay
Grandma
Carl Weathers
Chubbs
Allen Covert
Otto
Robert Smigel
IRS Agent
Bob Barker
Bob Barker

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dennis Dugan
Writers: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Happy Gilmore Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dennis Dugan, shot by Arthur Albert. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Mothersbaugh. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jeff Gourson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Adam Sandler and Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He doesn't play golf... he destroys it.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dennis Dugan directs. Arthur Albert behind the camera. Mark Mothersbaugh scores. Jeff Gourson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Happy Gilmore Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Dennis Dugan, shot by Arthur Albert. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Mark Mothersbaugh. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jeff Gourson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Adam Sandler and Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "He doesn't play golf... he destroys it.".
9IMDB entry: tt0116483 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 22 themes, including "sports", "loss of loved one", "golf", "taxes".

The technical file

Cinematography: Arthur Albert
Original score: Mark Mothersbaugh
Editing: Jeff Gourson
Production design: Perry Andelin Blake
Makeup / hair: Lisa Taylor Roberts
Sound: Paul Massey
Stunt coordinator: Brent Woolsey
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $12,000,000
Box office: $41,422,354
Return: 345% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Happy Gilmore (1996)
Rotten Tomatoes: 66% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 31/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 306,390 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

1 win & 4 nominations total

Part of

Happy Gilmore Collection

Collection of feel-good movies about failed hockey player-turned-golf whiz Happy Gilmore, with his unconventional approach and antics on the green courts.

Also by

Dennis Dugan

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2016-08-07
★ 7/10
Mr. Angry channels aggression nicely... True Story. All my friends are golfers, however, it's not a sport for me. I played with them once after they continued to badger me about it, at a par 4 hole I used a putter instead of a driver to get onto the green, literally just whacked it straight and hard, I holed in 3, much to my friend's consternation!! The purpose of that story is why I enjoyed Happy Gilmore so much, it takes fun pot shots at the sport whilst daftly proclaiming that any dude can play in his own style. This is an absolutely no brain movie of course, with a plot as daft as it sounds - a failed/angry ice-hockey player takes up golf to earn money to save his granny's house from being repossessed - and of course he becomes a cause célèbre to the golfing curates. Sandler has and always will be an acquired comedy taste, making this very much one for his fans only. And truth be told this is basic Sandler where he's shouty and sweary, and he certainly improved on a filmic level from this point on. So what you gonna do? I laughed a lot, but you see I'm a Sandler fan (though there are some films of his I positively hate), it cheered me up and sometimes that's all I want from one of his movies. 7/10
Andre Gonzales2023-05-25
★ 10/10
Adam Sandler makes so many good movies. Who doesn't love this movie. If you don't like this, then there's something wrong with you. The price is wrong bitch!
AkshayAkshayAkshay2025-07-01
★ 1/10
Happy Gilmore’s a comedy film, yet it’s comedy, to me at least, was terrible. It didn’t stick, it felt forced, and it was just plain old stupid. Boring movie