History Film / HappyGilmore

--> '''Shooter:''' Yeah, how'd he finish again? Dead last? Yeah, he had a good day.

-->'''Barker:''' I don't want a piece of you. I want the whole THING!

-->'''Happy:''' It ain't over yet, [=McGavin=]. The way I see it, [[HeroicSecondWind we've only just begun.]]

-->'''Shooter''': You, beat me, at golf? Yeah right, and Grizzly Adams had a beard.\\

** Happy's is his HairTriggerTemper and tendency to hold grudges. They give him some strong determination, but it also means that he can fly off the handle and make an already bad situation even worse. This almost gets Happy kicked off the pro tour as soon as he gets on; he's only saved by Virginia arguing on his behalf, and even she admits that Happy's behavior is "completely unacceptable" before getting him to tone it down. Shooter even invokes a BatmanGambit to make Happy fly off the handle at exactly the wrong moment, getting Happy suspended right when he was about to earn enough money to buy his grandmother's house back.

** After buying Happy's grandmother's house in the auction, Shooter [=McGavin=] offers Happy the house in return for Happy quitting the tour. Happy is about to agree, but Virginia convinces him that his grandmother would rather see Happy succeed than get her house back. Happy comes up with a way to get both and makes the house versus career wager for the Tour Championship.

** The heckler Shooter hires is also implied to be friendless. He desperately begs Shooter to join him for lunch and despondently eats alone.

* NotListeningToMeAreYou: [[spoiler: Chubbs tries to help Happy be a better golfer. He even advised Happy to not join the tour yet and go through the six month training; however, Happy goes against it and joins the tour because he needed the money to for his grandmother's house. Happy only has three months to come up with the money. Chubbs was unaware the real reason why Happy join the pro tour. If Chubbs had learn about Happy's predicament, he and Happy would have probably found a compromise.]]

* NoNameGiven: Happy's grandmother never has her first name mentioned throughout the entire film. She's either referred to as "Mrs. Gilmore" or just "Grandma".

* BeyondTheImpossible: Downplayed. Happy has a 400 yard drive, where in real golf a 300 yard drive is usually considered to be great. Indeed, everyone in-universe who sees it for the first time can't believe their eyes, and it quickly becomes part of what makes Happy popular to watch. Shooter offhandedly says to Larson that having such range in one shot isn't possible, yet incidentally, there ''are'' golfers that [[RealityIsUnrealistic can drive over 400 yards, especially with modern equipment]], although it is uncommon. In fact, the Guiness Book of World Records holder set a record of 515 yards in 1974 as a 64 year old. So while it's unlikely that spectators would be in silent awe of Happy's drive, it ''is'' very impressive, and coming from an unknown amateur probably contributes to that as well.

* InnocentlyInsensitive: Happy is this when he first meets Shooter by asking where his Gold Jacket is. This a major BerserkButton to him as he believes he should have earned one by now.

* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Zigzagged. Happy will readily tell anyone that will listen that money is his prime motivation for joining the PGA tour. Even after Shooter's antagonistic behavior adds "kick Shooter's ass" to Happy's list of reasons to stay on the tour, Happy's primary motivation remains earning as much money as he can. All of this is true, but Happy leaves out the reason he wants the money is to get his grandmother's house back, not just for the sake of the money itself.

** Happy's is '''{{wrath}}'''. While his HairTriggerTemper and tendency to hold grudges means that he gets some strong determination, it also means that he can fly off the handle and make an already bad situation even worse. This almost gets Happy kicked off the pro tour as soon as he gets on; he's only saved by Virginia arguing on his behalf, and even she admits that Happy's behavior is "completely unacceptable" before getting him to tone it down. Shooter even invokes a BatmanGambit to make Happy fly off the handle at exactly the wrong moment, getting Happy suspended right when he was about to earn enough money to buy his grandmother's house back.
** Shooter's is '''envy'''. He can't stand someone like Happy being better than him, and so he tries to sabotage him any chance he gets. He is also quick to put down total strangers, earning him the wrath of Mr. Larson. [[spoiler: In the climax, he commits the very serious faux pas of stealing Happy's jacket, which gets him a bad beating from Larson and Happy's fans]].

** After stealing Happy's gold jacket, a group of angry Happy Gilmore fans chase after Shooter, led by Mr. Larson.

* BerserkButton: Do ''not'' suggest that Happy is as bad at hockey as he is at golf. Bob Barker not only presses that button, he smashes it with a hammer. This triggers a fight.
* TheBet: After Happy gets fined and suspended from the [=PGA=], Virginia gets him a sponsorship with Subway, that pays him enough to get his grandma's house back, only for Shooter to buy it under him at the auction. When Happy demands to know what it'll take for him to get the house back, Shooter responds that Happy should quit the [=PGA=] right there and there. When Happy reluctantly agrees, [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Virginia asks him if his grandma wants the house more that she wants him to be happy and successful]], and Happy decides to make a bet with Shooter: if Happy wins the next big tournament, he gets the house back and Shooter leaves him alone, but if Shooter wins, Happy will let him keep the house and quit golf for good.

** Shooter himself, after he loses the tournament and [[spoiler: while getting the absolute stuffing beaten out of him by Mr. Larson and a mob of angry Happy fans after he stole the gold jacket near the end.]]

* FriendlessBackground: Growing up with his grandma, Happy never has any friends due to his short temper.

* DeadpanSnarker: Shooter has his moments:

* DetrimentalDetermination: Happy's insistence on trying to become a hockey player, when he more fit for golf, is a flaw that holds him back from his true potential and its when he finally lets go of hockey that his life improves.

** Played with in Happy's case. He starts out as a downplayed example, mainly because his hockey career is going nowhere. By the end of the film, he's gained a mutual respect for golf and has become a subversion.

--->'''Chubbs''': Easy. If you can't beat the clown, how're you gonna beat Shooter?