History Film / HappyGilmore

* SnootySports: This is the biggest reason why Happy's LoveInterest Virginia (an advertisement executive for the PGA) asks the chairman to not kick out Happy after he is determined to be [[ClusterBleepBomb too obscene]] and [[JerkJock angry]] for broadcast: because Gilmore is a WorkingClassHero (Virginia even uses this exact term), audience ratings and sponsorship offers are going through the roof because people who dismiss golf as a "snob" time slot are tuning in. The chairman relents but asks Virginia to convince Gilmore to tone down his anger or he will be kicked out (a decision [[TheRival Shooter McGavin]] exploits later).

* PreAssKickingOneLiner:

* FatalFlaw: 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.

** Happy gets an endorsement deal with Subway in-universe. Happy needs to quickly make money to pay his Grandma's back taxes, he's an athlete who's been suspended from playing, and his LoveInterest works in P.R.; making a commercial endorsement deal was his best option to net him enough money to get Grandma's house in time.

** Happy gets an endorsement deal with Subway in-universe. Happy needs to make money to pay his Grandma's back taxes, he's an athlete who's been suspended from playing, and his LoveInterest works in P.R.; making a commercial endorsement deal eventually nets him enough money to get Grandma's house.

* IKnowWhatWeCanDoCut: After Happy is suspended for fighting with Bob Barker, he and Virginia sit down to eat at Subway, with Happy believing that his only chance to get Grandma's house back is now gome. While Happy describes the sandwich he's eating, Virginia smirks. Cut directly to Happy in a Subway commercial, having worked out an endorsement deal.

->''"He doesn't play golf -- he ''destroys'' it."''
-->-- '''TagLine'''

* FatalFlaw: 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. 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.

* OneHeroHoldTheWeaksauce: A golf swing with a running start would give a golfer more distance, but would normally destroy accuracy. Happy doesn't have that problem with his golf swings.

* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Subverted. Happy will readily tell anyone that will listen that money is his prime motivation for golfing. This is true, but Happy is embarrassed to tell people that the reason he wants the money is to get his grandmother's house back and is saving every penny of his winnings to achieve this. Even after Shooter's antagonistic behavior eventually adds "kick Shooter's ass" to that list of reasons, Happy's primary motivation remains earning as much money as he can.
* OrderliesAreCreeps: Hal is ''worse'' than most, actually, threatening and abusing his charges, who are senior citizens. Ironically, while Shooter is the villain of the story, Hal is more evil by virtue of terrorising people much weaker than he.
%%* ParodiesOfFire: Done during one of the running golf swings.

** Happy turns down Chubbs's offer to work on his whole golf game because he desperately needs to get on the tour and make money immediately. However, going onto a pro tour armed with only a 400-foot drive but no real sense for the game leaves him with nothing but ringing up dead-last finishes for a while, as he has no touch for approaches and putting. While with experience he steadily improves enough to even score a top-10 finish before seeking out Chubbs, it's only when Chubbs is able to drill into Happy the importance of an all-around game that Happy can truly pose a challenge to Shooter.
** The moment Happy gets on the pro tournament, it's clear that some members of the golfing community don't want him there. After Happy starts swearing up a storm because he missed a putt, including attacking a few fans, the president of the tournament wants to kick Happy out immediately. He's only saved by Virginia arguing that Happy's presence will bring the tournament lots of money, though even she admits that "his behavior is completely unacceptable."

--> "[[BigNo NO!]] DOUG, DOUG, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! [[SoreLoser THIS IS MY JACKET!]]"

** After Shooter told Happy to meet him on the ninth green at 9 (the time the sprinklers come on), Happy just has a large grin on his face, calmly walks off back to the clubhouse, and after being stopped by Virginia, he cheerfully tells her that he is planning on "beat(ing) the living piss out of" Shooter.

--> '''Estate Agent:''' Mrs. Gilmore owes the IRS $270,000 in taxes. We have to sell the house. And if you cannot get the money together in ninety days, we're going to have to sell the house to someone else. You hate me, don't you?
--> '''Happy:''' No, no, no, I don't hate you.
--> ''[cut to Estate Agent being thrown out through the patio door]''
--> '''Estate Agent:''' He hates me.

* TruthInTelevision: Fox Sports show ''Series/SportsScience'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wguFY0DDoAU tested]] Happy's run up swing with professional Padraig Harrington. He added an average of 30 yards to his drive, but didn't want to use it on tour because it isn't as accurate.

* VillainousBreakdown: Shooter, when Happy starts recovering, totally losses his composure. He angrily beats up a beach ball someone threw onto the course. After Happy beats him and wins the tournament, Shooter goes ''ballistic'', stealing the Golden Jacket and running off with it. However, this SoreLoser behavior gets Shooter pummeled off-screen by Happy's fans.

* YouWereTryingTooHard: This is the point of Chubbs taking Happy to practice at a minigolf course. With your short game, you need accuracy more than strength, and the ability to send the ball where it goes. He tells Happy to relax, find his happy place, and then take the shot. Eventually, Happy loosens up and is able to improve in one night.

* FatalFlaw: 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 at exactly the wrong moment. 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.

''Happy Gilmore'' is the story of -- well, Happy Gilmore (Creator/AdamSandler), a die-hard hockey fan who badly wants to make it in the pro leagues. Unfortunately for him, he gets cut at every tryout; while he has one heck of a slapshot, his other skills are awful and his temper is even worse. Happy's life doesn't get any better when he learns his grandmother that raised him is losing her home due to owing hundreds of thousands in back taxes, forcing Happy to move her into a care facility. While the movers are goofing off with a set of golf clubs and let Happy take a swing, he learns that his power slapshot in the rink translates into a jaw-dropping four hundred yard tee shot on the green.

Happy soon meets retired professional golfer Chubbs Peterson, who sees potential in him to go pro if he puts in the effort to learn the game. Although Happy initially isn't interested, when Chubbs mentions that there's money to be made from ranking in the tournaments, Happy decides to make a go of it and win enough prize money to buy back his grandmother's house before the bank auctions it off. HilarityEnsues as Happy brings his wild hockey antics with him to the golf course and becomes an up-and-coming sensation for his standout skill combined with his crude behavior. In the process he takes a shine to Virginia, a public relations director for the tour, and makes an ArchEnemy out of Shooter [=McGavin=], one of the top players of the league who isn't keen on letting a foul-mouthed, hot-headed rookie steal his spotlight.

* AbortedArc: In the theatrical release, the buildup about the orderly in the nursing home is all for naught, as he isn't seen ever again after the grandma leaves the home. He doesn't even appear in the scene where she leaves. In TV airings and the special DVD release, however, he gets his comeuppance by being thrown out a window and beaten with purses by old ladies. A lot of his most abusive antics are also cut from the theatrical release, likely to accommodate this.
* AccidentalAthlete: Played with. Happy ''is'' trying to be an athlete, just at hockey instead of golf. His prowess at golf is a combination of his drive (his hockey power swings) and some luck, but the rest of his game is terrible until given lessons, as a result.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Happy's taunt of "Somebody's closeeeeer!" during the final tournament provokes a brief smile from Shooter.

** Downplayed; it's mentioned that a golfer can take a drop with a stroke penalty, but neither Shooter nor Happy does (Shooter would be hitting a ball off a patron's ''shoe'', and Happy would be putting over a fallen broadcaster's tower [[BenevolentArchitecture that winds up being laid out amazingly like a mini-golf hole]]). However, Shooter and Happy's lie are treated equally by the association president when they are not under any golf rule set; Shooter has to play his ball off Mr. Larson's foot because it was an errant shot of his own agency. Virtually every US golf association rule set would allow the tower to be cleared from Happy's line of putt, as the obstruction came from fan interference and the golfer can request a movable obstruction that is not part of the course design to be removed. [[RuleOfCool One could also be like Happy and just hit it with brimming confidence anyways.]]

** In the immediate aftermath of being hit by a car, Happy starts hitting the ball all over the place. One shot lands in some nasty rough. Happy attempts to go to his "happy place", only to have Shooter show up in the fantasy, and begin making out with Virginia and Grandma. This angers Happy, who takes five whacks at the ball before finally making contact, and knocking it into the water hazard right in front of him. He somehow loses only one stroke. In real life, all of those hacks at the ball would've counted as strokes since Happy was trying to hit it, then add in a two-stroke penalty for the ball ending up in the water.
** Happy wouldn't be allowed to use his customized putter on the tour, as legally putters cannot have a head size any larger than 7 inches, a rule set by the USGA. While the dimensions of the putter are never given, its size relative to a golf ball (which is approximately 1.6 inches in diameter) makes it easy to tell that it's too big.

* BatmanGambit: Shooter's plan to get Happy kicked off the tour relies on Happy's HairTriggerTemper going off, using a heckler to antagonize Happy into snapping at somebody. The plan almost works, but Happy is merely suspended instead of kicked out.

** Played around with Mr. Larson--played by Creator/RichardKiel (aka Jaws from ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' and ''Film/{{Moonraker}}''). When we first meet him, he's brooding and intimidating and beats Happy so bad he's sent to the ER (after Happy had embedded a nail in his head with a fired nail gun). When Happy starts being a pro-golfer, however, he becomes one of Happy's most loyal fans. As his shirt says, guns don't kill people--''he'' does.

* BlatantLies: Happy claiming Mr Larson only got "a few lucky shots in" in their fight as we see him lying in a hospital bed covered in bandages. Evidently those "lucky shots" were pretty hard.

* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: Despite Happy's long drive giving him an unbelievable advantage, his short game bites. In the third act, he realizes this and goes to his old golf mentor to learn how to play the short game.
-->'''Happy''': ''[regarding the cheesy Mini Golf course they are practicing at]'' This is embarrassing, I'm a professional golfer for God's sake...

* HairTriggerTemper: Happy admits in the opening narration that after his dad died, he developed a "short fuse". As such, Happy will fly off the handle at any perceived slight. He ripped off a guy's shirt and punched him out because of a sarcastic remark about his putting skills, went berserk at a mini-golf park obstacle, attacked Bob Barker, and in general yells at anyone unfortunate to earn his ire. Sadly for Happy, his quick temper is his FatalFlaw. While channeling his anger allows Happy to have some truly incredible drive and determination, it also gets him in all kinds of trouble with the PGA after his bad attitude starts to become an issue. Shooter even pulls a BatmanGambit by getting Happy so worked up that he has a fight with Bob Barker, causing Happy to get suspended from the PGA.

** This is what happens when Happy attacks Bob Barker. Barker lands 17 hits on Happy. Happy lands ''two'', and the first one's a sucker punch.
** Happens offscreen to [[spoiler:Shooter courtesy of an angry mob and a REALLY angry Mr. Larson.]]

** In his [[http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/happy-gilmore-1996 review of the film,]] Roger Ebert noted "Diet Pepsi, Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Subway sandwich shops, Budweiser (in bottles, cans, and Bud-dispensing helmets), Michelob, Visa cards, Bell Atlantic, AT&T, Sizzler, Red Lobster, Wilson, Golf Digest, the ESPN sports network, and Top-Flite golf balls."

* LaserGuidedKarma: After hiring someone to throw off Happy, Shoot's shot gets thrown off... right onto the foot of Mr. Larson.

* OrderliesAreCreeps: Hal is ''worse'' than most, actually, threatening and abusing his charges, who are senior citizens. Ironically, while Shooter is TheVillain of the story, Hal is more evil by virtue of terrorising people much weaker than he.

''Happy Gilmore'' is the story of -- well, Happy Gilmore (Creator/AdamSandler), a die-hard hockey fan who badly wants to make it in the pro leagues. Unfortunately for him, he gets cut at every tryout -- while he has one heck of a slapshot, his other skills are awful and his temper is even worse. Happy's life doesn't get any better when he learns his grandmother that raised him is losing her home due to owing hundreds of thousands in back taxes, forcing Happy to move her into a care facility. While the movers are goofing off with a set of golf clubs and let Happy take a swing, he learns that his power slapshot in the rink translates into a jaw-dropping four hundred yard tee shot on the green.

Happy soon meets retired professional golfer Chubbs Peterson, who sees potential in him to become a proper golfer. Although Happy initially isn't interested, when Chubbs mentions that there's money to be made from ranking in the tournaments, Happy decides to make a go of it and win enough prize money to buy back his grandmother's house before the bank auctions it off. HilarityEnsues as Happy brings his wild hockey antics with him to the golf course and becomes an up-and-coming sensation, meets a ​public relations director named Virginia who he takes a shine to, and makes an ArchEnemy out of Shooter [=McGavin=], one of the top players of the league who isn't keen on letting a foul-mouthed, hot-headed rookie steal his spotlight.

** Mr. Larson would've been removed after bending Shooter's 9-iron. They sure as hell wouldn't have let him stick around after ''threatening'' Shooter towards the very end, either.

''Happy Gilmore'' is the story of -- well, Happy Gilmore (Creator/AdamSandler), a die-hard hockey fan who badly wants to make it in the pro leagues. Unfortunately for him, he gets cut at every tryout due to a considerable lack in skill -- a powerful slapshot notwithstanding. Things go from bad to worse when he discovers his grandmother owes over $270,000 in back taxes and is about to lose her home. While her stuff is being repossessed, the two workers challenge Happy to hit golf balls. He does... and much to the workers' (and his own) surprise, discovers he has a drive of over four hundred yards. After a remark about how he can make lots of money doing that, he decides to give golfing a shot. HilarityEnsues.

--->''[[{{Troll}} JACKAAAAAASS!!!]]''

'''Mr. Larson''': And ''you'' can count...on ''me'', waiting for you in the parking lot!\\

'''Shooter''': You can count. Good for you.\\
'''Mr. Larson''': And you can count on me [[PreAsskickingOneLiner waiting for you in the parking lot.]]\\

** Shooter really should have thought twice before slinging insults at Larson, a guy who was about two heads taller than Shooter was and capable of pending a golf club like he would a plastic straw.

* AsHimself: Besides Creator/BobBarker appearing as Happy's Pro-Am partner, Verne Lundquist does the play-by-play in the Tour.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Shooter gets one when he first appears. At first he just acts like a jerk to everyone around him, but what clearly establishes him is when he asks his caddie for advice on a shot. The caddie suggests a certain club. Shooter ignores him, asks for a different club, and after making the shot with said club immediately and cheerfully fires his caddie.