History Film / HappyGilmore

This is a movie brimming with hilarity from front to back, and regarded as one of Creator/AdamSandler's defining roles.

** BenStiller's character in the theatrical version. In TV versions, there is an added scene where Happy reveals he knows what the orderly did, and throws him out of a window as revenge.

* BerserkButton: Happy has many; threats to his grandma, other plays taking the puck away from him, balls that don't want to 'go home' etc.

** Shooter himself, after he loses the tournament and [[spoiler: while getting the absolute stuffing beaten out of him by angry Happy fans after he stole the gold jacket at the near end.]]
* BizarreAndImprobableGolfGame: Shooter learns that the "play it where it lies" applies for ''everyone''. This is why he has hit a ball off Mr.Larson's foot.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Happy, an otherwise {{jerkass}}, becomes a gentleman around his grandmother.

* TheHeckler: Shooter hires a guy to harass Happy while he plays, who simply does not have the discipline to ignore him (in addition to his promise not to attack other players or the audience). So he is constantly hearing the guy scream "You're not going to make this putt you jackass!" and eventually this leads to him taking out his anger on Bob Barker.
* [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy I Want My Grandson To Be Happy]]: When Happy flounders in the final tournament thanks to Shooter's chiding that not even his HappyPlace helps with, his grandmother breaks him out of it by telling him whether he wins or lose she just wants him to be happy. This calms him down enough to focus and make a comeback.

** Also Joe Flaherty's character Donald, the fan hired by Shooter to annoy Happy ("Jackass!"). Along with being a JerkAss, he also runs into Happy with his car. He's last seen fleeing the golf course with security in pursuit, but we never find out his fate. In a deleted scene before this during the championship game, Happy calls him out on his insults and forces him to take a shot. He fails horribly. Considering a part of him did catch on fire briefly any potential burns he suffers that scar him permanently is a pretty good karmic kick.

* MoralityPet: Happy is surprisingly nice to the homeless guy he picks up to be his caddy. After he wins the tournament, [[spoiler: he makes the guy his butler]].
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Happens offscreen to [[spoiler:Shooter courtesy of an angry mob and REALLY angry Mr.Larson.]]
* NothingCanStopUsNow: This is how Happy feels when he eventually wins enough money to pay off the money his grandma owes the IRS.

* OnlyAFleshWound: Happy is hit with a car. The only loss he suffers is his ability to hit the long drive; he quickly shrugs off his injuries and is able to win the tournament.

--> '''Chubbs''': This isn't Hockey; you don't play with raw emotion.

* ThisLoserIsYou: Virginia argues that Happy is a ratings bonanza for the tour because professional golf needs a "working-class hero" whom ordinary people can look up to.
* TrainingFromHell: Happy goes through this twice — first, when he stands in a batting cage and gets pelted with baseballs to toughen himself up, and when he has to learn how to putt at a very gaudy mini-golf course. He prefered the former ("God, I love it!") to the latter.

* UnstoppableRage: You don't want to make Happy mad at you however this trope is inverted as his rage causes him to lose focus and make his golfing game sloppy. Shooter uses this against him in the duo tournament with Barker which causes their fight. Chubbs helps him to overcome this and then Happy himself later manages does it on his own in the final game.

-->[['''Chubbs''': By the way, thanks for dressing up.

-->''Chubs'': This isn't Hockey; you don't play with raw emotions.

-->''Chubbs'': By the way, thanks for dressing up.

Of course, if you talk about this with any casual Creator/AdamSandler fan, they're gonna bring up the fact that he got punched out by [[Series/ThePriceIsRight Bob Barker]].

Still, this is a movie brimming with hilarity from front to back, and regarded as one of Creator/AdamSandler's defining roles.

* AbortedArc: 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.
** That's only in the theatrical and DVD releases. In the TV airings, the orderly gets his comeuppance by being thrown out a window and beaten with purses by old ladies. [[DeletedScene This was cut in other versions]].
*** The scene of the orderly getting his comeuppance is also included on the Special Edition DVD.

* ActorAllusion: Multiple layers of it. First, Happy asks Chubbs why a guy his size isn't playing a "real sport" like football or something. (Carl Weathers, who played Chubbs, used to be a pro football player). Chubbs answers the question by claiming that his mother wouldn't let him play anything dangerous. Happy comments that maybe that's a good idea. (Weathers also played Apollo Creed in the ''Film/{{Rocky}}'' movies, who died in the ring during the fourth film). Lastly, Chubbs is missing a hand, and in ''Film/{{Predator}}'' Weathers' character had an arm cut off just before being killed.

* BadassGrandpa: Happy learns the hard way that Bob Barker is one of these.
* BerserkButton: Happy has many.

** And Shooter himself, after he loses the tournament. [[spoiler: And while getting the absolute stuffing beaten out of him by angry Happy fans after he stole the gold jacket at the near end.]]
* BizarreAndImprobableGolfGame: Shooter learns that the "play it where it lies" applies for ''everyone''.

* ClusterFBomb: But because it only happens in replays of tournaments, [[ClusterBleepBomb they're all bleeped out.]]
* ChekhovsSkill: While practicing his putting, Happy becomes very skilled at miniature golf. This skill really pays off in the film's climax.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Happy, to his grandmother.

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: While Virginia and the tour commissioner are discussing Happy, [[http://youtu.be/8qaAKxJp0EM?t=2m4s Happy can be heard on the TV in the background swearing up a]] ([[ClusterBleepBomb bleeped]]-[[ThisTropeIsBleep out]]) storm.

* GoodColorsEvilColors: In Happy Gilmore's [[ImagineSpot "Happy Place"]], Virginia is usually wearing white underwear. But when Shooter invades the dream sequence, her underwear is black.

* HairTriggerTemper: Happy.
* HandicappedBadass: Chubbs.
* HappyPlace: {{Trope Namer|s}}.
* HotChickInABadassSuit: Virginia wears a pants suit at one of the tournaments.
* [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy I Want My Grandson To Be Happy]]: When Happy flounders in the final tournament thanks to Shooter's chiding that not even his HappyPlace helps with. His grandmother finally breaks him out of it by telling him whether he wins or lose she just wants him to be happy. This calms him down enough to focus and make a comeback.
* InsultBackfire: A truly epic example:

* JerkJock: Shooter [=McGavin=].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Happy's a pretty nice guy when he's not trying to stab someone with a hockey skate or throwing a guy out of a second-story window.

** BenStiller's character in the theatrical version. In TV versions, there is an added scene where Happy reveals he knows what the orderly did, and throwing him out of a window as revenge.
** Also Joe Flaherty's character Donald, the fan hired by Shooter to annoy Happy ("Jackass!"). Along with being a JerkAss, he also runs into Happy with his car. He's last seen fleeing the golf course with security in pursuit, but we never find out his fate. In a deleted scene before this during the championship game, Happy calls him out on his insults and forces him to take a shot. He fails horribly.
*** Considering a part of him did catch on fire briefly, I'd say any potential burns he suffers that scar him permanently is a pretty good karmic kick.
*** Although some might say getting beaten up by Bob Barker ends up being Happy's Karma.
* KickTheDog: Shooter when he tries to buy Happy's grandmother's house and suggests that she become his maid.

* MagicalNegro: Chubbs Peterson.

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Happens offscreen to [[spoiler:Shooter]].

* TheObiWan: Chubbs. The reason why he's TheMentor and not TheHero is better justified than in many stories. In golf, missing a hand [[IncrediblyLamePun is a large handicap]].

** Arguably an even better example between the two:

** The look on Shooter's face when Mr. Larson bends his 9-iron is also priceless.

* PlaceWorseThanDeath: The retirement home where Happy leaves his grandmother.
* ProductPlacement: Happy gets an endorsement deal with Subway long before Jared made the company famous.

* RunningGag: Lee Trevino looking at Happy forlornly and shaking his head.
** A twist later on though.
-->'''Shooter''': You, beat me, at golf? Yeah right, and [[CriticalResearchFailure Grizzly Adams had a beard]].\\

* SmugSnake: Shooter [=McGavin=].
* SociopathicHero: Happy.
* TakeAThirdOption: After a tower crashes down on the putting green, blocking Happy's path to the hole, Shooter fully expects Happy to just forfeit the tournament. Virginia suggests that he stroke ''around'' the crashed tower and get a two-putt to send the contest into overtime. Instead, Happy decides to use the struts of the tower as conduits to the hole in an attempt to win the game right there.

* TrainingFromHell: Happy goes through this twice — first, when he stands in a batting cage and gets pelted with baseballs to toughen himself up, and when he has to learn how to putt at a very gaudy mini-golf course.
** That said, the batting cage training was ''enjoyable'' for him so YMMV on the 'from Hell' part.

* UnstoppableRage: You don't want to make Happy mad at you. Subverted a bit as his rage causes him to lose focus and make his golfing game sloppy. Shooter uses this against him in the duo tournament with Barker which of course causes their fight. Chubbs helps him to try to overcome this and then Happy himself later manages to do it on his own in the final game.
* WhoNeedsOvertime: Happy elects to take a rather difficult putt to win the tour championship instead of taking a safe two-putt opportunity to force a playoff.

* LetsGetDangerous / TookALevelInBadAss: "Happy learned how to putt...''uh-oh!''"

Of course, if you talk about this with any casual AdamSandler fan, they're gonna bring up the fact that he got punched out by [[Series/ThePriceIsRight Bob Barker]].

Still, this is a movie brimming with hilarity from front to back, and regarded as one of AdamSandler's defining roles.

----

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: While Virginia and the tour commissioner are discussing Happy, [[http://youtu.be/8qaAKxJp0EM?t=2m3s Happy can be heard on the TV in the background swearing up a]] ([[ClusterBleepBomb bleeped]]-[[ThisTropeIsBleep out]]) storm.

* {{Troll}}: "You WILL NOT make this putt, jackass!"

*** Although some might say getting beaten up by Bob Barker ends up being his Karma.

'''Trevino''': (''interjecting'') GrizzlyAdams ''did'' have a beard.

** Happy himself. I mean, he does commit a few assaults during the course of the movie...

Of course, if you talk about this with any casual AdamSandler fan, they're gonna bring up the fact that he got punched out by [[ThePriceIsRight Bob Barker]].

* HappyPlace: TropeNamer.

* ItGotWorse: Happy watches his grandmother's house get auctioned off. The winner? [[spoiler:Shooter [=McGavin=].]]

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* UnderdressedForTheOccasion: Happy shows up to an upscale social gathering wearing denim jeans, sneakers, and a ACDC t-shirt.

* DidNotDoTheResearch: Professional golf events don't take place over the course of one day as Happy's early tournaments do, nor is it common for a player pairing to endure for all four days as the final tournament's pairing does. It isn't likely that Happy and Shooter would've been paired for '''all four days''' of a tournament. However, these aren't PGA tournaments.
--->'''Shooter''': [[LampshadeHanging Damn you people, this is]] '''golf!'''
** After running down Happy, Donald crashes his Beetle into a broadcasting tower and the front compartment goes up in a puff of smoke and fire. Trouble is, a Volkswagen Beetle's engine compartment is in the ''back''.