Happy Gilmore

In the world of professional golf, precision, patience, and finesse are the cornerstones of a successful player. However, enter Happy Gilmore, a rough-around-the-edges hockey player turned talented golf enthusiast. With a swagger that defies the conventions of traditional golf etiquette, Happy Glimore, played by Adam Sandler, threatens to shake up the stodgy world of professional golf. As the story unfolds, we learn that Happy's troubles begin when he's forced to leave the junior hockey league due to a misplayed game. Without the structure and discipline of competitive hockey, Happy turns to a golf course in his local town, Watertown, New York. His unorthodox golf style consists of, more often than not, swinging the club like he would a hockey stick: aggressive, forceful, and with a healthy dose of attitude. With his rough-and-tumble persona and disregard for the protocol of golf, Happy court controversy and intrigue. At the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Qualifying School, Happy discovers that his unconventional game garners the attention of an entire crowd. Though he faces resistance and ridicule from his peers and the governing body, Happy learns that with some practice, basic technique, and above all, raw determination, his golf game stands out. As word of Happy's hockey-forged left-handed swing and remarkable driving abilities spreads, the gruff but equally passionate Shooter McGavin takes notice of Happy as a worthy adversary. Shooter, a polished, pompous, and slightly aggressive golfer, played by Christopher McDonald, identifies Happy, recognizing that he poses a threat to his reputation on the course. Furthermore, a lucrative sponsorship deal hangs in the balance, as the attention of both Shooter and Happy intensifies; ultimately leading these two golfers to clash. Meanwhile, Happy becomes infatuated with Virginia Venit, a sports publicist on the money trail, as played by Julie Bowen. Determined to salvage Happy's reputation with her considerable charm and business acumen, Virginia seizes the opportunity of guiding Happy, convincing him that there is both a place in the cutthroat world of professional golf for him, and his personality, as raw and complex as it is. The picturesque world of golf is peppered by comical and surreal sequences of Happy battling the expectations placed on him, further supported by the grumpiness of his demanding grandmother, Mrs. Gilmore, as played by Frances Bay. Throughout his trials and tribulations, Happy persists with his signature winning attitude, often demonstrated through humorous disputes with other golfers, much friction with Shooter, and on occasion both. In the wake of various mini-golf and bar games controversies, the crowd and the sponsors conitnue their fight over the enigmatic and erratic Happy. Sadder still, as grand mas scenes capture the conflict and humiliation Happy faces in a match versus an aggressive drunk and during an incident at the match shot, the PGA sees right through Happy – this also includes, much tension on Happy and a deep confrontation with his feelings about the issue, at his home with his hard-line, stern granny. During this emotional conflict between Happy, golf, Shooter, and the competition between him, Virgin, of whom he develops a tremendous crush on, this adds plenty more dramatic tension to the story, setting him up against a desperate desire that he won't cease pursuing until the end. His Granny's mortgage foreclosure and pursuit of putting the nail in his hard-won struggle have formed this massive struggle inside Happy – very much against a much humiliated opponent. In conclusion, a narrative often balances the tensions between Happy's feisty athleticism and his tender affinity for golf with his lovable but headstrong paternal figure, after the final dramatic game of this sport between these two fiercely confrontational players.