A Swing and a Hit: The Laughs of 'Happy Gilmore 2'
Plot of ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ is still a mystery but we join our hero in a new golf course comedy adventure. It does what any film of this genre should: declare that it will bring more of what fans of the first film liked- high concept comedy and physical comedy. It also works with themes of old age and change, and as most of the characters Wreck-It Ralph is dedicated to interesting dialogues and outrageous gags.
The main and most essential themes for the film are the continuation of the legacy and gaining maturity, it also strikes deep with the comedy – the main tradition of the main Benson’s animation. It combines laughter and touching stories, although seen through a veil of a distant past. The tone of the soup commercial is a mix of comedy and emotion making sure to get in both the chuckles and the heartstrings of the audience to relate to the characters’ development throughout the commercial. It succeeds at being lighthearted and entertaining at its core, but it also briefly addresses the theme of personal transitions in life.
At its core, the cast does a great job, with Adam Sandler returning to the role with some of his standard comedic tropes. Ben Stiller is back and being goofy as well. Margaret Qualley and Julie Bowen have fine-screen presences; their amiability along with Sandler’s inherently charismatic personality is enhanced by comedy. All the actors manage to provide a comfortable nostalgia of their characters that fit well into transformation, and the comedy is layered with quite interesting human drama elements.
Kyle Newacheck as director succeeds in continuing the ethnics of the first part while adding more comedic values. Newacheck’s direction makes it possible for him to work with the veteran actors as well as dealing with new storylines and laughter is not the only thing that the show provides. His skills in handling the issue of pacing make it possible for him to anchor even the silliest of scenes within the emotional arc of the characters, thus get the best out of all acting talents that were cast in the movie while at the same time keeping the overall story fresh and compelling.
The sound-track is energetic and catchy and contributes to the feel of comedy as well as supports the more emotionally driven scenes. Brilliantly it uses fragments from the previous movie’s musics, satisfying those who watched it and strengthening the movie’s mood – this is the return to the past. The score gives importance to significant scenes, contours their emotions, but remains secondary to the primary comedic story.
The visuals are sumptuous and boil down to golf course, creating crazy sight gags. The use of extra focal length shots emphasizes the expansiveness of a course and the comedic occurrences or elements are mostly captured in taste. Intentional use of close shots is used to show character’s feelings and their reactions which enrich the humorous storyline of the movie. This visual imagery helps to explicate comedic punch lines completely.
They have adopted the type of production design which accurately depicts the world of golf with element of exaggeration. It maintains both the relevance of the show showing progression to the old fans while at the same time appealing to new fans. These shooting places are purposely selected to help the movie in its natural physical comedy and flow of story well known yet new.
Special effects are used in moderation and mostly complement the humor, not concealing actorsactresses. Adding to the slaptick of the film they are used for enhancing the visuals and supporting comedic props without harming the real meat of performance. Visual gags fit well with each other and with the realistic scenes making the movie consistent and easy on the eye.
Comedy timings are well coordinated, making sure that the pace of the film suits the slapstick humor perfectly. It will be remembered that the editors combine split-second comedy in the use of quick cuts with slower character introspective passages fairly well. This craft ensures that there is continuity in storytelling as is important when telling a story in instance scenes hence, ensuring that the audience is continuingly engaged in the film and its antics. A fast pace of passages ensures that the viewers remain interested. While overwhelmingly action-oriented, it grants the room for development of personality dams, switch between comedy and drama more subtly. That way the pace does not cause the story to journey seem overly vigorous however is also not divided into major segments.
The dialog is smart and amusing which preserves the charm of the film of the same name. Just as with the references to popular jokes of the previous years, new humorous interactions help keep the legacy of the original show. The dialogue is humorous but at times it appears as though the jokes are not forced into conversations. It makes sure that new viewers get something that will make them laugh as well as the fans of the show from Season One.
In its bid to give fans a second dose of fun, ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ falls back on most of its tried and tested humor, some of which are overdone. It will however be appreciated from the above analysis that while some sequences could with still more original comedy investigation. However, it effectively employs conventional comedy, reviving some tropes for lovely references and fresh gags in one piece, meeting expectations as well as entertaining.
‘Happy Gilmore 2’ is a nice trip back to a funny world with lots of laughs and cameo appearances. It is a retro movie that is fun for now, and does find ways to give viewers the warm fuzzies. It has the valuable reinforcement of brilliant acting, smart and humorous script, and a well-measured tribute to the essence of the original show which makes it an entertaining and enjoyable watch for the nostalgics as well as for those who are seeing it for the first time.
