Happy Gilmore (1996)

Happy Gilmore has exactly one joke, a hockey guy who smashes golf balls and can’t keep his temper, and it tells that joke for 92 minutes. Thing is, it’s a pretty good joke. Adam Sandler commits to the rage with total sincerity, and the running slapshot swing still gets a laugh every time. Christopher McDonald is the secret weapon as Shooter McGavin, a smug champion who treats every sneer like a trophy. Carl Weathers is wonderful as Chubbs, the mentor with the best advice in the movie. Now the bad news. The romance with Julie Bowen’s Virginia is paper thin, too many gags are just somebody getting smacked, and Happy is honestly a jerk for a lot of the runtime. Frances Bay as Grandma keeps the whole thing sweet. Critics shrugged, with a 31 on Metacritic, but it made $41.4 million worldwide on a reported $12M. A 6.6 because it’s dumb, loud and weirdly lovable. $19.12 says you take a running start at the next mini golf hole and call it strategy.

What works: Christopher McDonald’s smug Shooter, Carl Weathers’s warm Chubbs and that ridiculous running swing.

What doesn’t: It’s one joke stretched thin, the romance is an afterthought, and too many gags are just somebody getting hit.

Who it’s for: Anyone who has ever lost their cool on a mini golf course and wants to feel better about it.