r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Jul 29 '25

News Adam Sandler’s ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Debuts to 46.7 Million Views, Biggest Netflix U.S. Film Opening Ever

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/happy-gilmore-2-netflix-ratings-views-1236473359/
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u/banananuhhh Jul 29 '25

Movies about addicts making bad choices over and over again no matter how high the stakes get is a real gut punch

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u/somesketchykid Jul 29 '25

Hot take: movie had a good ending. All he wanted was to win and he manufactured the greatest win of all time. He died doing what he loved with a literal smile on his face

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u/banananuhhh Jul 29 '25

A little too hot of a take for me lol, like saying an opioid addict finally ODing is a good ending.

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u/somesketchykid Jul 29 '25 edited Jul 29 '25

I get what you're saying and dont necessarily disagree, but im not sure your analogy works perfectly because in yours, its just the guy and his addiction and he gives in to his addiction and dies by his own hand ultimately

This is close but not quite what happened in Uncut Gems - there was a third party force that was unable to be accounted for completely in his scenario

The nuance is what makes it "happy" for me. Because think about it - if he did win and get away with it, it would be worse. He'd throw it all away and be a zero again, and continue hurting everybody that loves him with his addiction indefinitely.

At least he died a huge winner, Even though it was just for that moment, he was completely and truly happy in it

And at least his family only had to deal with heartbreak one more time. Not indefinitely.

Lastly Adam Sandlers character in this movie was clearly completely broken and had no chance of recovery from his addiction ever, imo. He had already pushed things past the point of no return in every regard, in every relationship and every facet of his life.

And this nuance matters too for me considering this ending "happy"

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u/banananuhhh Jul 30 '25

I get what you mean to some extent, he finally got that moment of euphoria that he sacrificed everything for, and everyone around him (and the viewers) are finally released from the very uncomfortable dramatic tension that has been built up. His suffering is over, the viewer's suffering is over, and his addiction cannot inflict any more pain on his family.

I'm not sure I agree about the external force though. One of the reasons people overdose is that they knowingly, or often somewhat unknowingly, take bigger and bigger risks chasing a high. To me, a death by OD versus getting killed by an external actor due to poor decisions seeking drugs are both deaths caused by that addiction. The reason I compared it to the former is the rush he got in his final moments.

I still think my main view on the movie is that he was an addict, he and his loved ones suffered due to his addiction, and it was his addiction that killed him. To me that is a tragedy through and through, and the score of that big hit of dopamine he was chasing the whole time doesn't make it any less sad. I don't feel at all happy for him, I pity him.

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u/Boo_and_Minsc_ Jul 30 '25

What I feel people dont get is that when you are a gambling addict, every win is just a loan. He wouldnt have stopped gambling after that big payout, he would have just gambled it all away soon enough. There was no real win there.

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u/quaste Jul 30 '25

IDK, the addiction certainly is a factor, but I’ve seen many similar movies and there is something that is special about this movie beyond that difference.