‘Happy Gilmore 2’ is made up of ‘Happy Gilmore’ Easter eggs
If you’re out of golf practice, don’t worry, Happy Gilmore is too. But in case that’s the only reason you won’t press play on Happy Gilmore 2, we insist you break the ice. Once you’re familiar with the 1996 original, it won’t feel like such a task to trace the Easter eggs that have made the comedy sequel the talk of the town. In fact, Happy Gilmore 2 is born out of the eggs that solidified the original film into a cult classic.
With sequel rollouts, there’s always the fear of missing out. But Happy Gilmore 2 is not shy about going fully meta. So, even if you’re religiously off-season, all you need is a Happy recap and a bit of comedic refresher. And you’re good to go, Happy hunting the sequel Easter eggs.
The Netflix film has already summoned nearly every iconic character from the original movie. If not, it has honoured their legacy behind Happy Gilmore. But this time around, Happy Gilmore 2 has turned up the heat with star power. With over 60 celebrity cameos awaiting to greet viewers in blink-and-you-miss-it moments, the comedy sequel is currently the most-watched Netflix title worldwide.
In addition to the stars, Happy Gilmore 2 has retained the entire creative team from the original movie. And with them, a galaxy of Easter eggs. For those still behind, we’ve got the lowdown. So, do let us know if you were able to spot them all or had a few boxes left.
Happy Gilmore 2 Easter eggs guide
From the iconic bull dance to the memorable one-liners
Happy Gilmore 2 doesn’t waste a lot of time getting you into the comfort zone. And what’s a better way than a fan mimicking Happy’s bull dance steps from the original? While fans sure have a ballerina this time, nothing hits home like the iconic celebratory dance. Then comes the Happy Gilmore video game in the Netflix film. Fans can spot the game re-imagining the chaos of Happy Gilmore with scenes like Happy strangling his Caddy and Bob Barker’s unforgettable punch.
As it picks up pace, Happy loses his grandma’s house. This is the very house he fought so hard to keep in the first film. If that’s an irony, wait for the man living in Happy’s garage: former PGA Tour champion John Daly. Meanwhile, Happy’s Happy Place also appears in the comedy sequel, only this time, with a complete makeover.
Also, remember the nth number of checks Happy received from his golfing tournaments? They are carefully placed alongside his trophies on one end of the basement. And considering everything and everyone has nearly returned, how can his colourful tongue be at bay? His reiterating “Eat a bag of d—-,” is a reference to the times he was censored in his first pro golf match.
Recurring Happy Gilmore references
With Happy out of touch with golf, when he ends up with more bloopers than swings at the practice range, he looks up to the heavens, asking Chubbs (his former mentor) for golfing advice. A flashback clip of Chubbs mentoring Happy with his golden words of wisdom, “It’s all in the hips!” clears the fog. And there you have it, Happy is back in action. Funnily, when Billy Jenkins takes his shot, he recounts the same pearls of wisdom.
One of the most iconic reprisals of Happy Gilmore 2 is of Ben Stiller as Hal L. In the first film, he played an orderly at his grandmother’s nursing home. In the 1996 film, he tells her, “You’re in my world now,” becoming the most memorable line in the years to follow. He reiterates the line to Happy this time, as the therapist of the AA meetings the golfer has to attend.
Even the car Happy drove in Happy Gilmore comes back in the sequel. Just this time, the director had to travel the extra mile to source and “beat up a new one.” What still hasn’t changed is the grandma photo dangling from the rearview since the first movie.
Moreover, he slips into his winning championship jacket at the dinner. And speaking of sports eggs, in one of the scenes, fans can also spot Happy holding his Boston Bruins hockey jersey.
Returning characters
Another cameo highlight is thanks to Dennis Dugan, the director of the original Happy Gilmore. Dugan returns as the tour championship commissioner, Doug Thompson, who gave Happy a hard time originally. Although Happy has a new caddy this time, Oscar, portrayed by Bad Bunny, golf star Will Zalatoris checks in as the previous caddy Happy choked. But instead of being a caddy, he’s a professional golfer with his own caddy, whom he strangles, too!
Even Kevin Nealon reprises his role as Gary Potter. He goes meta with an interview with golf stars before the tournament, interviewing the number one, Scottie Scheffler. Sandler additionally reunites with his Hustle co-star and basketball pro Boban Marjanovic. He appears as Drago Larson, son of Mr. Larson, Happy’s boss at a construction job from the first film, whom Happy shot with a nail bat (accidentally).
Happy Gilmore homages
While the film pulls off the biggest curveball with Virginia, you can see Happy kissing Virginia from the first film as the background picture on his phone. The sequel pays Virginia homage when Happy reunites with his worst adversary, Shooter McGavin, at her grave. But with Shooter and Happy’s return, chaos is not far down the line, nor the Happy Gilmore dialogues that pack a punch.
When Shooter plays the blame game, Happy says another iconic dialogue from the first, “Why would I want to steal the life of somebody who eats pieces of s— for breakfast?” But Sandler is not the only character with recurring quirks. Shooter does his thing, too, with his “Shooter Hands” gesture. Shooter also brings back his other memorable quote from the first movie. When Happy instigates the go-back slogan for the Maxi golfers, Shooter says, “Go back where? To their shanties! Because this is Shooter’s tour.”
And during their brawl, the tombstones that sneak peek from behind belong to Happy’s grandma, the “mister!” lady from her nursing home, and Bob Barker.
Although these characters cannot return, the IRS guy played by Robert Smigel did. But tired of the hate, he is now a lawyer, who Happy happily hires. Happy remains a Subway-sponsored golfer, which is evident from his golf bag logo and the “Happy Gilmore” sock on his hockey stick. Yet, Happy Gilmore 2 returns with the most nitpicky of things, like Eminem’s cameo. He plays the son of the “Jackass” guy from Happy Gilmore, who consistently heckled Happy throughout the tournaments.
The film ends with a direct parallel to Happy Gilmore’s conclusion. Chubbs appears in heaven with the alligator and Abe Lincoln, waving hi to Happy. With them is the Jackass guy and his son alongside Bob Barker, Happy’s grandmother, and Mr Larson. Virginia also appears in the end to tell Happy, “You’re OK.” And just like that, Happy Gilmore 2 is born.