Over the years, actor, producer and writer Adam Sandler has created a culturally cherished catalog of movies that made him a veritable cottage industry. Although fans are celebrating the recent news that a second installment of his golf-comedy classic, Happy Gilmore is in the works nearly 30 years after the original, he actually has three other films that demand sequels even more.
Released in 1996, Happy Gilmore tells the story of the zany and immature title character, played by Sandler, who uses newly discovered golf skills to go pro and raise money to prevent his grandmother from being evicted from her home. Although it was a modest box office success, it quickly became a cult classic with its hilarious one-liners and memorable scenes (Hell Bob Barker?). Unsurprisingly, many fans have rejoiced over confirmation that a sequel is coming.
There’s little doubt that Happy Gilmore 2 will be highly anticipated, but in a perfect world this project would come after updating other popular Sandler movies with sequels. Three films in particular truly demand sequels to let us know what happens next. Here’s our short list, in order of fannish desire:
3: Billy Madison
Released a year before Happy Gilmore, this movie served as an informal announcement that Sandler was a force to be reckoned with. Returning a modest $26.4 million in worldwide box office receipts against a $10 million budget, it’s remained popular on television, VHS/DVD and streaming over the years.
Once again portraying a man-child, the title character has to go back to school in order to take over the family business after finding out his wealthy father bribed schools to let him pass when he was younger. Although not everyone wants him to succeed, Billy ultimately becomes his own man and falls for his beautiful teacher, Veronica Vaughn, along the way. Revisiting this incorrigible but lovable character after his speed course in maturity would be a pleasing follow up.
2: Spaceman
Sure to be the most controversial entry on our list, it’s also Sandler’s most recent film, having arrived on Netflix earlier this year. Although best known for his comedic work, he’s also turned in a number of impressive dramatic turns, including this achingly painful portrayal of an astronaut struggling to reconcile his career ambitions with his marriage and his tortured past. realizing millions of miles above earth that it might just be too late.
Those who haven’t seen Spaceman and read previews may raise an eye over the fact that a central character is an alien spider named Hanus with a fondness for Nutella. But he serves as a memorable foil for Sandler, whose character can operate a complex space shuttle like the back of his hand, but can’t express how he’s feeling or why. The emotional journey it takes the viewer on hints at a happy ending, but also leaves a lot for mining in future stories.
1: The Wedding Singer
It’s hard to argue that Sandler has a more endearing film than this 1980s era love story about a hangdog wedding singer (Sandler) and a sweet waitress (Drew Barrymore). It’s no shocker that the couple wind up together in the end, but telling the next chapter of their story would be a must-watch affair.
Part of the charm of The Wedding Singer was its constant reference to 80s culture, including a rollicking time period-appropriate soundtrack, which was practically a de facto character in itself. A worthy follow up would be a challenge, but one that would certainly be right in Sandler’s wheelhouse.
Cinemaphiles will gladly take a Happy Gilmore 2, but all sequels being equal, Sandler has other movies that should first get another crack.
If you were calling the shots, which would you choose?
About the Author:
Born on the East Coast but currently residing on the West Coast, Andrew Martin has contributed to a variety of newspapers, magazines, blogs and other mediums but most fondly remembers his Master’s thesis exploring the impact of the Boston Red Sox on social identity in New England. He enjoys writing about history, sports, culture and investing and recently published his first book–Baseball’s Greatest Players: 10 Baseball Biographies for New Readers, a children’s book about baseball history.
