Happy Gilmore
Universal Pictures | Release Date: February 16, 1996 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
31
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
6
Negative:
7
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
63
USA TodayMike Clark
Slap Happy. [16 February 1996, p.D4]
60
EmpireDarren Bignell
The real surprise is that it's a lot of fun, with Sandler becoming more personable as the film progresses, and a couple of truly side-splitting scenes. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Several strokes short of a respectable finish. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
It may smell awful from a distance, especially if you have low tolerance for lowbrow humor, but up close this yarn about an unlikely golf star is fairly painless. Read full review
50
Washington PostRichard Harrington
A genial and surprisingly self-contained performance by Adam Sandler. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Adam Sandler is funny as the volatile hero, and the screenplay is just abrasive enough to keep the story surprising. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
The result is a movie that's hard to laugh at when its hero would surely be either in jail or perhaps even a mental institution were he to behave the way he does on screen in real life. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Tells the story of a violent sociopath. Since it's about golf, that makes it a comedy. Read full review
33
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Adam Sandler stars in a one-joke Caddyshack for the blitzed and jaded. Read full review
30
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not credited)
Sorry excuse for a comedy. Read full review
30
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Doesn't deliver. Read full review
25
San Francisco ExaminerWalter Addiego
A way-below-par golfing comedy. Read full review
11
Austin ChronicleJoey O'Bryan
A lame, unoriginal comedy. Read full review
10
VarietyBrian Lowry
Added together, there are about three minutes of funny material in Happy Gilmore, and pretty much all of them are in the trailer, leaving a sometimes painfully unfunny 90 minutes with which to contend. Read full review
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