If all catalog titles will sound and look this good, I can imagine picking up some of my favorites for HD-DVD.
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Universal is trying to offer a wide slate of titles for us early adopters of HD-DVD. A few titles have made good sense, while other titles leave you scratching your head and wondering what they were thinking. "Happy Gilmore" is one of those titles that leave you checking for dandruff flakes. Nothing against Happy and its star, Adam Sandler, "The Wedding Singer" sits on my shelf of ´favorite DVDs´ that do not find themselves crammed into storage books. That is a lofty shelf and a lofty honor to be placed there. Still, you would imagine that Universal would have a couple more recent and harder hitting comedies to bring to the format than "Happy Gilmore." Sure, it was one of the movies that brought Sandler to stardom after his break from Saturday Night Live, but it is ten years old and not exactly a visually stunning film. Perhaps Universal is simply trying to show they have no fear dipping into their catalog this early in a formats life. Wouldn´t "American Pie" have been a better release? Shannon Elizabeth in High Definition anyone?
"Happy Gilmore" is a classic though. It followed on the heels of "Billy Madison" and helped solidify the notion that Adam Sandler could be a box office draw. From his small role of Smitty on "The Cosby Show" to his ensemble parts in "Coneheads" and "Airheads," "Happy Gilmore" was the second in a long string of very funny films. "Happy Gilmore" showed that Sandler had a good degree of charm and likeability. It allowed himself to portray his very humorous rage typical of many of his characters. The film allowed Sandler to show he is a gifted physical comedian, a boyishly handsome lead and a capable screenwriter. Ten years later, Sandler is still a solid draw at the box office.
The story is about a temperamental young man named Happy Gilmore. His love in life is hockey. He can shoot the puck harder than anybody else, and a poor shot was responsible for the death of his father. One day, Happy´s grandmother finds her house being taken away from her and Happy no longer having a home. After a few challenges, Happy finds himself under the wing of one-handed golf pro Chubbs Peterson (Carl Weathers). Happy can drive the ball 400 yards with ease and accuracy. Peterson sees a chance at fame by tutoring Happy on the finer points of being a golfer. The problem is, Happy lacks any ability for the short game or to putt the ball into the cup. He also lacks any ability to hold his humongous temper in check. On the first day of an amateur tournament, he shows up in sweatpants and a hockey jersey. He beats up some of his opponents and lets profanities fly.
Happy wins the tournament and becomes a pro golfer. He catches the eye of a pretty PGA publicist, Virginia Venit (Julie Bowen) and the ire of the reigning tour champion, Shooter McGavin (Christoper McDonald). Happy has another violent and profanity laden debut on the PGA tour and finds PGA officials wanting him tossed. However, he very quickly becomes the fan favorite and Happymania sweeps the nation. The PGA realizes they need Happy and Happy needs them to win enough money to buy his grandmother´s home back. Short putts, Shooter McGavin, alligators and his own temper work against Happy as he tries to accumulate his winnings to reach his goal. The fans continue to love him and Happy continues to become a better golfer. A final showdown with Shooter is required to get his mother´s home back and the odds are not in Happy´s favor.
There are plenty of laughs in "Happy Gilmore." Happy gets beat down by Bob Barker, finds James Bond´s villain Jaws (Richard Kiel) supporting him and a heckling fan bent on bringing him down. Sandler shines in the title role. In this early performance he showed hints at what would be following. A few warm moments with Julie Bowen hinted at the Romantic Comedies Sandler would shine in. Happy´s innocent violence surely paved the way for "The Waterboy." Allen Covert, Kevin Nealon and other Sandler pals help deliver laughs. Sandler was a co-writer for the film and the role is certainly a role that only he could pull off. He is the master of the ´Naïve, temperamental and caring´ man who struggles, but succeeds in the long run. In "Happy Gilmore" he helps the white ball find its home and he finds a groove that would bring him a long successful career that continues ten years later.
Video:
I initially passed on "Happy Gilmore" on DVD because it was a pan & scan release only. I owned the widescreen DTS LaserDisc and didn´t see a need to downgrade. Today, my once 300+ LaserDisc collection has dwindled to fewer than thirty titles and I have finally replaced "Happy Gilmore." There was eventually a DVD widescreen release, but I had passed on it. "Happy Gilmore" is now on HD-DVD and my LaserDisc founds its way to the curb for trash day. "Happy Gilmore" is presented on the high definition disc in 1.85:1 widescreen. It is mastered in 1080p for the day when players and televisions can support the format. At 1080i, the film looks very good and easily surpasses my LaserDisc in quality. I did some research on the DVD release and it wasn´t very favorable, so I imagine the HD-DVD is a good call for fans of the film that already have the widescreen DVD.
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[release]18864[/release]