Adam Sandler is Hollywood royalty. He’s made some of the best comedy movies of all time (and, let’s be honest, some of the worst), and more recently has been turning his hand to drama.
Starring in Uncut Gems, Adam Sandler played the lead role in one of the best thriller movies ever made, and in the new movie Hustle he stamped his mark on the sports drama movie genre. But Sandler is no stranger to sports movies.
In 1996 Sandler starred in Happy Gilmore, which helped to cement his status as one of the entertainment industry’s best comedic actors. In the movie, he’s a useless ice hockey star who accidentally discovers he has a huge talent for golf. It’s one of the defining Adam Sandler movies, and he gets to express his full range in a film that helped to ignite an interest in golf among a certain generation.
That influence is still prevalent, apparently, because a teen named Happy Gilmore is celebrating his golfing achievements, and he had Adam Sandler’s full support.
Happy Gilmore (the real one) tweeted “I am very excited to announce that I have committed to continue my academic and golf career at Ball State University.” Sandler shared Gilmore’s exciting announcement, with the following words of encouragement: “Go get em Happy. Pulling for you.”
For the young Happy Gilmore, that’s a ringing endorsement from Sandler who’ll be pleased to see his movie is still impacting people’s lives nearly 30 years later. If the real-life golfer can match the success of Sandler’s on-screen character, he’ll be very happy indeed.
Sandler returned to comedy recently with Murder Mystery 2, which landed on Netflix earlier in the year. It was one of the streamer’s biggest hits, proving the extent of Sandler’s (and co-star Jennifer Anniston’s) popularity and draw. The actor will soon be returning to work with Uncut Gems directors once again in a movie about an elite sports card collector.
For more on Sandler, find out how his wife convinced him to do his best movie. Or, check out our picks for the best movies of all time, before finding out what’s new on Netflix.