50 Best Sports Movies Ever

43. Happy Gilmore

Year: 1996
Sport: Golf
Starring: Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Carl Weathers, Frances Bay
Director: Dennis Dugan

In 1996, there were few comedy actors as notorious or beloved as Saturday Night Live and Billy Madison star Adam Sandler. When he took a literal swing at sports comedy, there were skeptics, but the results were nothing short of golden and everlasting.

To date, Happy Gilmore remains one of Sandler’s most popular movies—both amongst sports fans and those with no inclination to watch golf.

Sandler plays the title character, Happy Gilmore, in a film about a disgraced hockey player who tries his hand at a new sport to keep his grandmother in a nursing home: golf. The comedic undertones were clear enough, as a brash hockey player attempted to enter the world of the, “Gentleman’s sport.”

The results include a hilarious try at miniature golf and a legendary fight with Bob Barker. Warning: NSFW.

These were the golden years of Sandler’s career.

This movie isn’t your typical sports film, but it’s one that does a great job of mixing comedy with unorthodox action. Sandler uses what’s essentially a hockey stick to play golf, gets something of a running start to the tee, and is trained by Chubbs Peterson—a pro golfer who lost his hand to an alligator.

This is peak Sandler. If you somehow haven’t already, watch Happy Gilmore.

Next: 42. Any Given Sunday