Happy Gilmore 2 continues the legacy of one of Adam Sandler’s most iconic characters, nearly three decades after the original movie hit theaters. The lovable loose cannon showed face in just the one 92-minute movie, yet remained a staple of pop culture for years to come. Like many of Sandler’s comedies, Happy Gilmore achieved “cult classic” status.

That feverish support for Happy Gilmore made talent from all corners of the entertainment industry want to be involved in the sequel. From Bad Bunny and Eminem to Rory McIlroy and MJF, Happy Gilmore 2‘s supporting cast is wide enough to rival any summer blockbuster.

ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley caught up with the cast of Happy Gilmore 2 including Sandler, Julie Bowen, Chris McDonald, MJF and more to decipher what it is about Happy Gilmore that helped it achieve cult classic status.

What Makes A Cult Classic? Happy Gilmore’s Cast Weighs In

“It has to be a little counterculture…”

For Sandler and Bowen, the secret to achieving “cult classic” status lies in being a bit disruptive, much like the great comedies of the late 20th century.

“I think, first of all, it has to be unexpected,” Bowen shared. “It has to be a little counterculture. Underdog. You can’t be playing right into the zeitgeist of what it is in that moment. I think anybody who saw an angry hockey player who was disrupting golf was like, ‘That’s a little weird,’ and then there it is.”

“We liked Caddy Shack. That was a great one,” Sandler pointed to his favorite cult classics. “That was our baby growing up. That and also Animal House. As a youth, man, we didn’t stop watching that over and over.”

Fellow original Happy Gilmore star Chris McDonald took the topic in a more technological direction, as he referenced the evolution of how movies are consumed.

“I think the big, big game changer there is television,” McDonald added. “So many eyes are on the prize in television when you have millions and millions of people watching it. Every time it comes on, we have to sit down and watch this. It’s just too good. That’s the power of this comedy. It has just gone on for decades, and it’s pretty incredible.”

McDonald’s television nod is reflective of Happy Gilmore‘s popularity. The original film grossed $41 million at the box office, which is a solid haul for a 1996 release but not enough to warrant immediately green-lighting a sequel. The magic in the original’s legs came through television, as Happy Gilmore was a regular on movie channels like FX and TBS over the years.

Happy Gilmore’s Sons Recall Earliest Memories Of The Movie

“I was not born when it originally came out…”

Outside of a handful of original stars, Happy Gilmore 2 is largely populated by new faces. That includes the тιтle character’s family, made of up four sons and a daughter, the latter of which is portrayed by Sandler’s real-life daughter, Sunny. The Gilmore boys are played by Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Ethan Cutkosky, Connor Sherry, and Philip Schneider. MJF, the oldest of the bunch, was born one month after the original movie hit theaters.

“VHS Hollywood Studios was the movie rental place on Long Island,” MJF recalled his earliest memories of Happy Gilmore. “I went with my father and I watched it over and over and over again. It was one of my favorite comedies I’ve ever seen.”

“I was not born when it originally came out, so it was just kind of always there,” Sherry added. “I don’t know the exact time I watched it, but I don’t remember a time I did not know Happy Gilmore or the famous lines from the movie. I know my first Sandler movie was Bedtime Stories.”

“My earliest Gilmore memory is actually on the golf course with my dad, who was a hockey player in high school, and he had the Gilmore swing locked in,” Schneider said. “He was doing this thing from when I was really young, and then I finally watched a movie and I was like, ‘Oh, I thought you came up with that!'”

Source: ScreenRant Plus