Happy Gilmore (1996) *

 

Netflix has dumped a trove of Adam Sandler films onto its server, with “dump” being the operative word. I've never been a fan of the Sandler oeuvre. His films don't offend me with their violence or foulness; I just don't find them funny. And yet, in the midst of his dumpster fire of a filmography, there is 1998's “The Wedding Singer,” a goofy, funny comedy-with-a-heart. I love that movie so much that I keep giving Sandler a chance. I somehow got the impression that “Happy Gilmore” might be a classic comedy, more along the lines of “The Wedding Singer” than “The Waterboy,” so I gave it a chance. It did not take me long to regret it.

Sandler plays the title character, a frustrated hockey player with fighting skills and a mean slap shot, who can't skate worth a damn. Finding an old set of golf clubs gives Happy a new opportunity in life, as it turns out he can drive a golf ball 400 yards. His swing is unorthodox, and he cannot putt, but that drive might win him enough money to save his grandmother's house.

Does it? I don't know, because I turned this piece of crap off after about 20 minutes. “Happy Gilmore” is boring and stupid. The film lacks the wit to even be so dumb that it's funny. It is just dumb!

1 star out of 5

The Worst Person in the World (2021) ****

 

The latest from Norwegian director Joachim Trier (distant relative of Lars Von Trier) is a romantic black-comedy, coming-of-age-tale about a young woman. It's the third film in what Trier describes as his “Oslo Trilogy,” coming after 2006's “Reprise” and 2011's “Oslo, August 31^st.” I have not seen the first 2 films, but my understanding is that other than being set in Oslo, Norway, they have no connection to each other or to “The Worst Person in the World.” Three movies over 15 years, which all happen to be set in a writer/director's home city, does not seem like much of a trilogy to me. It would be like calling Woody Allen's oeuvre his “New York Trilogy.” Fortunately, “The Worst Person in the World” is thoughtful and engrossing enough to make me forgive that ridiculousness.

We meet Julie (Renate Reinsve) in her early twenties, trying to figure out what to study in college. The film then takes us through her next decade, as she loves and loses and tries to figure out who she is. It could be pretty thin gruel for a whole movie, but the combination of Trier's thoughtful script and Renate Reinsve's charm make this a delightful film that reminds me of 2001's “Amelie.” At the start of the film, I thought that Reinsve looked like the Norwegian Dakota Johnson, but by the end, her magnetic face and charming manner had me thinking that Dakota Johnson may just be the American Renate Reinsve.

Julie is not, of course, the worst person in the world, but the film is named for the fact that she often feels like she is. That's a feeling most of us can identify with, and the thing is, if you are wondering if you are the worst person in the world, you probably aren't. I don't imagine Hitler spent a lot of time worrying about whether he was a bad person. Julie muddles through her 20's, making mistakes and searching for herself, and for 2 hours, Joachim Trier makes her seem like the most interesting person in the world.

4 stars out of 5