Happy Gilmore 2 just dropped on Netflix, and while it’s probably not going to win any Oscars, most fans seem to be really pleased with the sequel, me included. It’s a goofy good time with some big laughs and a ton of cameos and returning characters. It also includes one big WTF death scene that left me and the actress involved absolutely shocked.
Before we get into that though, we need a big fat spoiler warning here. If you haven’t watched Happy Gilmore 2 yet, there’s no reason you should be reading this article. Just go watch it right now. It’s free to stream on Netflix, and it’s absolutely worth two hours of your time if you care about the first movie at all.
Now that the spoiler warning is out of the way, I’m, of course, talking about Virginia’s shocking death at the very beginning of the movie. Our hero literally kills her with one of his long drives, which causes him to give up golf and take up drinking. The rest of the movie is a long redemption arc, which features beyond the grave cameos from Virginia.
I couldn’t believe it when I watched the movie. I thought for like ten seconds it was going to be a dream sequence or some kind of weird throwaway joke, but no, she’s fully dead. It turns out Julie Bowen had a similar reaction. She was on vacation with her family and trying to read the script on her phone when she came across her character’s death. Initially she thought she may not have been reading it right. Here’s what she told People…
When I found out that I was killed on page 12, I started laughing. I was on vacation with my family, and I had no wifi. I could barely read this thing. I only had my phone, and I was like, 'Am I seeing this right'? Trying to blow it up. And I was like, 'Oh, yeah, I'm dead. And (Happy) kills me. 'Then I just started laughing. I just started laughing and laughing.
I suspect a lot of fans watching the movie reacted with shocked laughter. Social media was filled with WTF tweets from viewers who did not see the moment coming at all when they first watched it. I was among them, but the more I think about it, the more I’m totally fine with the decision. Virginia is obviously a great character and it’s tough to lose her, but Happy Gilmore is all about our lead character losing his cool. His wife is the only person who is able to calm him down, which is why losing her is such a good catalyst for bad behavior.
Bowen was ultimately fine with the decision too, which she told Sandler immediately after reading it. The two connected during her vacation, and she gave an enthusiastic thumbs up…
Adam was trying to get through to me. I was on island with no wifi and barely any cell, and we finally connected. I go, 'I don't care. It's great. Happy can't be happy.'
You have to give Bowen credit for really committing to the whole thing here too. She came back and did a lot of press, as if she was a main star in the entire movie. She even talked repeatedly about how pleased she was to be invited back. Normally actors don't do press if they only return for a small role. I’m glad she did though, because had she not, we all would have been wondering what was going on with Virginia, which would have made the moment less impactful.
