Movie #253 - Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore
1996 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 32 min
Director: Dennis Dugan
Starring: Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Frances Bay, Allen Covert, Robert Smigel, Richard Kiel, Dennis Dugan, Kevin Nealon

It was the 90's. Adam Sandler was still funny in a sorta creepy kind of way.  And no one had touched "golf comedy" since Caddyshack.  Good idea?

Honestly, this isn't my favorite Adam Sandler and I find a lot of the jokes are stale and overused.  It definitely has Sandler's usual panache, but it's not as good as Billy Madison or even Big Daddy.  But it's better than Little Nicky, so I'll give him some credit.  I know this is some people's favorite Sandler comedy, but it doesn't strike the same chord with me.  Although it was funny to watch the mom from Modern Family play the love interest in those outrageous mid-90's threads.

Movie #242 - Grandma's Boy

Grandma's Boy
2006 - Rated R - 1 hr 34 min
Director: Nicholaus Goosen
Starring: Allen Covert, Linda Cardellini, Peter Dante, Shirley Jones, Shirley Knight, Joel Moore, Kevin Nealon, Doris Roberts, Nick Swardson, Jonah Hill

Allen Covert's not exactly the kind of guy you'd pick for a leading role.  He's not handsome or charming, he's not lovable or even likable for most of the movie.  He plays a low life kind of guy, stuck in a job that's beneath his abilities, evicted from his apartment and forced to live with his grandma, and seriously addicted to pot.  Also, he's 36.

Time to grow up, right?

Somehow, you still end up rooting for him, even if only because everyone else in this movie is equally or more unlikable. Particularly his nemesis JP, a video game genius who talks like a robot when he's nervous and dresses like he just fell out of The Matrix. By comparison, Allen Covert's character actually is the most likable.

His grandma, though, is probably the best part of this movie.  Yes, it's the mom from Everybody Loves Raymond. And her two roommates are pretty cool as well, one of whom is classic TV's Shirley Jones, or the Patridge Family mom.  Sweet.

There's not much of a life lesson to be gleaned from this one.  It's entertaining, but very middle of the road in terms of comedy.  Meh.