Netflix to revive Adam Sandler classic after 28 years – watch the original now

It's funny how timings work out – Netflix only just announced that it's going to produce a sequel to the classic sports comedy Happy Gilmore, but now the original is leaving the best streaming service any day. 

You have until 1 June to catch one of the movies that helped to establish Adam Sandler as a giant of the genre back in the 1990s, although we're guessing Netflix will be working on getting it back in the roster given its sequel plans. It's certainly working with him aplenty, with recent drama Spaceman dividing viewer opinion.

Happy Gilmore stars Sandler as the character of the same name, an aspiring hockey player who's increasingly having to face up to the fact that he's not good enough to make it as a pro. 

The one thing he has in his arsenal is an unbelievably powerful shot, and fate has a twist in store for him when he stumbles into the world of golf.

Coached by Carl Weathers as the hilarious, one-handed veteran Chubbs Peterson, Happy soon realises that he can hit a golf ball hard – like, harder than any pro on the circuit. 

From there you're on track for a pretty typical sports comedy story – there's adversity and there's a love interest, but really it's just all about the gags, which are frequent and often pretty bawdy.

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It's a great watch if you're a golf fan, of course, as your favourite game gets ripped to shreds, and has become a really well-liked older comedy – albeit one that proved a mixed bag on the critical front.

Happy Gilmore sits on a "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is more than many Adam Sandler movies can claim, but at 62% it's evidently a slightly divisive part of his catalogue. Still, the audience score of 85% shows that it's a fan-favorite despite all that. 

Frankly, thanks to a long-running deal with his production company, there's absolutely no doubt that even once Happy Gilmore leaves the platform for now, Netflix is the place to be for Sandler fans – he's got a heap of comedies on the platform, and even the odd drama (like the excellent Uncut Gems).