Happy Gilmore 2 ranks No. 13 in Rotten Tomatoes' current 52-entry Adam Sandler list, with a 61% Tomatometer and a 64% Popcornmeter. The 1996 original ranks slightly higher at No. 11 and has a much stronger 85% audience score, but the sequel is still placed above most of Sandler's broad studio comedies.
There is an important qualification: this is not a strict ranking of 52 Sandler-led narrative features. Rotten Tomatoes includes the comedy specials Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh and Adam Sandler: Love You, plus supporting or ensemble appearances in films such as Coneheads, Shakes the Clown, Mixed Nuts, and Zookeeper. With that scope clear, here is the complete ranking and what it says about Sandler's career.
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How Rotten Tomatoes ranks the 52 entries
Rotten Tomatoes presents this as a Tomatometer-led ranking, with the Popcornmeter audience score shown alongside it. Those are different measurements: the Tomatometer reflects the percentage of positive professional reviews, while the Popcornmeter reflects audience response. A film can therefore rank low with critics and remain a beloved rewatch.
The published order is reproduced below rather than re-sorted. Rotten Tomatoes scores can change, and the displayed list is not a perfectly descending percentage sequence in every position—for example, Adam Sandler: Love You appears at No. 7 with a 92% Tomatometer after No. 6 Punch-Drunk Love at 79%, while Coneheads appears after You Don't Mess With the Zohan despite the higher Tomatometer score. Treat the ranking number as the source's editorial placement and the percentages as the accompanying snapshot.
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#1 Best Overall
The top 10: Sandler's critical canon
- Hustle (2022) — 94% Tomatometer, 93% Popcornmeter. This basketball-scouting drama gives Sandler a grounded, workmanlike role. It is the clearest example in the ranking of critics responding to his understated everyman persona.
- The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017) — 92%, 72%. Noah Baumbach's family drama depends on Sandler's restraint rather than his usual volume. His performance as a wounded, frustrated member of a difficult family is one of the strongest dramatic turns on the list.
- Uncut Gems (2019) — 91%, 52%. The Safdie brothers' crime thriller casts Sandler as Howard Ratner, a volatile jeweler who keeps escalating already impossible risks. Its high critic score confirms the value of pairing Sandler's frantic comic energy with a severe auteur-driven thriller.
- You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023) — 91%, 60%. Sandler takes an ensemble role in this coming-of-age comedy, which also features his daughters Sadie and Sunny Sandler. It is another example of the actor working effectively in a more focused, family-centered project.
- Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh (2018) — 90%, 91%. This concert-comedy special is not a narrative feature film, an important qualification when comparing its score with the movies around it.
- Punch-Drunk Love (2002) — 79%, 78%. Paul Thomas Anderson reshapes Sandler's familiar comic persona into an anxious, emotionally vulnerable romantic lead. The film remains one of the most distinctive collaborations of Sandler's career.
- Adam Sandler: Love You (2024) — 92%, 68%. Josh Safdie directs this stand-up special. Its high Tomatometer is useful evidence of strong critical reception, but it is not directly comparable with the scores for narrative features or animated films.
- The Wedding Singer (1998) — 72%, 80%. The Drew Barrymore pairing gives Sandler one of his most accessible romantic-comedy vehicles, and its audience score shows how well the film has endured with viewers.
- Funny People (2009) — 69%, 48%. Judd Apatow's comedy-drama asks Sandler to play a successful comedian confronting illness, friendship, and the question of what he will leave behind.
- Reign Over Me (2007) — 64%, 81%. This grief-centered drama sits lower with critics than Sandler's most acclaimed auteur collaborations, but its strong audience score reflects the impact of his emotionally serious performance.
The pattern is more revealing than any single placement. The six conventional films in the top 10—Hustle, The Meyerowitz Stories, Uncut Gems, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, Punch-Drunk Love, and The Wedding Singer—mostly give Sandler a defined dramatic or character-driven problem to play. The two specials also demonstrate that critics have responded well when his performance is built around a specific format rather than a broad studio-comedy premise.
Happy Gilmore and Happy Gilmore 2 compared
Happy Gilmore ranks No. 11 with a 66% Tomatometer and an 85% Popcornmeter. Happy Gilmore 2 ranks No. 13 with a 61% Tomatometer and a 64% Popcornmeter. The original is therefore two points higher in the published ranking, five points stronger with critics, and 21 points stronger with audiences.
That gap captures the sequel's position unusually well. Happy Gilmore 2 is not ranked alongside Sandler's most acclaimed dramatic work, but it is also far above the bottom tier of broad comedies. Its reception is mixed-to-positive rather than either a critical triumph or a complete failure. Rotten Tomatoes' consensus characterizes the sequel as nostalgia-forward and likely to satisfy fans of the original, which helps explain why its audience score remains above its Tomatometer even though it does not match the first film's fan response.
Netflix identifies Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Ben Stiller, Blake Clark, Bad Bunny, Sadie Sandler, and Sunny Sandler among the cast. Kyle Newacheck directs, and Tim Herlihy returns as co-writer. Netflix is the confirmed streaming home for the sequel, although catalog availability can vary by country and change over time.
The sequel also generated an unusually direct piece of fan merchandise. Netflix announced a limited-edition Callaway and Odyssey partnership that included the Odyssey Hockey Stick Putter, a physical tribute to Happy's unconventional putting style. If you are looking for a Happy Gilmore golf putter, treat that phrase as a shopping search rather than proof that a particular Amazon listing is currently available. The announced product was a limited-edition drop, so inventory and seller legitimacy should be checked before buying. Netflix also announced limited-edition Callaway golf balls; current availability should likewise be verified.
Critics' picks versus Sandler fan favorites
This is not a ranking of the most quoted, most watched, or most rewatchable Adam Sandler movies. Several films that critics placed in the lower half have much stronger audience scores:
| Film | Tomatometer | Popcornmeter | What the gap suggests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Happy Gilmore | 66% | 85% | A lasting fan favorite whose broad sports-comedy style has aged better with audiences than with critics. |
| Billy Madison | 40% | 79% | A deliberately juvenile comedy with a devoted audience that does not share the critical enthusiasm for Sandler's dramatic work. |
| Big Daddy | 39% | 74% | Its sentimental father-son premise connects with viewers more strongly than its reviews suggest. |
| The Waterboy | 32% | 71% | The character comedy remains highly quotable and popular despite a low critic score. |
| Grown Ups | 10% | 62% | The largest featured critic-audience divide: a movie dismissed by critics but embraced by enough viewers to earn a solid audience score. |
| I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry | 15% | 69% | A low critical placement does not prevent a relatively strong audience response. |
| Blended | 15% | 64% | Another broad Sandler comedy with a substantially warmer audience score. |
The reverse pattern matters too. Uncut Gems has a 91% Tomatometer but a 52% Popcornmeter, suggesting that many viewers find its relentless anxiety less enjoyable than critics do. Funny People has a 69% Tomatometer and a 48% audience score. The lesson is not that one side is right; it is that “best” depends on whether the reader wants formal ambition, dramatic range, comfort viewing, or familiar Sandler absurdity.
Complete ranking: all 52 entries
The table follows Rotten Tomatoes' published order. It includes two comedy specials and several films in which Sandler is supporting, part of an ensemble, or heard only as a voice performer.
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| Rank | Title | Year | Tomatometer | Popcornmeter | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hustle | 2022 | 94% | 93% | Basketball scouting drama; grounded lead performance. |
| 2 | The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) | 2017 | 92% | 72% | Noah Baumbach family drama. |
| 3 | Uncut Gems | 2019 | 91% | 52% | Safdie brothers crime thriller. |
| 4 | You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah | 2023 | 91% | 60% | Coming-of-age ensemble comedy. |
| 5 | Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh | 2018 | 90% | 91% | Concert-comedy special, not a feature film. |
| 6 | Punch-Drunk Love | 2002 | 79% | 78% | Paul Thomas Anderson romantic drama. |
| 7 | Adam Sandler: Love You | 2024 | 92% | 68% | Josh Safdie-directed stand-up special. |
| 8 | The Wedding Singer | 1998 | 72% | 80% | Romantic comedy with Drew Barrymore. |
| 9 | Funny People | 2009 | 69% | 48% | Judd Apatow comedy-drama. |
| 10 | Reign Over Me | 2007 | 64% | 81% | Grief-centered drama. |
| 11 | Happy Gilmore | 1996 | 66% | 85% | Original golf comedy and major audience favorite. |
| 12 | Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation | 2018 | 63% | 49% | Sandler voices Dracula. |
| 13 | Happy Gilmore 2 | 2025 | 61% | 64% | Netflix sequel to the 1996 original. |
| 14 | Hotel Transylvania 2 | 2015 | 57% | 64% | Animated franchise entry; Sandler voices Dracula. |
| 15 | Spanglish | 2004 | 54% | 60% | James L. Brooks dramedy. |
| 16 | Hubie Halloween | 2020 | 54% | 49% | Netflix Halloween comedy aimed at Sandler devotees. |
| 17 | Spaceman | 2024 | 50% | 65% | Netflix science-fiction drama about an isolated astronaut. |
| 18 | Murder Mystery 2 | 2023 | 45% | 45% | Netflix mystery-comedy sequel. |
| 19 | 50 First Dates | 2004 | 45% | 65% | Romantic comedy. |
| 20 | Hotel Transylvania | 2012 | 45% | 72% | Animated franchise opener; Sandler voices Dracula. |
| 21 | Murder Mystery | 2019 | 43% | 47% | Netflix mystery-comedy. |
| 22 | Shakes the Clown | 1991 | 43% | 49% | Supporting appearance, not a Sandler-led film. |
| 23 | Anger Management | 2003 | 42% | 59% | Studio comedy. |
| 24 | Billy Madison | 1995 | 40% | 79% | Early Sandler comedy and audience favorite. |
| 25 | Big Daddy | 1999 | 39% | 74% | Sentimental father-son comedy. |
| 26 | You Don't Mess With the Zohan | 2008 | 37% | 45% | Broad action comedy. |
| 27 | Coneheads | 1993 | 40% | 38% | Ensemble appearance; not a conventional Sandler vehicle. |
| 28 | Click | 2006 | 34% | 66% | Fantasy comedy with a strong audience-score lift. |
| 29 | Men, Women & Children | 2014 | 33% | 44% | Ensemble drama. |
| 30 | The Waterboy | 1998 | 32% | 71% | Broad sports comedy and fan favorite. |
| 31 | The Longest Yard | 2005 | 31% | 62% | Sports-comedy remake. |
| 32 | Airheads | 1994 | 32% | 50% | Sandler plays Pip in a Brendan Fraser-led music comedy. |
| 33 | Bedtime Stories | 2008 | 27% | 55% | Family fantasy comedy. |
| 34 | Sandy Wexler | 2017 | 27% | 39% | Netflix comedy. |
| 35 | The Week Of | 2018 | 26% | 35% | Netflix wedding comedy. |
| 36 | Mr. Deeds | 2002 | 22% | 59% | Studio romantic comedy. |
| 37 | Little Nicky | 2000 | 21% | 55% | Fantasy comedy. |
| 38 | That's My Boy | 2012 | 20% | 51% | Broad comedy. |
| 39 | Just Go With It | 2011 | 20% | 59% | Romantic comedy. |
| 40 | Pixels | 2015 | 17% | 46% | Video-game science-fiction comedy. |
| 41 | Mixed Nuts | 1994 | 16% | 48% | Supporting role in a Steve Martin-led Christmas comedy. |
| 42 | I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry | 2007 | 15% | 69% | Low critic score, comparatively strong audience response. |
| 43 | Blended | 2014 | 15% | 64% | Broad romantic comedy. |
| 44 | Zookeeper | 2011 | 13% | 41% | Sandler is part of the voice cast rather than the principal live-action lead. |
| 45 | Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights | 2002 | 13% | 50% | Animated holiday feature. |
| 46 | Grown Ups | 2010 | 10% | 62% | Critically dismissed but popular with audiences. |
| 47 | The Cobbler | 2014 | 10% | 36% | Fantasy comedy-drama. |
| 48 | The Do-Over | 2016 | 9% | 42% | Netflix comedy. |
| 49 | Grown Ups 2 | 2013 | 8% | 53% | Broad ensemble sequel. |
| 50 | Bulletproof | 1996 | 8% | 44% | Early action comedy. |
| 51 | Jack and Jill | 2011 | 3% | 36% | One of the ranking's lowest-scoring studio comedies. |
| 52 | The Ridiculous 6 | 2015 | 0% | 37% | Lowest Tomatometer entry in the published list. |
What the ranking says about Adam Sandler's career
1. Sandler's strongest critical work comes from constraint
The five highest-rated narrative features—Hustle, The Meyerowitz Stories, Uncut Gems, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, and Punch-Drunk Love—place Sandler inside tightly defined worlds. He is a scout trying to find a basketball prospect, a family member struggling with resentment, a jeweler trapped by his own impulses, a parent in a coming-of-age ensemble, or a lonely man seeking connection. None depends primarily on the loose, escalating comic routine associated with his most criticized studio vehicles.
Reign Over Me, Spaceman, and Funny People reinforce the same point from lower positions. Even when critics are not unanimous, Sandler tends to fare better when the film gives his character genuine emotional stakes and a director-led framework.
2. “Low with critics” does not mean “worthless to fans”
The ranking is especially harsh on broad comedies: Grown Ups 2 sits at No. 49 with an 8% Tomatometer, Jack and Jill at No. 51 with 3%, and The Ridiculous 6 at No. 52 with 0%. Yet even these films retain audience pockets, as shown by their 53%, 36%, and 37% Popcornmeter scores. The split becomes much more dramatic for Grown Ups, The Waterboy, Billy Madison, and Big Daddy.
For a viewer choosing what to watch tonight, the Popcornmeter may be more relevant than the order of the critic-led list. For someone investigating Sandler's acting range or looking for the most accomplished filmmaking, the upper tier is the better guide.
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Two entries are stand-up specials: Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh and Adam Sandler: Love You. Several others are not Sandler-led vehicles. He has supporting or ensemble appearances in Shakes the Clown, Coneheads, Airheads, and Mixed Nuts, while Zookeeper uses him as part of its voice cast. You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is an ensemble project rather than a conventional solo star vehicle, and Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights is animated.
Rank #3
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That scope is faithful to Rotten Tomatoes' 52-entry page, but it means the title should not be read as “every Adam Sandler-led narrative feature ranked.” The comparison is between all entries selected for the source list, not a perfectly uniform set of films.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to find the Netflix titles
Netflix's official coverage places Happy Gilmore 2 on Netflix and identifies a broader Sandler-related catalog that includes Spaceman, Murder Mystery, Murder Mystery 2, Hubie Halloween, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh, and Adam Sandler: Love You. That does not guarantee that every title is available in every country or remains in every catalog. Check the Netflix listing for your territory before planning a full Sandler marathon.
Netflix Shop is also the branded route to check for current Happy Gilmore 2 merchandise. The film partnership and product pages should not be confused with a permanent inventory promise: limited-edition golf items may sell out, disappear, or be unavailable in a particular region.
Bottom five: the most criticized entries
The bottom of the list is The Do-Over at No. 48 with 9%, Grown Ups 2 at No. 49 with 8%, Bulletproof at No. 50 with 8%, Jack and Jill at No. 51 with 3%, and The Ridiculous 6 at No. 52 with 0%. Their low positions support the broad critical narrative: Sandler's most formulaic or aggressively broad comedies have not earned the same professional approval as his dramas and director-driven collaborations.
That bottom tier still should not be mistaken for a universal audience verdict. Grown Ups 2 has a 53% Popcornmeter, and even The Ridiculous 6 reaches 37%. Rotten Tomatoes tells us how critics and audiences responded, not whether a particular viewer will enjoy an intentionally silly, lowbrow comedy.
Final verdict
On the source's critical ranking, start with Hustle, The Meyerowitz Stories, Uncut Gems, Punch-Drunk Love, or Reign Over Me if you want to see Sandler stretch. Choose The Wedding Singer, Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, Big Daddy, or The Waterboy if audience affection and rewatchability matter more than critic approval. Happy Gilmore 2 lands between those two traditions: No. 13, close to the original, and received as a recognizable fan-oriented sequel rather than a new critical landmark.
Rank #4
The most accurate interpretation of the 52-entry list is not that Sandler has one good phase and one bad phase. It is that two different Sandlers coexist: the inventive dramatic performer whom critics reward when a filmmaker imposes focus, and the broad comic entertainer whose movies can become audience favorites even when reviews are hostile.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Adam Sandler's highest-ranked movie on Rotten Tomatoes?
The ranking is led by Hustle at No. 1 with a 94% Tomatometer and 93% Popcornmeter. It is followed by The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), Uncut Gems, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, and Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh.
Is Happy Gilmore ranked higher than Happy Gilmore 2?
No. Happy Gilmore ranks No. 11 with a 66% Tomatometer and 85% Popcornmeter. Happy Gilmore 2 ranks No. 13 with 61% from critics and 64% from audiences.
Does the 52-entry list include only Adam Sandler movies in which he is the lead?
The source list includes the two Netflix comedy specials Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh and Adam Sandler: Love You. It also includes supporting or ensemble appearances such as Coneheads, Shakes the Clown, Mixed Nuts, Airheads, and Zookeeper.
Where can you watch Happy Gilmore 2?
Netflix is the confirmed streaming home for Happy Gilmore 2. Availability of the sequel and other Sandler titles can vary by country and change over time, so check the Netflix catalog for your location.
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Bottom line: Hustle is Rotten Tomatoes' highest-ranked Sandler film, while Happy Gilmore remains the stronger audience favorite. Happy Gilmore 2 sits at No. 13 with a 61% Tomatometer and 64% Popcornmeter—respectable, nostalgia-driven, and notably below the original with both critics and viewers.
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