Shooter Mcgavin is not a bad guy

This past weekend I had the pleasure to watch Happy Gilmore on Comedy Central, and being the first time I sat and watched most of the movie in awhile I realized something that surprised me. I empathize with Shooter Mcgavin. I mean if Adam Sandler and the other people set out to make an antagonist, with real life, understandable motivations they fucking nailed it.

Just think of his character at the start of the movie. Shooter is a pro golfer yet to win his sports biggest tournament but is on a hot streak that has him as the runaway favorite to get his green jacket. Out of freaking no where comes this guy who picked up a club for the first time last week, and because of some freakish ability is already starting to take some of Shooters shine. I mean this is Shooter's time, the coverage and the fan-fair is rightfully his.

But it's fine, Shooter's playing great, he's not gonna let some schlub get to him in. In fact he'll be cordial and treat this newcomer like one of the boys. So he plays a harmless prank and tricks "Happy" into getting sprayed by a sprinkler, a time honored tradition. How's this psycho react? Why he breaks a glass and holds the shards to Shooter's neck. This is the fucking "good guy". Ok, so this guys clearly dangerous, Shooter would be doing the rest of the golfers and the sport as a whole a favor by getting this guy kicked off a tour he has no business being on. Unfortunately the soulless money hungry cowards in charge of the tournament refuse, further sullying the sport a fine man has dedicated his life to.

Well if the people running the tournament won't step up and do the right thing Shooter will just have to play his game and win and Golfs dignity will be saved. But out of nowhere this Hockey player in golf shoes starts gaining ground thanks to some old pro training him. Now as this borderline carpetbagger gets better his wild, over the line behavior has attracted a new element that has completely driven away any real golf fans who actually love the sport, not just some anti culture personality.

When "Happy" reveals that he's only playing to raise money to buy his grandmother's house, which he wasn't gonna cause the bank guy didn't tell him it was an auction, what does Shooter do? He buys the house and offers it to "Happy" as long as he drops out of the tournament. I mean he's only doing it to get the house so it seems like a fair deal, right? Plus he gets to keep the money he's already won. Well not only does "Happy" spit on this offer, the movie plays it like Shooter's being a dick.

Now does Shooter have some flaws? Yes. He can be kind of douchey, but so are most high level competitors. It comes with the territory. Does he blow off Claire Dunphey by asking her to get him a Diet Coke? Yea, but you know what? Who fucking cares, she's an employee of the tournament, fawning over the golfers is completely unprofessional in my opinion and its hot out, go get him a Diet Coke. I'd argue that his only real antagonistic action was paying a man to harass "Happy" which led to a fight with Bob Barker. Just so I'm straight, "Happy" can draw in scores of people that distract every other golfer but Shooter brings one guy in and he's the jerk cause "Happy" assaults an old man.

So after 90 minutes of just having a mildly bad week, which leads to his dream being taken away from him by an amateur what's the last moment of Shooter we're left with? Him being chased down and beaten while he's blood curdling scream fades into the next scene. I don't think his actions in the movie necessitated such a brutal ending. Sandler did Shooter dirty

EDIT: This isn't a "the bad guys the good guy and the good guys a bad guy" post its a "walk a mile in Shooters shoes" post

Submitted July 24, 2019 at 08:13PM by the_raw_dog1 https://ift.tt/32QANhe