The Billy MadisonHappy Gilmore Collection Widescreen Special Edition DVD with Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen (PG-13) +Movie Reviews +Used DVD available for Swap

Great movies, but screwed-up transfers

D. Goodwin | Atlanta, GA | 11/30/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I was so excited when I heard about the Billy Madison/Happy Gilmore box set several months ago. I was hoping Universal would FINALLY be giving us the definitive versions of both flicks. The results are a mixed bag.

The colors look great and the sound mixes are much improved, but both transfers are wrongly framed. They appear to have been zoomed in and cropped. If you've seen the original Billy Madison DVD and compare the two, you'll see lots of visual information cropped off the top and bottom of the picture. It looks awful and is really distracting. We're talking cutting off the heads of characters and scenery.

The discs have some really grainy deleted scenes, most of which are second takes and jokes that didn't work. Why did Universal screw with these flicks??"

One Good, One Bad...

Cubist | United States | 12/01/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"In some respects, Adam Sandler has come a long way since Billy Madison, his first starring role after four years on Saturday Night Live. Recently, he has starred in Paul Thomas Anderson's Technicolor romantic comedy, Punch-Drunk Love and James L. Brook's comic drama, Spanglish. Happy Gilmore helped establish a strong fan base and demonstrated his bankability. He has never looked back since, cranking out one box office hit after another. Universal has gone back to the well and re-packaged his first two solo efforts in one set with re-mastered transfers and bonus material that fans will enjoy.

On the Billy Madison DVD there are six deleted scenes totaling 33 minutes. There are lots of small bits and pieces that were rightfully trimmed (including one where Billy does nothing but scratch his ass).

There are three minutes of outtakes. Nothing terribly exciting or all that funny.

Also included are production notes.

Finally, there is an audio commentary by the film's director, Tamra Davis. This is a pretty boring, uninvolving track as Davis points out a scene that she didn't direct and she knows this because she would never have picked the sweater that Sandler wears in the scene. Yawn.

Sadly, the stronger of the two movies, Happy Gilmore, doesn't have as many extras. There are six deleted scenes that run 20 minutes, including the introduction of Happy's golf clubs and more footage of his golfing misadventures.

There is also a five minute reel of outtakes which is a pretty funny collection of blown lines and goofs.

Finally, there are production notes.

The Billy Madison/Happy Gilmore Collection shows the beginnings of Adam Sandler's evolution as a box office heavyweight with his own particular brand of comedy. It is nice to finally have these films in their original aspect ratio and with a smattering of extras. Fans of both films will no doubt enjoy everything they have to offer."

Where's My Snack Pack?

Matt | NJ | 02/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In my teens, when Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore came out, these two movies were very heavily quoted by my friends and I. This was where Adam Sandler broke out of his SNL persona and came into his own - and where his fans were born. Both movies are hilarious and you have to appreciate the bonus material included on the special edition DVDs in this collection. The characters of Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore are both essentially the character of the on-screen Adam Sandler, which is what fans want to see. His comedy is inventive and unique - and these movies were our first real glimpse at the depth of his comedic abilities outside of SNL sketches.

Regardless of the negative reviews this DVD collection has received due to supposed problems with the visual formatting and such, I love it. I knew these movies well and I see nothing different in these DVD versions. They look and sound great.

Highly Recommended.

"

Where It All Began

Philip R. Heath | DFW | 01/03/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It is hard to believe that after Memorial Day that Sandler will have made 12 movies since these. Both of these movies are worth repeated watches; however, don't be fooled by the "new bonus features". The deleted scenes are far less produced that the final film, and the dialogue is almost impossible to hear in some scenes. The bloopers are not that funny either. That being said, these are still two fine movies. The main draw to me for the combo set was that I could get the widescreen version which I had previously been unable to find. If this is not important to you, you will probably be better off trying to find them separately. Finally, each movie on its own is worth 4 stars, but I knocked down my rating because of what I have mentioned above."

Adam Sandler rocks!

Zack H. | 02/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Happy Gilmore is about a hockey player who can never seem to get onto the team, although he has a great shot. His grandmother hasn't paid her taxes in 10 years, so the IRS is threatening him of taking her possessions and her house if they aren't paid in 80 days. Happy joins up with Chubs, an ex-golfer, who had to quit playing due to the fact that an alligator bit his hand off. Happy has to make enough money to buy his grandmother's house back, however, his arch nemesis, Shooter McGavin, wants to make sure that he can't achieve his goal. This is one of Adam's best.

Billy Madison is funny too. It's about a 27 year old who does nothing but goof off all day. His father is planning to retire soon, and although he wants to give Billy the company, he thinks that Billy isn't mature enough to handle such a big business, so instead, he wants to give the company to Eric. Billy tries to prove to his father that he is worthy by going back to school, finishing each grade in two weeks. Eric tries to prevent him from succeeding by using rather odd techniques. This is a cult classic."

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