Happy Gilmore Got a Few Things Right

I hate to be the one to break the news, but if you work in entertainment PR, you probably won’t have a magical and hilarious love story like Virginia Venit in the movie Happy Gilmore. Virginia is a public relations director for the pro golf tournament Happy competes in, and she takes notice of Happy, deciding to help represent him. It’s clear that Happy needs some media training, and Virginia does her best to provide that. Over time, Virginia notices that the audiences of the golf tournaments have changed because of Happy’s involvement. Golf is primarily a sport that appeals to the upper class, middle-aged males, but Happy’s presence in the tournament has brought in a new audience: men and women of all ages from middle or lower-class backgrounds. When Virginia sees this, she realizes that Happy attracted this new audience by being authentically himself, so she stops trying to change him and encourages him to keep competing in the tournament and be his true self throughout its duration. The movie ends with Virginia and Happy together and in love, celebrating his victory.

Virginia does a lot of things right. By noticing the new audience that Happy brings in to the golf tournament, she stops trying to make him into a carbon copy of every other golf pro and leans into the appeals that he naturally brings. She’s also proactive: she makes the decision to pursue Happy and sees the potential and opportunities that can come with representing him. Finally, Virginia acts in a professional manner before getting to know Happy on a personal level.  

With all of this said, it’s important to remember that while working in entertainment PR can be exciting and fun, it is also a professional place where all rules of the workplace apply. You shouldn’t be pursuing clients or crossing boundaries between professional and social relationships. In reality, PR isn’t a romantic comedy—it’s about strategy, ethics, and relationships built on professionalism, not plot twists. Still, like Virginia, staying authentic and recognizing genuine connection can take you further than any Hollywood script ever could.