Caddyshack

When you watch Caddyshack, you think to yourself that this is rather lowbrow. Then you disregard that part of your brain and settle down for some lowbrow fun. Chevy Chase has top billing, and he's very good. He's very calm, very funny, and quick witted. But the ones who nearly steal the show are Ted Knight and Bill Murray. Ted Knight and Rodney Dangerfield play off each other nicely. Knight gets flustered and starts stammering, and you can see every vein on his neck! Dangerfield counters with a crack at Knight's expense and it gets better from there. Bill Murray is great as Carl, the groundskeeper with a vendetta against that gopher. He mumbles things to himself, watches old ladies play golf and develops his own grass that can be smoked after playing golf on it. And always remember Ty Webb's words of wisdom: "A flute with no holes is not a flute, and a donut with no holes is a danish."

I saw Caddyshack on Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies, and it was really up there in the top three. But when I asked my mom if she saw it, she said it was highly over rated, then I asked my movie buddy if she saw it, she also said that she found it over rated. But I decided to go ahead and check it out myself, just see if I would like it or not. I rented it and watched the movie last night, while I do agree that it is slightly over rated, I still thought that this was a funny comedy. For me, Rodney definitely brought life to the movie, without him, I think the movie would have just been average. I know some people find him annoying, but he was just so funny in this film, I loved his out fits and crazy love for life was just so great. Also Bill Murray, I don't see too many movies where he is more funny than obnoxious, but he and the gopher was just classic. Golfing is becoming the funniest sport ever.

Danny and his co-workers are caddy's, they have a blast when they're on break. But Danny wants a life outside his family and city, so he is going for a scholarship where if he's a great caddy, he could win it. So he starts getting in with the big time golfers. He's slowly getting into their good graces. But he also meets the more lively golfers, who are less snobby and actually enjoy life. But they decide that the older and more stuffy golfers need to get their butts kicked and should leave the course, they're ready to party down with the sport.

Caddyshack is really funny at times, like I said, I think the story that got me most was the battle between Bill Murray and the gopher, it was so stupid that it just went from dumb to funny. The gopher did look very fake and corny, but it's all good. I would recommend Caddyshack if you are looking for a few laughs, I did enjoy it. When it comes to top comedies, I'm still debating if this should've made the top three on Bravo's top funniest movies, but it's all good, it's other people's opinions. Just check it out for yourself and try not to think of those who over blow how funny it is.

7/10

`National Lampoon's Animal House' may have been one of the first comedies to evolve from the `Saturday Night Live' generation, but it could be argued that `Caddyshack,' directed by Harold Ramis-- and which features two SNL alumni, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray-- actually spawned the entire `SNL genre,' of films, because this is the one that seemed to lock in that formulaic irreverence toward all things, of which they are so indicative. The story here revolves around a young man named Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe), a caddy at the upscale Bushwood Country Club, who is bucking for a caddy scholarship to get him into college. Danny figures that the best shot he has at it is to volunteer for the assignment none of the other caddies want-- to caddy for the up-tight Judge Smails (Ted Knight), one of the executive directors of Bushwood, and `kiss up' a bit. Smails responds by letting Danny mow his lawn and attend a christening ceremony for his new yacht. But Danny is not one to be deterred, even when the good Judge tells him `The world needs ditch diggers, too.' He just goes on, keeping his eyes and his options open.

And it isn't long before Danny gets involved with Ty Webb (Chase), an independently wealthy goof-ball with a Zen/Chaplin philosophy of life, whose father was one of Judge Smails' partners in Bushwood. So Danny takes some advice from Ty while caddying for him; advice which just may ultimately have an effect on whether or not he gets his scholarship. Or maybe not. Words of wisdom like `Be the Ball,' and `A donut with no hole is a danish,' may not be what he needs to put him on the fast track to success. But then again, you never know; it's that kind of movie. And there's no getting around it, this is funny stuff.

The humor in this movie runs the gamut from broad to subtle, with at least two sight gags thrown in that identify it as belonging to the genre it helped create. At the time of it's theatrical release, in 1980, it was fairly on the cutting edge of comedy; by today's standards, though, it doesn't seem nearly as irreverent, especially given the digressive trend in the genre lately, which has spewed forth such fare as `Freddy Got Fingered,' and `Road Trip.' Then again, this one had Harold Ramis behind the camera, and Ramis has an acute sense of comedic timing, he knows what works, and he made the most of the basic screenplay (by Ramis, Brian Doyle-Murray and Douglas Kenney) and the terrific cast of comedians with which he had to work, all of whom fit so well into the pattern and fabric of this particular picture.

Rarely does a comedy (or any film for that matter) have so many actors who fit their characters so perfectly as in this film, beginning with Chevy Chase, who embodies the slightly skewed and off-center Ty Webb so well it's almost frightening. Webb is a guy who veritably floats through life in a perpetual Zen-like state of distraction, and it makes you realize that there probably really are characters like this walking around in the real world. But if the existence of a Ty Webb type is only highly probable, there's no doubt whatsoever about the fact that there are guys like Al Czervik amongst us.

Rodney Dangerfield plays Czervik, the obnoxious, fun-loving, high-rolling land developer with a specially made golf club and an eye on Bushwood. In Czervik, Dangerfield creates a character who is outrageous, droll, lacks any taste whatsoever, and is entirely hilarious. It is, without question, the best character and performance of Dangerfield's cinematic career, and -- like Chase-- it's almost scary the way he fits into the character so naturally and completely.

The real heart of this movie, however, is Bill Murray, who turns in what just may be the definitive Murray performance with his character, Carl Spackler, the Assistant Greenskeeper at Bushwood. Murray brings Carl, the socially and intellectually challenged man-with-a-plan, to life with subtle nuance and a flare of comedic genius. A lot of what he did in this film was improvised, including much of his two most memorable and hilarious scenes, one in which he's describing his encounter with the Dalai Lama, and the other being his soliloquy of the `Cinderella Boy' on the course at Atlanta. This is truly inspired, funny stuff, and it proves what can be done without resorting to banal vulgarity or crudeness (not that this film is entirely devoid of it, but at least it's tempered here somewhat-- not so overt and in-your-face like you'll often find in some of the more recent offerings of the genre). And there's a harmless shiftiness about Carl, who is about as deep as a pan pizza, and Murray plays it all beautifully.

O'Keefe gives a solid performance, as well, but he's basically the straight man here, the set-up guy for one funny situation after another. And he does it quite nicely.

Also giving memorable performances are Ted Knight, as the rigid, conservative Judge, and Brian Doyle-Murray as Lou Loomis, who oversees the caddies at Bushwood.

The supporting cast includes Sarah Holcomb (Maggie), Scott Colomby (Tony), Cindy Morgan (Lacey Underall), Dan Resin (Dr. Beeper), Henry Wilcoxon (The Bishop), Albert Salmi (Mr. Noonan), John F. Barmon Jr. (Spaulding Smails) and Lois Kibbee (Mrs. Smails). With this film, Ramis and company honed the formula for comedy that incorporated pop culture and contemporary sensibilities into it like never before. And `Caddyshack' is an example of it in it's purest form; you'll have to look long and hard to find anything out of this same mold today that can come close to the prototype. It's one of those movies that gets even better with age-- and funnier, too. It's the magic of the movies. I rate this one 10/10.

The film has some great moments and is possibly one of the most ad-libbed pictures of all time. Chevy Chase, in one of his first film roles, gives us a taste of his great comic turn in 'Fletch'(1985) with the off-beat portrayal of club pro Tye Webb. Chase is really untouchable when it comes to playing funny-straight characters. Bill Murray is hilarious as grounds keeper Carl Spackler. Murray has improvised just about all of his dialogue and it really is superb. His 'Cinderella Story' scene, followed by caddying for the Bishop in the thunder storm is one of the funniest things i've seen on screen.

Rodney Dangerfield is somewhat hit and miss. All of his dialogue is quick fire one-liners so the chances are that when he does crack a funny joke you'll be so busy laughing that you'll miss the next one. The funniest one in my book is his retort to caddy Tony D'Annunzio: 'Hey kid, when are you due back in boy's town?' For me Ted Knight steals the picture as Judge Smails. He is such an energetic over the top character. His constant put downs of grandson Spallding , 'You'll get nothing and like it!', and random acts of frustrated violence supplied constant entertainment.

The question is...why didn't the film just focus completely on these guys? Instead it kept on harping back to Danny Noonan. Michael O'Keefe is a fine actor but he was always going to struggle in a comedy which featured the above cast members and characters. Another handicap is that in a comedy he gets few comedic lines. His character's relationship with his girlfriend Maggie, played inexplicably with a terrible Irish accent, and with his own family are highly under developed. Cindy Morgan is also given an extremely under written character who's motives are never explained and who randomly comes in and out of the film. Harold Ramis's direction is at times sloppy and echoes his then inexperience. He did go on to do 'Groundhog Day'(1993) though so he obviously learned his lessons.

To sum up this is a good film to get you in the mood for the summer. Lots of beautiful weather covering some splendid golf course scenery. There are plenty of likable characters and some very funny set pieces. Its also interesting to see the launch pad for some of the 80s biggest comedic stars. But be warned if you don't like Chase, Murray or Dangerfield then don't waste your time on this. Along with Knight, the film really is their show. For further evidence to support the final sentence just look at the poster.

Caddyshack has some uniquely funny moments. Carl's (Bill Murray) war with the gopher is hilarious. The gopher is cheaply made, not even close to taking advantage of the special effects available at the time, but, even that seems to add to his charm.

Rodney Dangerfield has one of his best performances in this film. I don't particularly enjoy his brand of humor, but, he fit in perfectly with the rest of the cast.

It is a campy, goofy, sometimes vulgar movie, but that is what was intended. I have fond memories of this movie from when I was younger, and it seems to get better with each viewing.

The sequel was made 8 years later. Unfortunately, it didn't even begin to live up to the standards of the first. Here are my suggestions for other films you may enjoy from this genre and time frame: Stripes, One Crazy Summer, and Animal House.

I highly recommend this movie, as well as the others listed.

Parental caution: Nudity, vulgar humor, and sexual references.