Masterful Movie

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Blistering performances.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Golf is my least favorite sport. I think it's boring, and not fun to play. So you could imagine my trepidation heading into a golf film such as 1980's Caddyshack. I was pleasantly surprised by my reaction to this movie. The movie is really not about golf, but about the zany antics of the many characters in the film. The movie is crude and juvenile, but the humor really works. Not every joke is going to work, but there was enough screwball comedy to keep me chortling throughout the film.Caddyshack is Harold Ramis's directorial debut and he also written the screenplay along with Brian Doyle-Murray and Douglas Kenney. Ramis previously wrote one of my favorite 1978 comedies, Animal House. It is natural that he would bring the same type of humor to this film. As for directing, Ramis did a rather good job in his debut. There were some issues regarding connectivity of the characters, but I think he passed his first test.When coming up with the screenplay of the film, Murray and Ramis took experiences from their personal lives and added them to story. Growing up, they worked as caddies. So I liked how there was more of a personal touch to the movie than one would expect. One of my favorite scenes, the Baby Ruth candy in the swimming pool scene, actually happened for real at Murray's high school. Once you add the Jaws theme music, you have one of the best scenes of the movie.The plot of the film barely exists. What I mean is that the film is just a rapid series of comedic actions meant to make you laugh and in a screwball comedy, that is just fine. I will give you a basic outline of the plot. Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe) is a caddy working at the Bushwood County Club. In order to get himself a bright future, he wants to earn a caddy scholarship from Judge Elihu Smails (Ted Knight), the owner of the club. Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield) is a rude millionaire who wants to purchase the club, but Judge Smails has no time for Czervik's attitude. There is Ty Webb (Chevy Chase) who is a charming golfer who helps Danny try to figure out his true life goals. Finally, we meet the groundskeeper, Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) who is hell-bent on eliminating a gopher that is ruining the golf course.Hence here is where my biggest problem with the film lays. You may have noticed there was a lot jammed into the plot, even though there is not much of a plot to begin with. These characters are very entertaining in their own segments because they bring a different personality to the table, but they really are not connected. You would think that the actions of these characters would lead to some grand outcome that would connect them, but unfortunately that is not the case. The Carl Spackler chasing the gopher segment has nothing to do with the rest of the film. Although, those scenes are where I was most consistently laughing and Bill Murray absolutely rocked it as Carl Spackler.Each character has a different persona, and the actors did a great job portraying those personas. Chevy Chase is more of a charming, laidback golfer who is great at wooing in the ladies. Rodney Dangerfield is a witty, acerbic man who delivers rapid fire lines at the speed of light! Dangerfield was previously known as a comedian, and this is his first big movie role. I was impressed how he delivered his lines. His scenery-chewing, along with his insults and one-liners make him a memorable character. Bill Murray does wonderful as the self-absorbed groundskeeper, although it does make you wonder if this character is a remnant of Animal House. Ted Knight does a solid job as the judge, but maybe he is over-reaching just a little. Michael O'Keefe, who was so good in 1979's The Great Santini, delivers another strong performance here.I liked Caddyshack. Some people make it out to be a comedy classic of the ages, but I consider it to be an above-average screwball comedy that will make you laugh. The characters, even if they don't connect to the film as a whole, are memorable and funny. There are some quotable lines (thank you, Mr. Dangerfield). This is all light fun, and it does everything a comedy should do. It gets nothing but better for Mr. Ramis here on out. By the way, even that gopher is cute in an odd way.My Grade: B

And also one in which Murray has already problems with small, kind furry burrowers… I pick this one thinking that having in the same picture, Chevy, Murray and Ramis should be great and if it's indeed the result, the previous meeting is a bit disappointing and Chevy is not that funny here! On the other hand, Murray is really good playing a bit the future groundskeeper Willie from the Simpsons! In addition, I'm amazed to see that his brother looks then like his twin, as much physically as with his attitudes! Beyond the duo, this is a fine comedy that actually makes laugh, a genre that has disappeared from today American screens and this movie is easy to understand why… While America has always denied social classes, claiming that everyone is equal but some are motivated (the rich) while others are lazy (the poor), this movie clearly illustrates that there are indeed 2 different worlds: the privileged one and the one of the common people.. So here the entire movie is about a very select, elitist golf club and while the rich play or fight as hobbies, the poor are actually working as their helping hands… So because there is no better sharp contrast that this one, the movie sure finds a lot of interesting characters and things to do! In addition, the movie has still the look, the coolness of the 70s and again, the difference with today is clear! Maybe the movie loses a bit of its quality during the last holes, but it's still refreshing and fun to watch!

This is 98 minutes of your life you'll never ever get back. Utterly awful. How people consider this one of the greatest comedies ever completely escapes me. Murray and Chase are bit part roles and Dangerfield is just a parody of himself. With the exception of the gopher, the entire cast is actually the biggest joke and the script and so-called gags are just intergalactically unfunny. My advice to anyone wanting a good laugh at a classy comedy movie is just sit down with a box set of Laurel & Hardy and watch how it should be done and not waste any time with this disaster.

Halfway through my first viewing of Caddyshack—despite how much I was laughing—I wondered aloud, "What is this movie even about?" Then I realized that Caddyshack doesn't know either. Director Harold Rammis walked onto the set of this film with a fragile script that was trampled by his star comedians—leaving us with this disjointed but entertaining mess that's become a classic.Caddyshack opens with a hint of a story: Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe) is a lanky teen who wants to save up for law school but makes pennies caddying at a fancy golf club. So, Danny tries cozying up to one of the club's wealthy patrons in a bid to win a scholarship. Oh, but before that can move forward, let's talk about the groundskeeper (Bill Murray) who's hellbent on killing a wily gopher! Oh, and the master golfer (Chevy Chase) whose humility hides his talent! And Danny's girlfriend (Sarah Holcomb) who's inexplicably Irish—and the rich bombshell niece (Cindy Morgan) who wedges her slender body into everyone's love lives—and Rodney Dangerfield who basically does a bit in every scene!This all would be enticing if any of it intersected meaningfully, but Caddyshack only ever allows these characters to impact one another's lives at the very end—and even that set-up feels improvised. There are no stakes involved, no dramatic tension (which, believe it or not, is essential even in a comedy). All of these characters crowd the film and eat up its running time, leaving Danny's paper-thin plot as an afterthought. Murray is perhaps the only actor who really gets into his role and grounds it in the film's world, playing a filthy moron that no one particularly enjoys talking to who fumbles his attempts to rid the course of a destructive pest. But it's not Murray's film, nor is it Chase's or Dangerfield's. It belongs to no one.As funny as it was, I was disappointed with the aimless direction of Caddyshack. It's a movie with hilarious moments rather a good comedy. You'll watch, quote, and revisit portions of Caddyshack for the wit and bombast of Dangerfield, Murray, and Chase—but hardly ever for the situations surrounding them.