Caddyshack Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1980

Hailed by many as being one of the greatest comedies of the 80's, Caddyshack was a golf film that revolved around the lives of about half a dozen main characters, each which their own zany stories to tell. Although the surroundings of the film may not be terribly appealing to those who don't have a fondness for the sport, the amazing collection of star power and potent verbal exchanges and situations makes this a fun film for any comedy-lover.

Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe) is a young man that has aspirations of going to college, but with neither the money or the grades to warrant a scholarship he spends most of his time hanging out with his girlfriend, Maggie O'Hooligan (Sarah Holcomb), and working as a caddy on a posh country club.

Ty Webb (Chevy Chase) is a peaceful and somewhat mysterious golfer that pursues a Zen-style of life and golf. To him golf is not a game that can be won or lost, and in fact he doesn't even keep score of his games. His only focus is to attain total mastery of the sport.

Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield) is a gaudy, boisterous and even loutish real estate contractor that ruffles the feathers of the more uptight club members by his constant onslaught of crude jokes and bodily functions. His goal is to eventually buyout the country club so he can build a profitable condominium.

Judge Elihu Smails (Ted Knight) is your stereotypical high society golfer. As far as he's concerned, there is no place in the country club for those of limited income or manners, and he borders on fanaticism in his attempts to keep people like Czervik out of the club.

Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) is the assistant groundskeeper of the golf course, and a man that most would dub a simpleton. Throughout the length of the film he's focused on two things: crudely admiring any nearby women and assassinating a pesky gopher that's prowling the course.

With a star-studded cast that includes Dangerfield, Chase, Knight and Murray, there's no way Caddyshack could go wrong… right?

Well… no.

There is no doubt that each of the actors named above are some of comedy's best, and indeed they offered some hearty laughs throughout Caddyshack. Each of the actors were able to play off each other perfectly, and their different styles of comedy lent the movie a comic richness and diversity. Chevy Chase's inimitable deadpan humor contrasted perfectly with Rodney Dangerfield's over-the-top crassness. Ted Knight plays the straight man amidst these individuals, though does so in a hilariously angry and prideful manner.

Bill Murray is no doubt one of my favorite comedy actors – he is quite simply brilliant. That having been said, I was not particularly amused or impressed by his performance in Caddyshack. Many would vehemently disagree with my assessment, but his false "accent" was distracting rather than amusing, and we didn't get a chance to really witness the sarcastic and ironic humor that he does best.

Overall I found Caddyshack to be rather uneven. The movie starts out strong, but around the halfway point it begins to sputter and run out of gas. Sure, there are laughs scattered throughout the film, and some of them quite hilarious (such as when a Baby Ruth bar is mistaken for a lump of excrement during a pool party), but I found a few dry periods that tested my patience.

Despite its uneven pace, Caddyshack is a solid 80's comedy featuring some delightful performances by some of the decade's best comedians. As such, golf fan or not, I recommend giving this flick a try. While I disagree that it's among the 80's best comedies, it does hold up very well twenty-plus years later.

Movie rating: 7 stars

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