Director: Harold Ramis
Writer: Brian Doyle-Murray, Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney (Screenplay)
Starring: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O’Keefe, Bill Murray, Sarah Holcomb, Scott Colomby, Cindy Morgan
Plot: An exclusive golf course has to deal with a brash new member and a destructive dancing gopher.
Tagline – Playing A Round Of Golf At The Bushwood Club Isn’t Just Confined To The Golf Course!
Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Dated 80s Comedy
Story: Caddyshack starts as young golf caddy Danny (O’Keefe) who has been trying to figure out what to do with his future, he turns to the players at the golf club, Ty Webb (Chase), Al Czervik (Dangerfield) and Judge Smails (Knight) for advice, with the club is dealing with a gopher problem, Carl Spackler (Murray) looks to solve this problem.
With Al bringing his louder approach to the game, he starts to ruffle the feathers of the other players, while Judge Smails, wants to face Webb in a one on one match.
Thoughts on Caddyshack
Characters – Danny Noonan is a young caddy, who would like to find his place in life, looking to get enough money for his studying, he is trying to get closer to the players to learn about new ideas, while learning the first thing about love. Ty Webb is known as the best golfer at the club, he keepers himself to himself and offers the advice to Danny along the way. Al Czervik is the newest and loudest member of the club, he will bet on anything, he doesn’t play by the rules and isn’t afraid to make himself the most important person in the room. Judge Smails is the typical club member, he plays by the rules, he demands respect and only cares about his time on the course. Carl Spackler is the groundskeeper of the course, who spends the time of the film trying to hunt down a gopher that is destroying the course.
Performances – The performances rely on Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield, trying to bring a routine to comedy, which can often be the problem with comedy, it isn’t always acting, it is more about trying tog et the most jokes in the film.
Story – The story follows a golf course dealing with a caddy trying to find his place in the world, an old time member not liking a new loud member and a groundskeeper trying to capture a gopher which could ruin the course. While the story do interweave nicely, they just do seem to fail to capture the true meaning of what certain characters are trying to achieve, the rivalry one does work best, while the gopher hunting is more slapstick than anything else, while the caddy trying to find his place in the world, sees to just fall on the back seat of the film.
Comedy/Sports – The comedy in the film does feel incredibly dated, while the sports side of the film can be used for a few laughs, with the different people that come from the golf clubs.
Settings – The film is set in and around the golf course, it shows us the different people we will get on with their days, be it the rich members of the young caddies enjoying life.
Scene of the Movie – Rain golf.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Ty seems to be one of the most confusing characters in the whole film, treated like the pro expert, while playing for laughs in a different style.
Final Thoughts – This is a comedy that doesn’t seem to have dated in the way others have from the past, falling flat more than anything else by the end.
Overall: Flat Comedy.
