Today’s quick review: Caddyshack. While Judge Smails (Ted Knight), a stuck-up country club patron, feuds with Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield), a boisterous newcomer, caddy Danny Noonan (Michael O’Keefe) jockeys for a college scholarship. Elsewhere on the golf course, Ty Webb (Chevy Chase), a wealthy idler, works on his putting and Carl (Bill Murray), a dimwitted greenskeeper, hunts down an elusive gopher.
Caddyshack is a comedy with an impressive cast and a freewheeling style. Caddyshack follows a host of colorful characters as they argue, romance, and golf at the Bushwood Country Club. The style of comedy is a blend of slapstick, golf humor, and character-based absurdity that gives the film’s cast the chance to shine. However, the humor comes at the cost of cohesion, with little in the way of story and isolated scenes that feel stitched together.
Caddyshack is at its best when it lets its actors put their skills to use. Between Rodney Dangerfield’s affable, out-of-control personality, Chevy Chase’s quirky banter, and Bill Murray’s unhinged, iconic performance as Carl, Caddyshack has all it needs in terms of comedic talent. Ted Knight’s arrogant elitism makes him a useful target, while Michael O’Keefe plays a straightforward, sympathetic protagonist to tie the movie together.
Watch Caddyshack if you are in the mood for a silly comedy with a heavy focus on individual comedians. Not everyone will appreciate its deliberately wacky style or its disjointed storytelling, but Caddyshack packs in enough strong jokes to be worth checking out. For a college comedy in a similar vein, check out Animal House.
7.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for talented comedians and a decent script.