Today’s quick review: Caddyshack II. At the request of his daughter Kate (Jessica Lundy), blue-collar millionaire Jack Hartounian (Jackie Mason) applies to join Bushwood Country Club, a prestigious institution catering to the rich and snobbish. Jack’s lowbrow tastes and crass manners put him at odds with Chandler Young (Robert Stack), the club’s president. Their rivalry soon escalates into a battle of wealth and influence that sends the club into chaos.
Caddyshack II is a comedy that tosses a boorish real estate developer into an elitist country club to watch the sparks fly. Caddyshack II revists the setting, themes, and many of the jokes of the original Caddyshack. A tighter plot and a handful of decent laughs aren’t enough to make up for the loss of the sharp humor, talented cast, and freshness of the original film. The result is a comedy that’s a mixed bag at best and a major miss at worst.
Caddyshack II apes the original but lacks the skill to pull off the same tricks twice. Jackie Mason steps into the leading role of Jack Hartounian, but he’s not charismatic enough to fill the void left by Rodney Dangerfield. The humor is cheap, prone to gimmicks, and overly reliant on the same class conflicts that were handled with more flair in the first film. Even the antics of Bushwood’s resident gopher are a significant step down from before.
Caddyshack II does get a few things right, even if it’s unable to capitalize on them. Chevy Chase reprises the role of Ty Webb, the idle millionaire who now owns the country club. His nonchalant abuse of his wealth is one of the film’s more reliable sources of humor, although he plays a much less central part in the story. Caddyshack II also sports a more focused plot than its predecessor, telling a single story rather than a handful of separate ones.
How much you get out of Caddyshack II will depend on how much you like the character of Jack Hartounian. His antics are a decent attempt at finding a core to base the movie around, but they’re too blunt and ridiculous to be truly effective. Humor that misses as often as it hits, a lackluster cast, and big shoes to fill all conspire to make Caddyshack II a dicey pick. There’s some amusement to be had, but only for generous, forgiving viewers.
For a better comedy with a similar premise, try the original Caddyshack. For a college comedy in a similar vein, try Animal House. For a similar flavor of humor executed with greater competence, try Police Academy.
3.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it 5.0 for a half-decent premise witout the cast or the script to make it work.