|
 I am sitting in a coffee shop writing about Caddyshack as the Beatles are softly playing above me. I am irritable as hell, but somehow thinking of Caddyshack takes the edge off. I left my dumb-ass smart drive at home so there is not much I can really do on my laptop - except catch up on film reviews I have been meaning to write! Caddyshack has long been one of those.
Caddyshack is hands down a CoolFilmz "Ace", maybe thee "Ace" of the comedy genre. It boasts an all star cast. Notable comedic heavyweights such as Chevy Chase, Bill Murray and Rodney Dangerfield intertwine gags throughout Caddyshack in overdrive. It must be noted that Ted Knight as Judge Smails brought this all star cast to the point of comedic cohesion with his huff an gruff Judge character.
The story involves Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe) as a teenager working his summer as a caddy as a means to earn extra money for school and hopefully win the favor of Judge Smails. He hopes the Judge will help him get into law school.
One of my most favorite exchanges between Smails and Noonan is when the young kid says something to the effect he really wanted to get into law school but was afraid his grades weren't good enough. Instead of hearing some words of encouragement, Judge Smails tells him "The world needs ditch diggers too."
The great lines don't end there.
Other notable exchanges include Rodney Dangerfield telling his oriental helper "Wang" not to reveal to Bushwood Country Club that he is Jewish.
Bill Murray as Carl Spackler, a lowlife greens keeper, is classic. There is a scene somewhere in the middle of the film where Ty Webb (Chase) hits a golf ball which goes sailing through the window of Carl Spackler's shed type of house and Ty asks if he can "play through" his place. Spackler asks Webb if he likes his place and Webb says its downright awful. Spackler tells him he has many things on layaway before he convinces Ty to try a "cannon ball."
So here I am now thinking of this film, which was a staple of my childhood. I was 9 when it first came out. I am still laughing my ass off today. America has not forgot about this gem. Today, you can't go through a reel of ESPN golf highlights without some wise-cracking sports analyst invoking a line from this flick.
Caddyshack marked the beginning of that uniquely 80s humor, typically exemplified by directors such as Harold Ramis, who directed Caddyshack, and John Hughes, who did films such as Plains, Trains and Automobiles and The Breakfast Club.
I should add that even though this film is about golf, it is really a comedy at heart and not a sports movie. I never have mistaken this movie for a sports flick but if it would be anything other than a classic comedy, I suppose it would fall into the sports genre. Alas, I'll call it a a true "Ace" of comedy without any misgivings, but a sports movie, ah, it is really not.
Being a golfer myself (a fairly shitty one at that), the staid country club atmosphere is still ripe territory for comedic plunder. The next time I walk into our local country club I will promptly inform any stuffed middle class golfers getting back rubs, that I want their cars towed immediately. After all, don't they have homes?
Coolest Things About Caddyshack
- Bill Murray, Ted Knight, Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield all in one movie.
- Rodney Dangerfield and his off-color jokes at Bushwood Country Club.
- Scene with Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, where Chevy's character is "playing through" his dump.
- "I crisen thee they flying wasp..."
- Danny Noonan being told "The world needs ditch diggers too..."
- Bill Murray's rant about the Dali Lama, "... I said 'hey, Lama, how about something for the effort?'... The Lama says there will be reward but on your death bed you will have total consciousness... So I got that going for me."
Not Cool Things About Caddyshack
- Nothing. This movie kicks ass.
|
