Caddyshack (1980)

Chinese title:
“Crazy Golf”

Directed by: Harold Ramis

Written by: Brian Doyle-Murray, Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney

Starring: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray

Running Time: 1 hour, 38 minutes

Rating: R

Pre-Conceived Notions: Caddyshack is one of those films that has firmly embedded itself in American pop culture. If I had a quarter for every time someone started quoting Bill Murray’s speech where he’s practicing his golf swing on the chrysanthemums at me, I’d almost have a dollar. For a lot of my friends who appreciate American comedy, this ranks as one of their favorites, and I can’t wait to see where it lands on my list of comedy flicks. Bill Murray stars in my all-time favorite movie, Groundhog Day, so I’m very encouraged.

Why I Haven't Seen This Film: Never really had the opportunity to watch it. I think I put it on my Netflix queue a couple of times, but it was so far down my list of 300 films that my debit card would expire, and I’d be too lazy to enter my new card number on the website, and would let my membership lapse before I could get to see it. 

1 hour, 38 minutes later…: That was a very, um… interesting film. There were a lot of elements I have never seen in a movie: You’ve got the Baby Ruth in the pool scene, you’ve got the killer runaway yacht scene, you’ve got the old people that can’t hit the ball more than three feet, and most importantly, you’ve got the literate gopher scene. I mean, that gopher has to be the smartest gopher in movie history. Not only could he read the “EXPLOSIVES" label on the crate, but he knew what they were and understood his grim fate. I can understand why Bill Murray wanted to blow him up. His job was in jeopardy! But the scene that made me laugh out loud was the scene where the people at the pool party started to do an Esther Williams-esque choreographed routine in the pool. I’m still chuckling about that one. 

With a cast that includes Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, this movie was destined for greatness. An interesting bit of trivia: Michael O’Keefe, who plays Danny, was married to Bonnie Raitt for a period of time in the ’90s, and played Jackie’s husband, Fred, for a number of seasons on Roseanne. It was a total shocker to see him in there. Another interesting bit of trivia: this movie marks the only time Chevy Chase and Bill Murray ever shared a scene together. They had been feuding ever since Bill Murray replaced Chevy Chase on Saturday Night Live, and did not get along with each other. 

The movie was kind of all over the place, plot-wise. I mean, Danny’s main story was that he wanted to get a scholarship to go to college and then after sufficiently sucking up to the judge and head honcho of the club to get the caddy scholarship, he blows it when he plays against the judge in the game at the end. The judge asks him if he wants the scholarship, and Danny’s reply was, “I guess I don’t.” Umm… okay. 

Final Thoughts: 4 out of 6 slices of pizza. With memorable scenes stacked one on top of the other, Bill Murray’s antics, and all of the stuff that can go wrong at a golf course going wrong, I can see why this is an American classic.