Caddyshack

PLOT:

This comedy classic follows the travails of young caddy Danny Noonan as he gets tangled in high jinks involving the eclectic and ridiculous members of Bushwood Country Club. Meanwhile, assistant groundskeeper Carl Spackler battles a pesky gopher.

What people are saying:

“They don’t make ’em like this anymore … The plot wanders around the golf course and involves a half-dozen elements, but if you simply dig the gopher, the caddy, and the Dangerfield, you’re not going to be doing half bad.” 4 stars

“Essentially Animal House on the links, it’s neither as raucous nor as outrageous as that definitive college comedy but it has the same rebellious spirit and a great cast of comedy legends showing the young co-stars how it’s done.” 4 stars

“The funniest part about watching this was when my friend said, “We still need to make millions of dollars,” imitating the producers’ thoughts and reasoning for the nude scene. It’s unfortunate when you want to like a movie, you keep waiting for it to get good, giving it the benefit of the doubt, and at the end you just have to ask yourself, “Why?” 1 star

“In this eminently quotable directorial debut from the tragically late, yet unquestionably great Harold Ramis, we get to see a few of comedy’s finest names collide in some great scenes of banter and wit and some other fantastic scenes of slapstick and bombast. And does the comedy age well? You’d be surprised at how funny all of this stuff still is. And structurally speaking, this is also something quite interesting to feast upon as well, for Caddyshack is essentially a series of vignettes and sketches strung together by a very flimsy narrative throughline. And, while most movies that attempt this often fail miserably, there’s just something about Caddyshack’s spirit and charm that powers the film through the occasional aimless scene. A truly unique and occasionally masterful comedic feat overall.” 3 1/2 stars

“According to Harold Ramis, Caddyshack was originally supposed to be a dark comedy about the American Nazi Party. Instead we’re stuck with one of the best timeless comedies with one of the greatest ensemble casts of all time. Chase brought his A game, Murray won at Augusta, and Dangerfield worried that he was bombing when none of the crew laughed at his jokes during takes. What makes Caddyshack work above all else is the classic style of comedy used in a fresh context. This film should be held up as an example of what great mainstream comedy can accomplish.” 5 stars