The Observer, February 25, 2005
Volume XXXVII, Issue 19
Caddyshack is the quint-essential comedy movie
I was struggling to come up with something suitable to write about this week with spring training just barely underway, the NBA All-Star weekend already a distant memory, nothing new on the Browns front, and hockey season cancelled. (As if I would bother writing about hockey anyway!) I stared blankly at my computer monitor, anxiously seeking fodder when it hit me – all I had to do was listen to Ty Webb and be the column. Blindfolded, I began typing away, desperate not to end up working in a lumberyard for the rest of my life.
From the first Kenny Loggins "I'm all right," Caddyshack has all the makings of a great film. It's been called the quintessential sports comedy, and that's a valid statement, but the film is more than that. It may be the quintessential comedy, period. That it takes place at Bushwood Country Club and uses golf as a means to bring together so many fantastic characters qualifies it as a sports movie, but above all it's the combined comedic genius of Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, and Bill Murray that make the movie what it is.
The combination of these four actors performing what I consider to be their best and funniest roles, all in the same movie, really sets it apart. Each of the main characters supplies his own brand of humor. Chase as Ty Webb is subtle and witty, and if you're not paying attention, you might miss the lines like "I feel like a hundred dollars." Dangerfield plays Al Czervik, an obnoxious real estate tycoon, and provides the low-brow humor moviegoers come to expect from him. ("Whoa! Somebody step on a duck?!") Ted Knight is the one you may not have heard of, but he is the one most people consider the best-cast actor in the film. He plays snooty Judge Smails, and delivers an over-the-top performance (in a good way), exaggerating the stereotypical country club member. Judge Smails is the reason I keep one can of Fresca in the refrigerator at all times with my other soft drinks, just so I can ask people, "How about a Fresca? Mmmmm?" (If you're not getting these jokes, then go see the movie and reread the column. It'll be much more enjoyable that way.) Finally, Murray is Carl Spackler, assistant greenskeeper with an underbite and speech impediment who may or may not be mentally challenged. Of course, he is well-traveled, having caddied for the Dalai Lama himself over there in the Himalayas. Additionally, if you were to challenge his mental capabilities, he'd tell you about how he's invented his own kind of grass. It's amazing stuff, but a little harsh.
Yes, the film was released 25 years ago, but comedy like this never gets old and neither does gratuitous nudity. This weekend, we're afforded the rare opportunity to see both on the big screen at Strosacker. If you've never seen Caddyshack, I suggest you do. If you don't like it, feel free to e-mail me a complaint, and I'll explain to you why your opinion is wrong. If you're not amused, you can always bet on whether the kid in front of you will pick his nose. Then go double or nothing on if he eats it. ("He was hungry.") So take advantage of the rare showing of this film on Saturday. We can do it. We don't even have to have a reason. And afterward we can go nightputting.
