Stereotypes

There are a few stereotypes that can be picked up on throughout the film. One in particular that I would like to expand upon is the way that old members of country clubs are portrayed and viewed. Judge Smails in the movie is a bit crazy in his own way and definitely on the strong side of a spectrum. One of his more well known quotes is when he is speaking to a young man about doing something wrong, "I've sentenced boys younger than you to the gas chamber. Didn't want to do it. I felt I owed it to them." He says it in a self-reassuring, serious manner.I personally get to play at two different golf courses (one public and one private) and see how the members interact with eachotherand others. In the movie Caddyshack, Bushwood Country Club is a private facility. I can say that while most members at the private country club I go to are polite and courteous, there are certainly a few where I see similar characteristics to those found in Judge Smails. This doesn't seem to be the case at public courses for the most part because members there have no voice to say who can play or become a member and who cannot. So I am wondering, are private clubs havens for snooty, rich people to feel at home? Are all or most private clubs this way? Is this trend getting better or worse with time and do you have examples? Feel free to comment with opinions or just other stereotypes that you see in the movie.

Popularity and Critics

When Caddyshack was first released in theaters, many critics were giving poor reviews to the movie saying that it "had too much freedom" and was "written loosely". Even the director, Harold Ramis, claims that he can't stand to watch it sometimes because of it "lurches from style to style" and falls apart somewhere between sitcom and sketch farce. Throughout the years, however, the film has become more and more popular and now known as a classic. TV Guide originally gave Caddyshack two stars but over time it went to three stars and four stars. It also has received numerous awards including being in the American Film Institute's 100 funniest movies and top 100 movie quotes. Tiger Woods openly says that it is his favorite movie and he is the biggest influencer that golf has. Time will tell if the movie continues its rise among the best but I for one get a good laugh out of it.

Character Portrayals

One characteristic of Caddyshack that I find interesting and funny is the way that the movie portrays certain classes and occupations. The caddies are mostly young rebellious school kids. They work for older "snobs" that have money and care little for them. This is illustrated several times throughout the movie, mostly by judge Smails. Judge Smails in my mind is meant to be the portrayal of the average, stuck up, old time member. He doesn't care to have certain people join the club and thinks everything should be done his way. The way he treats his grandson and granddaughter is as such and very poor. This might be why the grandson is portrayed as a spoiled brat who throws tantrums and the granddaughter is a wild child that gets around. Many of the characters have different aspects to them that gives off a sort of vibe that the audience can notice and maybe relate to. They have some small clip where you can pick up on these details whether it be the scene with the doctor, the shoe cleaner, the father, or the clergyman. Can anyone else depict what they think about how the actors are portrayed vs. what it is like in real life? And also if it has changed since the movie was created?

Explosive Climax

The climax of the film happens on the last hole of the match/bet between the team of Dr. Beeper and Judge Smails and the team of Ty Webb and Danny Newnan. The match is all tied up and Danny has a putt to win the match. He leaves the putt dead center and a fraction short from going in the hole and it seems that the "good guy" team has lost. Suddenly, Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) unleashes his latest gopher deterrent on the golf course, causing massive explosions to erupt all around the course. This violent eruption causes enough of a tremor to shake the ball that last little bit and into the hole, in which the rules official is watching intently while all this is happening. The crowd erupts and Ty and Danny win. What most people don't know about this scene is that the film crew did not get permission from the club to blow up their golf course. This match is also not decided correctly. Both teams are tied going into the hole and Judge Smails makes his putt for birdie. This would force Danny Newnan to make his putt for the tie. Never the less, Danny makes it and everyone watching, including the actors, accept that Danny and Ty have won. Do you believe this was a mistake by the directors and that nobody ever caught on to it? It seems like a fairly large mistake to be ignored or overlooked.

Cinderella Story

Bill Murray's famous "cinderella story" skit was one of the greatest and memorable scenes in the film. It also was totally improvised and only had one line of direction. The director, Harold Ramis, asked Murray to play the scene like a kid who pretends he's a sportscaster. Bill asked him for a few rows of flowers and then improvised the rest of the scene. The amazing part about this is it was done only in one take.I cant think of a better scene that involves Bill Murray. It's scenes like this that make the movie "Caddyshack" a classic in my mind and keeps fans watching it again and again. Is there anyone that can suggest another comedic improvisation that could rival this one? If there is, please comment because I would love to watch it.

The Gopher

The infamous gopher is a symbol for the movie Caddyshack and is even on the front cover of the dvd and vhs. The story of the gopher is sort of an underlying portion that involves the war between Carl Spackler (Bill Murray)and the destructive rodent. The gopher is originally discovered by the character Judge Smails who is an uptight founding member of the club and needless to say he loses it. Carl Spackler uses many techniques to try and rid of the pesky gopher but he just seems to always get outsmarted. Some of these methods include pumping the holes with water, creating fake squirrels made of dynamite, camouflaged hunting, and even blowing up the course which fittingly ties the whole story together. Luckily the gopher escapes all danger and gets to dance away the movie to his favorite song. This "gopher" part of the movie was criticized largely during its release but has grown in support ever since.

Bill Murray and Chevy Chase

In the film Caddyshack Bill Murray and Chevy Chase are in only one scene together. This same scene is actually the only movie scene that the two have ever been in together. Both being star comedic actors with much of the same fan base, one would think that Bill and Chevy would have had to have been in some of the same movies. But, in actuality, the two had a feud while working together on SNL and have never liked each other since, at least that is what reports say. The scene involves Chevy Chase hitting his ball into where Bill Murray lives (the maintenance shed) and playing from there. While in the shack they have a small discussion about grass among other things and after Chevy finally plays his ball out Bill decides to do some cleaning around the house with his leaf blower. It truly is a special piece in comedic movies because of how rare it was as well as the content. There was actually one more scene in the movie involving both of them that got cut out.

An interesting topic on the movie Caddyshack is the way it was behind the scenes. Apparently the actors had a lot of fun during the creation of the film. The younger actors would have parties many of the nights and it soon became an issue for some of the older actors. Does anyone think this could have had an effect on the vibe and humor of the film?

Caddyshack II

Ok, its clear that everyone agrees so far with my assessment on the great original. But how about we discuss the sequal which in my opinion did not quite live up to the first. If anything it degraded the impeccable original. your thoughts are appreciated as always.

Agreement?

It seems that everyone so far agrees that Caddyshack is the best movie of all time. Please comment on what your favorite scene is or even suggest another movie that you believe is better.

The Debate

There is some heated debate going on regarding whether Caddyshack is indeed the greatest movie of all time or not. This blog is here to settle the debate. While it is hard to argue with the near perfect performances of Bill Murray and Chevy Chase, not to mention Rodney Dangerfield among others, I am sure there are maybe one or two of you out there who find another movie to be your favorite. Please feel free to comment on what makes your favorite better than the greatest movie ever or just simply expand on the facts I've stated. Sarcasm will definitely not be tolerated.