Has a fair amount of laugh-worthy moments despite being slightly dull and unfocused

Rating: 5/10 (29 March 2016)

CADDYSHACK is yet another movie that everyone else but me has seen until now (apparently). It's directed by Harold Ramis and features Bill Murray and Chevy Chase in their prime, along with Rodney Dangerfield. Why wouldn't it be good? Well, if 90 minutes of improvisation with little to no plot is your idea of good comedy (and considering comedies these days, there are a lot of people who feel that way), then you'll feel right at home. For me, there were a number of individually funny bits from each of the main cast members, but the unfocused, episodic nature of the story kept me from being invested too much in the goings-on at this snooty country club. The best running gag is one that everyone is probably familiar with: Bill Murray and the gopher. But it was only funny in and of itself, feeling mostly tangential to the story (or to justify Bill Murray's presence). There was the potential to do a satire on class conflict, but Rodney Dangerfield threw a wrench in that (most of his bits didn't work for me at all). Chevy Chase got to do some of his shtick as well, but overall it felt like all the cast members were just trying to show each other up instead of being a real ensemble cast. I will say that the soundtrack, heavily featuring Kenny Loggins, was quite good though. Ultimately, I did laugh a handful of times but the script and its execution left a lot to be desired.