A comedy without a point and or even plot...what is there not to love?!

Rating: 8/10 (24 October 2006)

This is a typical silly comedy from the early '80's. The movie is basically filled with numerous humorous situations and crazy characters, without ever really making an attempt to make things click to each other in the movie or letting it make sense. Sounds like an awfully simple and lame comedy and it's its core it actually of course is. Yet the movie works perfectly thanks to the superb comedy cast, who all are in great form.
Basically the movie follows three main plot lines, set on and around a golf course. First there is the caddy Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe) who tries to get a scholarship and deals with girl problems, among other things. Then there is Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) who has to hunt and kill a gopher that is ruining the green. And then there's the plot with Judge Elihu Smails (Ted Knight) and Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield), who are constantly battling each other, on and off the golf course. But in all fairness, those plot lines are just an excuse to introduce many eccentric characters and letting them do many crazy things. There actually are many subplots in the movie but this movie is all about its characters and comical situations.
It's obvious that they improvised a lot during this movie, with its characters, situations and dialog. Even if there was a complete script, it was abandoned multiple times throughout the movie. It's sort of part of the charm of "Caddyshack". Of course as always, especially Bill Murray does great in the improvised sequences.
The story often doesn't really make sense and it doesn't even try to do so. The movie is filled with totally pointless sequences that are only put in for the laughs, not for the story or the flow of it. Best example of this is the "Jaws" spoof sequence. The same goes for most of the characters. The movie doesn't try to make sense, so the gloves are of and there is no holding back. It provides the movie with some absolutely priceless humor and dialog at times.
The humor is totally crazy. It's over-the-top and at times also quite vulgar. Guess you have to appreciate the lame mindless and pointless humor of '70's and '80's movie to fully enjoy this movie.
The characters are really the reason why this comedy works as such an highly amusing and funny one. All of the characters are eccentric to put it mildly. It definitely helps that most of the characters are being played by very talented comedy actors. Normally I'm not a big Chevy Chase fan but in this movie he was just perfect. Bill Murray is crazy as always and perhaps in this movie even crazier than all of the other characters in this movie combined. Really amusing was also Rodney Dangerfield in a totally crazy and over-the-top role, with some great comical dialog from his character. He provides some of the biggest laughs of the movie.
A comedy that I just never grow tired of.
8/10
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