A charming little sports comedy

Rating: 6/10 (19 January 2006)

It's a shame that the genre of sport when it comes to film isn't as exploited as much as it perhaps should be. Often, the clichés can come thick and fast when it comes to narrative and the characters involved; such as 'the underdog' and the 'underdog always winning in the end', so after seeing this, it was pleasing to see a film that steered clear of this and took a completely different direction when approaching the genre.
The multi-strand storyline is cute to say the least. On one side, you've got the tension building up between an elderly golfer and a new member of the club who is a lot richer and a lot louder and as a result, is seen as more of a rival than a fellow member. On the other side, you have a rather bizarre yet amusing at times sub-plot involving the unforgettable Bill Murray as an obsessed green keeper attempting to annihilate a pesky gopher terrorising the course. Throw a love story into the mix and you've got a film. The dialogue and acting really flows out of the actors, especially Bill Murray's character in a number of different scenes and on a number of different occasions. Everything from the discovery that it was only, after all, a chocolate bar in the pool to the now famous 'Cinderella Story' monologue.
Rodney Dangerfield's character is another who benefits from the amusing script as he goes around breaking every single rule (not just golf rules) in particularly funny fashion. One scene during an evening dinner/party when he gives his own personal opinion about each guest in a rather outgoing manner is particularly memorable. Chevy Chase's character is also good value as the rather bland but open-minded doctor who can shoot a below par round without caring too much, he also eats off the script which springs to life at clever moments.
On the down side, despite the quaint little narrative, there is never much of a plot. Although this is dominantly a golf/sporting orientated film, there is never really an atmosphere of sports nor is there much tension as the opposing sides in the form of the rich old men at the club attempts to build up. The reason behind this is that with Bill Murray's characters sub-plot inter-cutting now and again, the comic relief distinguishes any atmosphere we might previously have felt.
The film also seems to hover around on young caddie 'Danny' as he deals with life at the golf club and seems forever chasing his own personal 'American Dream' which, although when compared to all the other characters' aims is a lot more long term, it just seems to weigh the film down in a rather strange way as any scene with Danny, you feel isn't particularly important as the real stories/comic interest are lying with most of the characters. This slows the film down slightly but there is enough of everything else to keep it interesting until the final match, which actually seems quite tame itself until the little twist you eventually see building up during the game.
I think you'll enjoy this film in places and depending on your mood whilst you watch this, there's a high chance you'll like it overall.