Caddyshack Narrowly Makes Par

Rating: 7/10 (31 January 2017)

Halfway through my first viewing of Caddyshack—despite how much I was laughing—I wondered aloud, "What is this movie even about?" Then I realized that Caddyshack doesn't know either. Director Harold Rammis walked onto the set of this film with a fragile script that was trampled by his star comedians—leaving us with this disjointed but entertaining mess that's become a classic.
Caddyshack opens with a hint of a story: Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe) is a lanky teen who wants to save up for law school but makes pennies caddying at a fancy golf club. So, Danny tries cozying up to one of the club's wealthy patrons in a bid to win a scholarship. Oh, but before that can move forward, let's talk about the groundskeeper (Bill Murray) who's hellbent on killing a wily gopher! Oh, and the master golfer (Chevy Chase) whose humility hides his talent! And Danny's girlfriend (Sarah Holcomb) who's inexplicably Irish—and the rich bombshell niece (Cindy Morgan) who wedges her slender body into everyone's love lives—and Rodney Dangerfield who basically does a bit in every scene!
This all would be enticing if any of it intersected meaningfully, but Caddyshack only ever allows these characters to impact one another's lives at the very end—and even that set-up feels improvised. There are no stakes involved, no dramatic tension (which, believe it or not, is essential even in a comedy). All of these characters crowd the film and eat up its running time, leaving Danny's paper-thin plot as an afterthought. Murray is perhaps the only actor who really gets into his role and grounds it in the film's world, playing a filthy moron that no one particularly enjoys talking to who fumbles his attempts to rid the course of a destructive pest. But it's not Murray's film, nor is it Chase's or Dangerfield's. It belongs to no one.
As funny as it was, I was disappointed with the aimless direction of Caddyshack. It's a movie with hilarious moments rather a good comedy. You'll watch, quote, and revisit portions of Caddyshack for the wit and bombast of Dangerfield, Murray, and Chase—but hardly ever for the situations surrounding them.