Caddyshack (1980)

It's not big and it's not clever, but it's very, very funny.

Caddyshack has a low-budget look that warmly welcomes the all-important teenage audience. It looks like a film they could have made. And everyone associated with the film—in front of and behind the camera—is aware that he or she is making a frivolous film...That's why Rodney Dangerfield's cornball jokes and spritzing barbs are so perfectly right for the film. These are throwaway jokes for a most disposable motion picture, the kind of film that drive-ins were designed to play.

Too much time is spent on the forced romance between O'Keefe and Holcomb, an attractive waitress, however, and the slapstick becomes utterly mindless toward the end (as if the producer said, "Okay, it's time for this film to really get out of control!"). Still, the laughs keep coming.

To attempt a critical evaluation of Orion's new Caddyshack is a little like describing the esthetic qualities of an outhouse.

It's not as funny as "Cheech and Chong's Next Movie," but it is less pushy than "Meatballs." It is not as thickly stocked with outrageous moments as "Animal House," yet it is far easier to take than "Where the Buffalo Roam."

This vaguely likable, too-tame comedy falls short of the mark.

If you're still at the age when farting and nose-picking seem funny, then Caddyshack should knock you dead. Buried deep - very deep - beneath the rising tide of effluent is a pleasant enough story of a kind about trying to make it to the top as a caddy while yet remaining human; a movie which could have done for golf what Breaking Away did for cycling. Instead it allows a string of resistible TV comics (Chase excepted) to mug through an atrocious chain of lame-brained set pieces, the least vulgar of which involves a turd in a swimming pool.

Caddyshack never finds a consistent comic note of its own, but it plays host to all sorts of approaches from its stars, who sometimes hardly seem to be occupying the same movie.

The first-time director, Harold Ramis, can't hold it together: the picture lurches from style to style (including some ill-placed whimsy with a gopher puppet) and collapses somewhere between sitcom and sketch farce. Male bonding remains the highest value of the Animal House comedies: women are trashed with a fierceness out of Mickey Spillane.

This is one of those movies that isn't amazing in today's world to a modern audience, yet it is still hilarious and charming. The gopher in this movie is one of the most stand out parts, even though it feels more akin to something that would be in a children's movie, and Bill Murray is amazing with it. Also, Rodney Dangerfield and Chevy Chase both have that swagger to them, even though they both have insanely different versions of swag.

Harmless fun from the very early 1980's, wheelhouse of the teen sex comedy. Rodney Dangerfield and Chevy Chase are in the zone throughout, milking their most celebrated traits for all they're worth, while Bill Murray is largely wasted as the brain-dead burnout on the trail of a muppet gopher. A few iconic scenes from this one still linger in the public lexicon, like the wrapper-free Baby Ruth floating in the swimming pool or Chase's zen tee-box mantra of "Nanananana." Close examination of the plot reveals dozens of holes, an almost complete lack of risk to the main players and a misplaced focus... but that's not really the point. A joyously carefree approach to filmmaking, it was quite clearly a non-stop party that just so happened to commit 98 minutes of semi-coherent story to film. Some punchlines may have lost their edge over time, but those that haven't are surefire winners; enough to make up for the very dated general atmosphere.

Pretty weak overall. The comedic core is between Ted Knight's club president and Rodney Dangerfield's anarchic adversary. The rest is wasted, and its a shame.

Most of this was not really working for me, particularly whatever Murray was doing the whole movie. The villain was funny and Chase was charming, but it was all a little too loose and low effort for me.

I've tried to sit in an attempt to see its humor and appeal, and I just don't see it. I'm confounded by its cult-movie status. How is this boring, unfunny movie so popular?

I don’t understand anything about why people like this movie, the “jokes” are completely unfunny, and are either about rich snobs or ****. Good times!

I saw the ridiculously low score from the so-called experts so obviously I had to give this a true ranking. It's a timeless classic that takes golf and country clubs not too seriously which is great bc if you know some of those people you know they take their way of life way too seriously. the great cast and classic scenes/lines from this movie have kept me laughing for 30+ years. A++++++ film.

A classic comedy. Funny dialogue and slapstick. Sometimes a tad dull, but overall an enjoyable movie!

This movie holds a special place in my heart, This is one of the very few movies my father and I watched together and enjoyed. There is something special about a film that can make you laugh from the opening credits to the very last scene. Rodney Dangerfield I believe transcended the age barrier of comedy and will keep adults and children forever laughing. Bill Murray pulls off I think his funniest character to date all while having limited screen time. Chevy Chase is great in this film, but is funnier in the National Lampoons movies. Ted Knight is the backbone of this movie and his acting is funny at a different level in this movie where the other actors are I think having fun with the movie and Ted is dead serious about being funny. My god lets not talk about Cindy Morgan and my 13 year old crush on Lacey Underall, She stole every scene with her stunning beauty and presence. Last but certainly not least is the genius that is Harold Ramis, I love every movie he has done and apologize for nothing. I say short of National Lampoons Vacation this is IMO his best work.

In this eminently quotable directorial debut from the tragically late, yet unquestionably great Harold Ramis, we get to see a few of comedy's finest names collide in some great scenes of banter and wit and some other fantastic scenes of slapstick and bombast. And does the comedy age well? You'd be surprised at how funny all of this stuff still is. And structurally speaking, this is also something quite interesting to feast upon as well, for "Caddyshack" is essentially a series of vignettes and sketches strung together by a very flimsy narrative throughline. And, while most movies that attempt this often fail miserably, there's just something about "Caddyshack's" spirit and charm that powers the film through the occasional aimlessness. A truly unique and occasionally masterful comedic feat overall.