The directorial debut of Harold Ramis and catalyst for Rodney Dangerfield’s acting career, “Caddyshack” is considered by some to be the best sports movie of all time. I wasn’t so sure, but I liked it enough. The film follows Danny Noonan, a caddie at the Bushwood Country Club, who is working to raise cash for college. There, he follows the advice of Ty Webb (Chevy Chase) and chases the wallets of Judge Smails and Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield). Jokes, hijinks, and silly premises carry the character story from scene to scene, including a running gag where groundskeeper Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) fights to outsmart a gopher on the golf course.
I can’t fully recall how “Caddyshack” ended up on my screening list. I suppose I knew I would need a palate cleanse after the Halloween season and sifted down “best comedies” lists until I could find one I hadn’t seen. Regardless, I liked it. Behind its silly facade, Caddyshack is a rather spot-on story about old money, new money, and a teenager’s quest to find purpose and direction in life. On one hand, Danny represents the first generation to face an unlimited, daunting, and expensive transition to adulthood since before the Vietnam War generation. On the other hand, poop jokes are just funny. So that’s the mixed bag that was “Caddyshack”!