But, the peak comedy stylings of Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight and Bill Murray are so delightful and hilarious that they more than make up for the movie's shortcomings.
The tragedy behind the scenes of this movie is that one of the genius creators behind it -- the legendary Doug Kenney -- died thinking the movie was a failure. It's true that the early reviews were hostile --I suspect moreso because the comedy was specifically aimed at the very generation of snooty older folks that comprised the critic community at the time.
But the movie clearly worked for the audience it was intended for --young men -- and it was a solid hit if not a blockbuster. Over the years it has endured to become one of the most beloved, quotable movies of all time. And while it may not be a touchstone for kids who grew up in the Judd Apatow era (whose improvisational films were clearly inspired by this one), but it'll always be one of my favorite movies.
I have always loved its larger than life characters -- the suave iconoclastic Ty Webb (Chase), the coarse and colorful Al Czverik (Dangerfield), the obnoxious upper cruster Judge Smails (Knight) and the deranged groundskeeper Carl (Murray). And I have always been obsessed with its theme of slobs vs. snobs.
The film came out in 1980, the year Ronald Reagan would be elected president and usher in an age of conservatism where someone like the Smails character would actually be revered and romanticized.
Caddyshack is a rude, crude thumb in the eye of that form of the establishment and I'll always be here for it.
I've especially always be drawn to Chase's character. He is, not unlike the actor himself, to the manner born but he deliberately rebukes his richy rich background. He quotes Zen philosophy, he doesn't keep score when he plays golf and he puts down Smails deftly every chance he gets.
Chase, who is regularly and perhaps fairly pilloried for his bad behavior on set and bad career choices, shows so much of the unconventional leading man charisma and potential he had here that was unfortunately squandered by the end of the decade. But I will always value Caddyshack for at least crystalizing what made him such a unique talent.
The same goes for Dangerfield, who while not an actor, is simply a scene stealing star in this movie. He is wild eyed dervish shooting off one liners with abandon and invigorated by a back-slapping, party guy spirit that is infectious as hell. His final line in this movie -- the totally anachronistic "we're all gonna get laid" is one of my favorite 'what the hell' moments in movie history.
Ted Knight, who I have come to learn had begun a long battle with cancer at the start of filming this movie, is its lowkey MVP. He is so committed to being the comic foil for all the crazy characters who populate the fictional Bushwood country club that he ends up frequently being the funniest character himself. The best comedy is always played straight and Knight was a pro at that.
Finally, there's Bill Murray who was just at the beginning of his ascent. He would follow this movie with Stripes, Tootsie and Ghostbusters, a hot streak any actor would envy. His part here is almost entirely improvised and perfunctory but that doesn't make it any less inspired. He brings the same unpredictable, sly style here that made so many of this later performances so electric and he's sadly the only one left who has still got it. Chase is still alive, but ya know, barely.
During this terrible time, it's so important to grab onto the things that bring us joy -- and the people too, if possible. And for me Caddyshack is movie comfort food. It goes down easy. It always makes me laugh. And it meant something to me. Growing up, these were comedy Gods and for better or worse, I still worship them.
No comments:
Post a Comment