Mr Gopher Goes To Augusta
 Jun 10th, 2004
Advantages:
A great cast of comedy greats, oh and a gopher .
Disadvantages:
It's very dated now
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to similar films?
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  bigcat
About me:
On another little sabbatical at the moment. There are a few things I need to sort out. Be back soon,...
Member since:08.01.2004
Reviews:26
Members who trust:38
Review rated by 40 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
The goings on at stuffed shirt Bushwood Country Club, an elitist golf course, run by raging snob Judge Smails, that suddenly encounters a problem with a certain pesky gopher..... CASTING COUCH~
Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Bill Murray, Michael O'Keefe
Director: Harold Ramis US 1980
KENNY LOGGINS AND STICKY OUT HAIR~
Even if you didn't know the release date of Caddyshack, it wouldn't take much to work out it's an eighties movie. Certain things give it away - a young looking Chevy Chase (always had sticky out hair in those days), randy teens looking for luuuurve action and the biggest giveaway of all - a soundtrack dominated by Kenny Loggins.
Caddyshack doesn't really have a plot to speak of, being more a ragtag collection of one liners and visual gags that go to make a whole.
The story as it is... Ty Webb (Chase) is rich, smooth, good looking and probably the best golfer at Bushwood. He can play blindfolded and sink putts by using his club like a snooker cue. Unfortunately, he can't reach anywhere near this level when playing for money and just goes to pieces. His regular caddy is young Danny Noonan, one of a number of youngsters who caddy for the regulars at Bushwood.He sets his heart on winning the annual Bushwood Caddy Scholarship but to stand any chance he has to suck up to Judge Smails (Knight), one of the senior members of the
club and a racist, sexist idiot. Those are just his good qualities.
Smails is horrified to see the arrival at Bushwood of Al Czervic, played with a lot of zest by Rodney Dangerfield. Czervic is loud, brash, and outspoken with a dazzling array of putdowns and witticisms in his arsenal. After suffering one too many putdowns, Smails challenges Czervic to a match for money. The showdown is set - it's Smails & Dr Beeper Vs Czervic and a reluctant Webb.
Observing the entire goings on at Bushwood with a glazed over expression and complete lack of comprehension is grounds man Carl Spackler, a quite brilliant performance by Bill Murray. Permanently spaced out, Spackler has to pit his wits (what he has left, anyway) against a persistent but completely lovable gopher that is causing havoc on the course. There can be only one winner. MEEP MEEP~
Everyone who has seen Caddyshack remembers the gopher above all else. Making no attempt to make the gopher look anywhere near realistic adds to its charm and gives the battle between it and Spackler an almost cartoon like quality. Indeed, it's almost like watching a Road Runner episode with Spackler as Wile E Coyote, coming up with ever more elaborate ways of catching his prey. The dance our little furry friend performs over the credits is hilarious and almost steals the show.
The human members of the cast have a hard time matching the standards of Gopher but they put in a sterling effort.
Chevy Chase has long been one of my favourite comedy actors but he has a bit of a hard time here. He is given precious little to do apart from a couple of vintage Chase style dry put downs, such as this one in conversation with Judge Smails:
SMAILS: You know, you should play with Dr. Beeper and myself. Why, he's been club champion for three years running and I'm no slouch myself.
WEBB: Don't sell yourself short judge, you're a tremendous slouch." Fairing much better are Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Murray. This was stand up comic Dangerfield's first movie role and he acquits himself very well. It's obvious when watching Caddyshack that director Harold Ramis (of Ghostbusters fame) gave Dangerfield free reign with a lot of his lines and just let him loose. Some of his wisecracks are incredibly funny. So much so, I am proud to present
THE RODNEY DANGERFIELD COLLECTION To his Chinese friend on entering the golf club:
"I hear this place is restricted Wang, so don't tell 'em your Jewish."
Whilst browsing in the club shop:
"Buy a hat like that, you get a free bowl of soup." After meeting Smails' nerdy nephew:
"Now I know why tigers eat their young."
To Judge Smails:
"He called me a baboon, thinks I'm his wife." He certainly keeps 'em coming thick and fast.
And so to Bill Murray. With Carl Spackler, he has created a classic comedy character. Permanently spaced out and mumbling from the corner of his mouth, he observes the various happenings at the club with interest, albeit a dazed one. We first observe Carl watching from behind a hedge as a group of lady golfers gather on the green. With only his top half visible, we see his right hand moving rhythmically up and down, only for the camera to pull back revealing him using a hand pump to wash golf balls. There is a wonderful moment when we see Spackler hitting the heads off flowers whilst day dreaming of winning the Masters.
"Cinderella boy, outta nowhere, a former greenskeeper now about to become the master's champion." This sums up the character of Carl Spackler perfectly. Whilst he may constantly dream of bettering himself and escaping his current humdrum life, we know he never will.
THE CLUBHOUSE VERDICT~
So why award Caddyshack just three stars when it has a stellar cast, great one liners and a sweet little gopher?
Well, if I had written this review twenty years ago I probably would have given a full house of five stars but somehow watching the film now just doesn't have the same impact. Whilst it is still very funny, it just doesn't seem to have dated well and there are too many characters in the film that have nothing to do with the story and which you wouldn't notice if someone took them out of the final print.
Saying that, we still have our gopher friend and his little dance to savour.
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![Caddyshack [DVD] [1980]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78547040.jpg)
10.04.2008 15:07
Always thought the gopher looked stupid
09.06.2006 14:30
liked the format, nice one. Phil
11.03.2006 01:10
I love this film so much...though my friends have mixed feelings, one thinks it is utter genious, just as i do...two of them think that it is a huge wate of time. Nice review.