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| STUFF I LIKE, BUT SELDOMLY UPDATE |
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Caddyshack: Greatest Movie Ever?
Sports seem to be the stuff of movie legendry. With the built-in drama of most sporting events, how can you miss? Baseball, football, and hell, even hockey have had enough movies made about them to start their own sections at Blockbuster. But what about hitting the links? With a few notable exceptions (three, in fact), golf movies are inexplicably lacking in the history of film...then again, there might be a good reason. Have you ever actually watched a game of golf?
Caddyshack (1980)
Starring: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Michael O'Keefe
"To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit -- ever." Bill Murray's greenskeeper Carl is neck-and-neck with Chevy Chase's "Fletch" for the most-quoted movie character in bars and locker rooms, and for good reason: He's frickin' hilarious. Best of all, Murray is only a small part of Caddyshack's all-star cast, every member of which is equally funny. So what was the movie about? We can't remember. We were too busy laughing. But there was some golf in there, we're sure.
Score: Birdie
Tin Cup (1996)
Starring: Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Don Johnson, Cheech Marin
Costner traded in his baseball mitt for a bag of golf clubs in this feel-good tale of a boozed-out driving range pro who shoves his way onto the U.S. Open tour on guts alone. Basically, it's the dream of every golfer in America. Too bad Costner's Roy is so hot-headed he's destined to lose the big game (even breaking his clubs over his knee!), not to mention his tendency to choke under pressure. Still, he gets the girl, which in movieland, is just as good as the millions that come from winning a major golf tournament. Uh-huh.
Score: Par
Happy Gilmore (1996)
Starring: Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen
Yes, 1996 gave us 2 of the 3 major golf movies of the century! Adam Sandler traded in his dumb-ass grin for a bag of golf clubs in this feel-good tale of a failed yet pugilistic hockey player who shoves his way onto the U.S. Open tour on guts alone. The plot may be awfully familiar, but with Sandler at the reins, you can be sure there's plenty of potty humor to go around. Not to mention the infamous brawl between Sandler and The Price Is Right star Bob Barker. Of course, Bob wins the fight.
Score: Bogie
Other Notable Golf Movie Moments
Golf plays a lesser role in some other notable films in recent years. A few highlights:
Swingers (1996) gave us the hilarious story of a handful of L.A. hipsters who, in their spare time, like to tee off (and five-putt). Score: Hole-In-One
M*A*S*H (1970) featured Hawkeye and Trapper who only want to get one thing out of the Korean War: A better handicap. Score: Eagle
Caddyshack II (1988) is the inevitable sequel to the classic that we're all trying to forget ever existed. Jackie Mason: You're no Rodney Dangerfield. Score: Double Bogey
Dorf on Golf (1987) proved that even a man who walks on his knees can get out of a bad sand trap. Score: Mulligan
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