Caddyshack

Rating:
Summary: Rodney Dangerfield's Finest Work
Review: I don't know where to begin in saying what a great comedy this is. Bill Murray and Ted Knight were both wonderful in this golf themed classic. But Rodney Dangerfield really stole the show. He passed off some of the greatest one liners and comedic gags you will ever see or hear. To this day, when I'm golfing with friends, I can't help but say, "Let's go. . . while we're young!" as they are about to tee off. And it always brings as much of a laugh from them as it does from me. This is one of those rare comedies you can watch dozens of times and never get tired of it. So go buy this DVD. . . while we're young! And thanks for the memories, Rodney. You will be greatly missed.

Rating:
Summary: Thanks For The Laughs Rodney...
Review: I had to watch this movie yet again lastnight (even though I can practically yodel it backwards in Portugese) to pay my final respects to Rodney. What can I say about this movie that hasn't been said countless times before? It is the ultimate male-bonding movie, one that every guy age 18-50 must memorize word-for-word so that random lines of dialogue can be quoted in social settings, ensuring that another guy will call out the very next line in the script, indicating that he is indeed part of the not-so-secret society.

I can not possibly give this disc less than the full 5 stars for any reason. Having said that however, I must say that there is no DVD on the market today in more desperate need of a re-release. The mono soundtrack is horrendous. Granted, this is typical of a 1980 movie, but with the remastering techniques available today, it could certainly be cleaned up quite a bit. Dialogue seems to be swallowed up by the poor recording, no matter what setting I choose on my home theater system. Of course, this ain't "Star Wars" or "Lethal Weapon", so full-blown surround sound is not necessary, but it still needs to be remastered in at least 2-channel stereo with better clarity.

Considering this DVD was released in 2000 and thus predates the era where discs are loaded with unnecessary surplus material, it's actually got one very decent extra. The documentary "The 19th Hole" is an interesting (and not over-long) retrospective featuring cast and crew, though unfortunately it features none of the four main players. Still, it's interesting to see how people like Noonon, DiNunzio, and Lacy Underall (who looks better now than she did in the movie, IMHO) have aged over the years, and hear their anecdotes on the making of the film.

So please, Paramount, re-release this on two discs with all sorts of pointless extras that I'll never watch, like a 15-minute documentary on Chevy Chase's favorite brand of chewing gum. As long as the soundtrack and the picture get a good tune up, it'll make it well worth purchasing again. This is the movie equivalent of "comfort food". You watch it and you automatically are transformed to a better place, one you've been to many times before, but you never grow tired of it.