Nothing but Trouble (1991).

Review #2244: Nothing But Trouble.

Cast: 

Chevy Chase (Chris Thorne), Dan Aykroyd (Alvin "J.P" Valkenheiser / Bobo), John Candy (Dennis Valkenheiser / Eldona Valkenheiser), Demi Moore (Diane Lightson), Valri Bromfield (Miss Purdah), Taylor Negron (Fausto Squiriniszu), Bertila Damas (Renalda Squiriniszu), Raymond J. Barry (FBI Agent Mark), and Brian Doyle-Murray (FBI Agent Brian) Directed by Dan Aykroyd.

Review: 

"Well the movie I directed I wish had done better because I know it was a good serviceable comedy. It was called "Nothing But Trouble." It just got hit by the Gulf War and there was a Julia Roberts comedy and a Jodie Foster movie in the same marketplace and we were dead. But people watch it on DVD and they tell me they like it."

I'm sure you've had a weird experience on the road once. Dan Aykroyd apparently had one such experience in the late 1970s that involved him wrapped in a kangaroo court after a traffic mishap that saw him invited to tea. The impetus to make a horror comedy came at the suggestion of Robert K. Weiss when he went to a screening (with the Aykroyds) of Hellraiser and saw people laughing at the film. Peter Aykroyd wrote the story for the film while his older brother Dan wrote the screenplay. A variety of the ideas came from dreams Aykroyd was having to go along with the actual town of Centralia, Pennsylvania (a near ghost town due to a coal mine fire that has burned under the place since 1962). Aykroyd never actually wanted to direct the film, because he initially aimed to play both the Judge character and the lead character eventually played by Chase because the studio wanted Chase to star (Aykroyd then was tasked to play "Bobo" because nobody was big on playing an ugly twin). While the studio did not meddle during the actual shooting of the film (due to, of all things, being distracted by another troubled production in The Bonfire of the Vanities), they eventually meddled when it came to the final cut, which they felt was too much and thus cut it down to go for a PG-13 rating and push back the release from Christmas 1990 (the aforementioned Vanities film got the date) to 1991 while changing the title from "Valkenvania" to, well, "Nothing But Trouble". The movie was not liked by audiences or critics, and it is the only film that has been directed by Aykroyd.

Honestly, it isn't exactly that bad, and I fail to see exactly why people gave the movie guff for basically being a sillier rendition of a monster movie (Abbott and Costello isn't too bad a comparison) crossed with Motel Hell. Sure, it isn't as funny as it probably could have been and it sure seems obvious where things were cut down to size (complete with its Looney Tunes ending), but what the hell is so bad about goofy grotesque fun? If it was a film by an "auteur", would people have given credit as one that dared to show dreams on screen? Instead, it was thought of as gross and not funny when the grotesque eccentric nature is the whole point. Sure, one could say the cast turns out to be a mixed bag, depending on one's patience, particularly when it comes to the middling chemistry of Chase and Moore, but one could make the argument that they look accurately befuddled at the proceedings around them that play around with the idea of who one wants to be following as a lead. When one finally gets around to Aykroyd, you really can't take your eyes off him in his amusingly creepy nature that imposes plenty on its audience, complete with a moment where his nose looks a certain way while grinning. He plays one half of the mutant baby-creatures that likes to play cards that is actually kinda funny. I think one has to just imagine that Chase really is just playing a jerk who thinks he knows better than the others around him rather than calling it a lazy performance (don't worry, there were lazier ones). Candy is probably the second most committed to the bit, having some warm charm in one role and a silently funny role on the other side (yes, one can look pretty convincing in a certain type of costume if they have the right glance for it). It is the designs that come through in the sets and costumes that keep the film on the ride of sustainability that otherwise would've doomed other films to, well, having less interest in it in the "is it really that bad?' cult. There are too many doodads and weird things to mention (heh, goofy ugly twins) without just saying one should just see it for themselves in what they accomplished in macabre engagement. The 93 minute runtime just makes one want to see just what the hell was so weird that couldn't make it through for audiences to grit their teeth at. As a whole, it is a messy movie that deserved better, particularly with what ended up being on screen. Its creativity in the art of weirdness is one that should be celebrated when it comes to the grotesque more so than in comedy for a strange but worthwhile experience.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Now up, state your case this time with: Mommie Dearest.

Caddyshack II.

Review #1300: Caddyshack II.

Cast: 
Jackie Mason (Jack Hartounian), Robert Stack (Chandler Young), Randy Quaid (Peter Blunt), Dan Aykroyd (Captain Tom Everett), Chevy Chase (Ty Webb), Jessica Lundy (Kate Hartounian), Dyan Cannon (Elizabeth Pearce), Jonathan Silverman (Harry), Dina Merrill (Cynthia Young), Marsha Warfield (Royette Tyler), and Brian McNamara (Todd Young) Directed by Allan Arkush.

Review: 
This film is awful. Are you really that surprised? How could anyone think that this would be a good idea, particularly after eight years and only one returning co-star from before? Is the fault of this cinematic waste really all at the feet of its producer trio (Neil Canton, Peter Guber, Jon Peters)? Oh sure, Harold Ramis returns to serve as writer (co-writing with Peter Torokvei), but it is evident very early that this is the product of re-writes that have warped its original draft into something out of the Four Horsemen of the Movie Apocalypse: Terrible direction, listless acting, miserable atmosphere, and awful execution. One could almost be impressed with how dumb this proves to be, if they didn't burst into flames first. Going from an R rating from the previous film to a PG rating (when PG-13 already had been introduced as a rating) is the first sin one could identify for this film, oddly enough. It sure is hard to believe how Arkush found himself on such a strange film, having started his film career with Roger Corman at New World Pictures with films such as Hollywood Boulevard (1976) that eventually led him to mainstream studio stuff like Heartbeeps (1981). Since this film, he has primarily served as director for TV shows and telefilms. At least one can say Arkush has just one awful standout in a string of several things to list for a career, where probably no one could have done much better with. Predictably, this film proved to be a financial failure, making just half of its $20 million budget back (while the previous one had made roughly six times its $6 million budget).

When it comes to acting, the biggest ugly duckling in a sea of ugly ducklings is losing Rodney Dangerfield to studio disputes (which is why Ramis decided to reluctantly come back to write the script), since he might have made this at least seem palpable. In his place is Mason, who actually had received good notices on stage and television (including a Tony Award for his one-man show The World According to Me alongside an Emmy Award after the film's release). If it sounds like I am trying to give slack, it really is more me trying to resist asking the best way to describe his performance when it comes to jokes: In what world is Jackie Mason a replacement for Rodney Dangerfield? Flashy dress styles can't make up for sluggish attempts at humor (with PG trappings, remember), and the story revolving around him isn't any better. It sure is interesting to see Stack in a terrible comedy sequel (insert reference to him not being in Airplane II here), but his wooden deadpan delivery here doesn't quite work out here, since it doesn't register as many laughs as before, sadly. Quaid, playing a crazed lawyer that obviously exists in cartoon world where threatening people and giving them wedgies in public, manages to come off as aggressively unfunny, owing in part because this film doesn't have any real clue what to do with him. The less said about Aykroyd and his silly voice for this character, the better. Oddly enough, Chase returns (for which he later said he regretted doing), looking much like a bored cat when dealing with such lame gags, although he technically is the highlight, since he draws an occasional laugh. You know, I actually thought to try and count the amount of time that he is on screen. The total ended up being around fourteen minutes, with a good chunk of it being after an hour has already passed. I then thought, why not just count the minutes for Quaid and Aykroyd as well? Quaid and Aykroyd show up for about 8-9 minutes each. Honestly, any of these three leave more of a lasting impression than Lundy, Silverman, Merrill, or McNamara do as the young leads. That's not to say that the caddies present in the previous film were comedy magnets, but at least one could follow Michael O'Keefe and his pursuits (golf and ladies, namely) without being completely lost in the all-star cast chokedown that this film spews down the throat for 98 minutes. After all, you can see the parallels between the Dangerfield-Knight-O'Keefe-Murray pairing from before and the Mason-Stack-Silverman-Aykroyd "quartet" here, for which each can't quite live up to even the lowest of expectations. For one thing, they barely share that much time on screen as a group, and the golf game at the end feels so thin in actual depth (complete with "wacky" golf course designs). If you can't care about what goes on, you might as well just stare at the bathroom wall for ninety eight minutes instead.

For all that can be said about the film not being funny, a bunch can also be said about the fact that the golf aspects are tremendously terrible. The first film may have had a few weird swings from its main actors, but at least one could actually believe they were playing golf. It was based off the experiences that Harold Ramis and Brian Doyle-Murray (both co-writers of the first film) had as caddies when they were growing up, but this film seems to treat golf like it is some sort of wacky piece of puddy that can be manipulated to do any odd thing, with golf trajectories that seem more in like with a cartoon than anything, right down to giving the gopher more to "say". Even the plot aspects involving the club are boring, where motivations seem thrown out on a whim. There will be nobody who can give this film a defending, unless producers count as impartial I guess. Mercy is a quality one really shouldn't have for dumb movies like this, but I present the fact that it perfectly belongs in the pantheon of movies like Troll 2 and Rollerball (2002). There are no real reasons to ever watch this film, unless one prefers comedy torture from films instead of bad standup routines, or if they have a death wish of the cinematic kind.

Overall, I give it 1 out of 10 stars.

Vegas Vacation.

Review #1083: Vegas Vacation.

Cast: 
Chevy Chase (Clark Griswold), Beverly D'Angelo (Ellen Griswold), Randy Quaid (Cousin Eddie), Ethan Embry (Russell "Rusty" Griswold), Marisol Nichols (Audrey Griswold), Miriam Flynn (Cousin Catherine), Shae D'Lyn (Cousin Vicki), Wayne Newton (Himself), Wallace Shawn (Marty the Blackjack dealer), Juliette Brewer (Cousin Ruby Sue), Sid Caesar (Old Guy), and Siegfried & Roy (Themselves) Directed by Stephen Kessler.

Review: 
I couldn't find any time in the review to make a Vegas sports joke/reference, given that they now have a hockey team (and a particularly good one this year), with the timing of this review to their appearance in the Conference Finals against the Winnipeg Jets (a team that I like and follow a bit more than the Golden Knights, although I appreciate both being in the final four) being a coincidence. In any case, enjoy the review and enjoy a good Conference Finals.

Remember the first three films? Although each had a varying quality to them, they managed to be fairly entertaining pieces of entertainment (at least for the first and third ones, in my view), with Chase and D'Angelo being key standouts, especially in National Lampoon's Vacation (#804). This time around, I can't say that is the case. If National Lampoon's European Vacation (#1060) could be cited by me as an average film, Vegas Vacation could be cited as an awful venture that produces the least amount of returns of the four films, which is made fairly obvious by the first half of the film. It is actually strange to see how long it took to make a fourth film that followed after National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (#771), being released eight years later, by which time Chase had already passed 50 and the two Griswold children are replaced again by actors who now look like they could almost be in college. This time around, the National Lampoon moniker has been removed, with the vacation destination being just one place (as evidenced by the title). It is the only Vacation film with a PG rating, as compared to the R rating for the first film and a PG-13 rating for the other two. The humor certainly feels sanitized in some part because of this decision to go for PG, although that doesn't mean that funny films can't come from things rated PG, it just means that this film isn't funny because of its attempts to reach across the aisle for audiences.

At any rate, it is obvious that this film doesn't have much motivation to go on beyond a bunch of weak gags and a few indulgent cameos that actually seem more interesting to watch than the actual film and its plot. When the parts with Wayne Newton and Siegfried & Roy are more interesting to watch than the scenes with the Griswolds, I think you have a big problem. It isn't so much that they don't have much chemistry with each other as a group, it's just that it feels more like a mediocre sitcom kind of family than anything actually really particularly funny, dwelling in cliché levels (particularly involving Las Vegas) that aren't at all surprising. Chase looks tired in his role (grey hair included), not really making the material given to him leap off much, with the greed aspects seeming more stale than anything. D'Angelo does fine, taking her material and rolling with whatever it leads to (ridiculous as it is), whether with Chase or Newton. Quaid's bumpkin role garners a few laughs, but it isn't anything too particularly new or any too funny. Embry and Nichols deliver plain performances, but it isn't anything too particularly annoying at least. The other members of the cast aren't too terrible, but they don't contribute to too many laughs; Caesar (in his final on-screen appearance) shows up near the end of the film, which is slightly amusing in its briefness for his gestures, sad as that may seem. Newton is okay, but sometimes his scenes fall a bit tiresome, in part because the movie doesn't really have much focus besides just throwing a bunch of gags and lines (and a few visuals of Las Vegas) and hoping it sticks with him. Shawn does fine with this brief but scuzzy part, even if the gag (involving Chase who can't stop losing in bets) gets tiresome fairly quickly. Each of the four Griswolds have their own kind of story, and only D'Angelo's feels particularly interesting, cliché as it is.

The components of writing and directing for this film are a bit different than usual, with the film's screenplay was done by Elisa Bell, who had written a few teleplays for TV movies prior to this film, while Bob Ducsay (a long time editor for films such as G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - #201 and Star Wars: The Last Jedi - #1027) contributed to the story, with Stephen Kessler (in his feature film debut) as director. The blame falls in part to them, but it also falls to people who thought it was a good idea to make a film after eight years with the belief that this would be a huge hit. Instead, the result that came from this movie is a huge dud. Is it horrible? No, but it is a miserable misfire that drags its cast down just as much as it drags the audience down with its attempts at humor. I'm reminded of my actual time spent at Las Vegas a few years ago with my dad, in which I bought a snow-globe that I still have in my house to this day. The brief experience I spent there (including a bad attempt at swimming and staying at a motel) was easily better than the time I spent watching this movie.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

National Lampoon's European Vacation.

Review #1060: National Lampoon's European Vacation.

Cast: 
Chevy Chase (Clark Griswald), Beverly D'Angelo (Ellen Griswald), Dana Hill (Audrey Griswald), Jason Lively (Russell "Rusty" Griswald), Victor Lanoux (The Thief), Eric Idle (The Bike Rider), John Astin (Kent Winkdale), Mel Smith (London Hotel Manager), Robbie Coltrane (Man in Bathroom), Maureen Lipman (Lady in the Bed), William Zabka (Jack), Willy Millowitsch (Fritz Spritz), and Erika Wackernagel (Helga Spritz) Directed by Amy Heckerling (#982 - Fast Times at Ridgemont High)

Review: 
It is interesting to note that I finally am getting to this film, the sequel to the original to National Lampoon's Vacation (#804) but paradoxically this serves as my third review of the Vacation series, since I also reviewed National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (#771). In any case, I hope at least some of you fellow readers are enjoying Spring Break, or any sort of vacation. 

There is a certain amount of charm and amusement that sprung from the situations and the cast from the first film that made for a fairly entertaining movie, with Chase and D'Angelo being key highlights. The latter part of my statement is still true, but I can't say that this is a particularly good film. I don't hate it, but I know without much doubt that this is a fairly average movie. The biggest problem is that the film gradually feels repetitive the longer it dwells in all of these locations that the film gets itself to, feeling episodic and not always consistent. There are some famous landmarks seen throughout the film (with a few of them used for gags), which are fairly interesting to look at, such as Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, and the Colosseum, so that's a fair highlight. Chase and D'Angelo manage to generate some amusement once again, being the best part of the film due to feeling the most adept for this material and the most familiar. Hill and Lively do okay, but some of the gags with them are a bit hit-and-miss, with the jokes involving the former binging on food seeming old after a while. Throughout the four locations (London, Paris, West Germany, Rome) is a bunch of different personalities and cast members that make for okay experiences to watch with the main four, with a bunch of cliches that one would expect. It doesn't really have anything too rip-roaring aside from a few moments involving visual gags and a bit of crass humor, but it isn't anything too particularly terrible, just being a bit silly (which I don't hate, actually). At least at 94 minutes it isn't particularly a big waste, but it doesn't too particularly well when compared to the original film. I don't find this to be anything too special, but sometimes that may very well just be enough on vacation.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Fletch.

Review #967: Fletch.

Cast:
Chevy Chase (Irwin M. "Fletch" Fletcher), Joe Don Baker (Chief Jerry Karlin), Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (Gail Stanwyk), Richard Libertini (Frank Walker), Geena Davis (Larry), Larry "Flash" Jenkins (Gummy), Tim Matheson (Alan Stanwyk), M. Emmet Walsh (Dr. Joseph Dolan), George Wendt (Fat Sam), Kenneth Mars (Stanton Boyd), George Wyner (Marvin Gillet), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Himself) Directed by Michael Ritchie (#616 - The Bad News Bears)

Review:
Based off the novel of the same name by Gregory Mcdonald, Fletch is certainly one of those films that seems deserving of a cult following, owing in part to a variety of factors, the first starting with Chase himself. What is it about his performance that works so well? Perhaps it's because he actually seems perfectly as ease with the role that he's playing, where he doesn't look like he's just doing a job, with the ad-libbing being quite effective while not becoming ridiculously tedious. One of my favorite scenes is the scene where he is confronted by Baker's character and he gets pushed into a wall with framed pictures, noting one of them has a picture with Tommy Lasorda, who he notes he hates while punching the photo (I don't blame him, honestly). There are quite a few other good scenes involving wigs and disguises, and they are also pretty quirky along with amusing. Some could find Chase's schtick a bit tiresome, but I found it to go well with a movie that never aspires to be too conventional nor too ridiculous in its approach, with the quick wit feeling just right for the role. It's no wonder that he has said this is his all-time favorite personal role, because there's just something easy and natural about Fletch that works neatly, with that deadpan manner being quite entertaining for me. The rest of the cast is also quite enjoyable, always managing to hit the right chords of amusement and entertainment; Baker and Matheson are fairly decent adversaries, Chase has some decent chemistry with Wheeler-Nicholson, while Libertini and Davis are both fine standouts in the newsroom scenes. This is a fairly crafted thriller, managing to have the right kind of action and mystery that makes for some good quality entertainment that deserves the following it has.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

National Lampoon's Vacation.

Review #804: National Lampoon's Vacation.

Cast
Chevy Chase (Clark Griswold), Beverly D'Angelo (Ellen Griswold), Imogene Coca (Aunt Edna), Anthony Michael Hall (Russell "Rusty" Griswold), Dana Barron (Audrey Griswold), Randy Quaid (Cousin Eddie), Christie Brinkley (Girl in Red Ferrari), John Candy (Russ Lasky), Eddie Bracken (Roy Walley), Brian Doyle-Murray (Kamp Komfort Clerk), Miriam Flynn (Cousin Catherine), James Keach (Motorcycle Cop), and Eugene Levy (Ed) Directed by Harold Ramis (#138 - Bedazzled, #208 - Caddyshack, and #342 - Groundhog Day)

Review
[Skip to the second paragraph if you don't want to read a recollection of the past]
It has been a while since the last Lampoon film I watched (#771 - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation), so I figured that this would fit with summer coming right up. From personal experience, I remember when me and my dad decided to drive all the way to Oregon years back (and vice versa). I was 14, but even with the problems that occurred (spark plugs problems, having to drive right straight through California* because we drove too far to the left in Arizona), it was still fun, if not with a few hurdles.

With this movie, I can relate to the frustrations of trying to have some fun on a vacation, but I also can have some laughs, which is what helps the movie, alongside a wonderful cast. Chase and D'Angelo have great chemistry along with good timing, coming off as natural, if not beleaguered. Chase does a great job selling this character, who clearly wants to have fun with his family, and it is fun (if not odd) to watch him gradually get more and more frustrated. It's an episodic kind of movie, expressed through their stops to different towns from St. Louis to Coolidge to (somewhere in) Arizona, all with a Wagon Queen Family Truckster, which is a great ugly car, complete with four headlights and wood paneling that would make a lumberjack blush. The music selection (Holiday Road, Blitzkrieg Bop) are also pretty good, fitting the movie well. Hall and Barron are also pretty good, making perfect examples of kids on a road trip, a weird road trip at least. The rest of the cast are also pretty memorable, such as Quaid and his bumpkin of a character that certainly endears to people who get to deal with at least one quirky relative every so often. There's a certain charm this movie has in that one can relate to (and giggle) with the experience in the movie, such as when they finally reach their destination, Walley World. Not to spoil much, but let's just say that it serves as a fine climax, complete with John Candy being added to the fray. For anybody looking for a vacation movie with all the stops of fun (and misery), I'd check this one out.

*Note: Nothing against California, which actually was pretty decent, if not a big state to go through. My highlight? Getting to drink Mr. Pibb for the first time. Hey, I was 14, give me a break.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Review #771: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Cast
Chevy Chase (Clark Griswold, Jr), Beverly D'Angelo (Ellen Griswold), Randy Quaid (Cousin Eddie), Juliette Lewis (Audrey Griswold), Johnny Galecki (Rusty Griswold), John Randolph (Clark Griswold, Sr), Diane Ladd (Nora Griswold), E. G. Marshall (Art Smith), Doris Roberts (Frances Smith), Miriam Flynn (Cousin Catherine), Cody Burger (Cousin Rocky), Nicholas Guest (Todd Chester), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Margo Chester), and Brian Doyle-Murray (Frank Shirley) Directed by Jeremiah Chechik.

Review
Please forgive me for not having watched the two Vacation films released before this one. They (along with Vegas Vacation) will be reviewed in 2016. Probably.

Ah Christmas. It's a time of year in which families try to eat food and get along with each other...and other stuff, because I usually just stay home. But I can relate to at least a few things in the movie, particularly the sticky sap tree, and trying to get a collection of lights to work...though I can't say I ever had that many lights (of course I keep my lights on the tree). The characters are pretty much what you probably have in your own family (no I won't reuse this line later) on Christmas, from over-determined to...bighearted to (insert number) degree of grumpy relatives. Chase certainly sells Griswold's lingering madness well. D'Angelo (along with Lewis and Galecki) certainly make for a good cinema family. My favorite scene with them is the opening scene, especially the part about getting a big ol' Christmas tree in the forest. The buildup to it is pretty enjoyable as well (I can relate in a sense to dealing with drivers from the past with my dad). Sure, there are moments when bitterness and circumstance get in the way, but in the end, it's all full of cheer.

In the pile of Christmas films (which apparently is almost 40) I've reviewed in five years, Christmas Vacation has moments of hilarity, but the movie's real strength is the seasonal charm that the movie evokes, especially the enthusiasm of the main character. It's interesting how comedies like this can be christened Christmas classics, but I can see why. It's not a perfect movie, but it just fits the bill of being a Christmas movie that one can accept.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Seems Like Old Times.

Review #692: Seems Like Old Times.

Cast
Goldie Hawn (Glenda Parks), Chevy Chase (Nick J. Gardenia), Charles Grodin (Ira J. Parks), Robert Guillaume (Fred), Yvonne Wilder (Aurora), Harold Gould (Judge John Channing), George Grizzard (Stanley), and T. K. Carter (Chester) Directed by Jay Sandrich.

Review
I admit, it's been a while. But hey, nobody's perfect. What movie do I have in store this time? A good old fashioned comedy that manages to juggle its gags and story on the weight of its main three actors. Hawn and Chase manage to be so fun together, and they both are enjoyable to watch, especially Hawn, who is really good at timing. I don't know why, but my favorite scene with Grodin is him trying to get into a cab with a bunch of dogs already in it, amusing because I love his frustration, especially when I think back to Beethoven (#577), and how he can just have the right expression. It had been a while since I had seen a film written by Neil Simon (#244 - The Sunshine Boys), and he does a good job with the interactions of the characters along with the situations, complimented well by Sandrich, a television director who directed this, his first and so far only film. The movie keeps itself in check just long enough to make for a good time along with being a charming film.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Spies Like Us.

Review #513: Spies Like Us.

Cast
Chevy Chase (Emmett Fitz-Hume), Dan Aykroyd (Austin Millbarge), Steve Forrest (General Sline), Donna Dixon (Karen Boyer), Bruce Davison (Ruby), Bernie Casey (Colonel Rhombus), William Prince (Keyes), Tom Hatten (General Miegs), Frank Oz (Test Monitor), and Charles McKeown (Jerry Hadley) Directed by John Landis (#328 - Trading Places, #410 - Coming to America)

Review
Meant as a homage to the Road to... film series (that starred Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, who even makes a cameo), Chase and Aykroyd are paired up for the first time and they do okay, they certainly pair up well together, I suppose. The film around them...doesn't. It's a mediocre story with barely funny jokes that amount to a few laughs. Dixon does okay, and the rest of the cast is okay (Frank Oz being the more memorable for me even if he has only one scene), but the jokes are mediocre and why there are a few cameos along the way (Such as B. B. King, Ray Harryhausen and Terry Gilliam), the film still can't get past the mediocrity line, and it certainly pales in comparison to Trading Places or even Coming to America. The film is okay and while it may miss more then it hits, it at least tries, so I guess that makes sense.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Caddyshack.

Review #208: Caddyshack.

Cast
Chevy Chase (Ty Webb), Rodney Dangerfield (Al Czervik), Ted Knight (Judge Elihu Smails), Michael O'Keefe (Danny Noonan), Bill Murray (Carl Spackler), Sarah Holcomb (Maggie O'Hooligan), Scott Colomby (Tony D'Annunzio), Cindy Morgan (Lacey Underall), Dan Resin (Dr. Beeper), and Henry Wilcoxon (Bishop Fred Pickering) Directed by Harold Ramis (#138 - Bedazzled)

Review
Oh gee, an old review that likely needs updating. 2012 me needed a bit more improvement from 2018 me.

Happy...August everyone. Anyway, after 32 years, this film still holds up as a classic. The acting is decent, with Murray stealing the show (who I have covered before: Ghostbusters - #026, Ghostbusters II - #031, Scrooged - #075, Tootsie - #084). The film has some good lines, which are still being repeated to this day. There are some crude gags and there are good gags as well. I hadn't reviewed a golf film until today (could be worse, I could be watching Dorf on Golf). The film is still memorable to this day, gophers and all.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.