In Caddyshack, stupidity is not a problem for the film- it's the movie's method on the way to greatness. The movie knows its dumb, wants to be dumb, and we approve of its being dumb, because it couldn't be as funny any other way. It's the kind of movie that gets a big laugh out of a guy getting hit in the testicles with a golf ball.
And right there I have run out of material for a review, because, really, there's not much more to say, but I continue anyway. According to director Harold Ramis in the DVD documentary, the movie was originally supposed to be an early sex comedy about a teenager trying to get laid, but he found that the supporting cast was far more interesting, so the odyssey of the teen (named as Danny Noonan and played by Michael O'Keefe) became a very loose plotline to build a number of comic scenes around. And that was a good idea, because the movie's only weakness is when it slows down to watch Danny try to nail some other girl, just like we've seen in tons of other movies.
When the film really takes off, the veteran players take over. Danny is a caddy for Ty Webb (Chevy Chase) the son of a rich guy who spent far too much time doing drugs in college and uses Zen Buddhist tactics to better his golf game, leading to the catchphrase "Be the ball!" The golf course is owned by local judge Elihu Smalls (Ted Knight) who is pretentious, mean spirited, and petty, but in a amusing way. Smalls is terrified by the presence of Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield) an uncultured and obnoxious hick who made big bucks and embarrasses everyone with his inappropriate sexual jokes. There's also Carl Spackler (Bill Murry), a Vietnam veteran who is slightly insane and works as the course's groundskeeper. Carl is tormented is also tormented- by a gopher, who has a taken up residence on the field and refuses to leave, not matter what.
You just won't believe how funny this stuff is. Despite the cast has a comic ledged as well as two Saturday Night Live veterans, Ted Knight manages to steal every scene he's in and proves himself to a major comic talent. This is impressive, as his best known part previously had been as the stupid newscaster on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but here he really outdoes himself, playing a character who hilariously is always awkwardly obvious when he thinks he's being subtle. Dangerfield, Chase and Murray are all funny too, and whenever they are on the screen the movie is just one funny joke after another, which why the plot involving Danny is so disappointing- I didn't care at all whether this boring kid had sex with the hot babe or not. Besides, I didn't think she was that hot.
Does Caddyshack portray a comic wit and sophistication on the level of Woody Allen or the Marx Brothers? No. Is it sometimes funnier than those artists lesser works? Yes. The basic thing a comedy must do is be funny, and Caddyshack is funnier than 98% of all of other comedies out there.
Caddyshack (1980)