Amazon.com

Bill Murray does warmth in his most consistently effective post-Stripes comedy, a romantic fantasy about a wacky weatherman forced to relive one strange day over and over again, until he gets it right. Snowed in during a road-trip expedition to watch the famous groundhog encounter his shadow, Murray falls into a time warp that is never explained but pays off so richly that it doesn't need to be. The elaborate loop-the-loop plot structure cooked up by screenwriter Danny Rubin is crystal-clear every step of the way, but it's Murray's world-class reactive timing that makes the jokes explode, and we end up looking forward to each new variation. He squeezes all the available juice out of every scene. Without forcing the issue, he makes us understand why this fly-away personality responds so intensely to the radiant sanity of the TV producer played by Andie MacDowell. The blissfully clueless Chris Elliott (Cabin Boy) is Murray's nudnik cameraman. --David Chute ... Read more

Reviews (239)

it's going to last you the rest of your life!
Groundhog Day is the funniest movie of the 90's. Brilliant performance by Bill Murray who plays a cocky weatherman Phil Connors who covers Groundhog day every year in the small town of Punxatawnee that he hates. The day end with him being stuck there because of a blizzard that he didn't predict...and what more, he relives groundhog day over and over again...taking advantage of it, taking his own life, making a move on his producer Andie Macdowell which turns out to be his first lesson in reviewing his inner cruelty and becoming a better person, and a local hero!

This movie is straight out funny...it will make you crack up with every viewing. Watch out for Stephen Tobolowski in his bizarre role as Ned Ryerson, and a cameo appearance by the film's director (and Murray's costar in Ghostbusters) Harold Ramis.

The features are well worth the money too.

A tale of love, hope, and redemption
This is a terrific movie - hilarious, uplifting, and deeply romantic and heartwarming.

Bill Murray and Andie McDowell are perfect in this film, Murray as the cynical, infinitely self-centered TV weather newscaster, and Andie McDowell as his radiant and relentlessly uplifting TV producer and love interest. The plot has been rehashed many times by others, so I won't repeat it again.

The thing that makes this movie so memorable, and makes it stand out from all others is not the comedy, which is enjoyable, but the deeper themes behind it.

What are these themes? In reading the other 226 reviews, people have mentioned everything from Buddhist karma and reincarnation, Nietzsche and existentialism, Kubler Ross, the Seven Sins, and Gurdjieff -Ouspensky and the Fourth Way. Comparisons have been made to themes from the Twilight Zone, and Frank Capra movies like "It's a Wonderful Life".

Yes, I suppose all of these themes are present, and people will interpret this movie in the religious or philosophical context with which they are most familiar. Which is why it's a bit surprising that so far nobody has mentioned the main theme that stood out immediately for me in this movie.

Above all the existentialism and New Age themes that might be found in this movie is a very old fashioned one - at its core, this movie is a moral tale of love, hope, and redemption.

Bill Murray's character is stuck in time, stuck in purgatory, stuck in a perpetual rut of endless reincarnation and immortality, whatever you want to call it. His character, Phil Connors asks, "What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?"

Connors first uses his recursive immortality to dive even deeper into the Seven Sins, and then sinks into despair, hopelessness, and attempted suicide. But gradually, he awakens to the possibility that his choices of action do matter, and discovers that through caring for the other people in this town, he is able to regain hope in his own life again. It is this genuine turn in becoming a better person that wins the heart of Andie McDowell's character and earns him redemption from this purgatory.

Another reviewer had mentioned a link to the theme of making hard choices in the "Lord of the Rings". Thanks to "Groundhog Day", I came to understand one question from LOTR that had always bothered me - why would any immortal being (i.e., elves like Arwen and Haldir in LOTR) ever give up their immortality? The answer: maybe immortality becomes tiresome and meaningless if one cannot make a difference in this world, maybe leaving immortality to gain the love of another is truly more worthwhile.

There was just one other aspect of this idea that came to mind - what if whoever or whatever had kept Phil Connors stuck in time had continued to keep him there even after his transformation? We like to think that love and hope always leads to redemption. What if it doesn't? That's one real-life possibility which is not explored in this movie, but nevertheless, it is still a terrific movie.

Renaissance Man Extraordinaire - Carpe Diem
There are so many messages behind this great movie with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. He is head over heals for MacDowell from the start, but as an arrogant weatherman, he seems to just tick her off from the start as well.

Imagine waking up every morning and it is the same day over and over again? Well, Murray has this happen to him. Every time he does his day becomes one disaster after another until he finally gives in and figures out he can use each day to improve himself and his life a little at a time.

The message here is clear. We all have a life that is made up of the same day everyday, what we choose to do with that day is really up to us. Do we want to improve our lot in life or just go along with being ourselves in a boring unfulfilled endless life that is a cycle of recurring themes?

This movie shows anyone, even though it is a comedy, that each day we have a choice to make the day what it can be. Murray plays Phil Connors, on Ground Hog Day when the ground hog's name is also Phil...go figure. Connors is as arrogant as they come and he just keeps trying so hard to impress people.

He goes from egotisical and self serving to seeing himself to get the girl of his dreams, Rita. It would be nice to know how many days of Ground Hog Days he spent there. You can see him go from this to a renaissance man who really cares about people, loves life and takes each day and uses it to improve himself.

Rita, although the same person and not being influenced or affected by being in Ground Hog day, comes to really like Phil. This movie makes us laugh at ourselves and our humanity. And by the end of the movie, he shows that he can have a positive effect on everyone he comes in contact with.

So when you hear the song, "I've Got You Babe," and the announcers saying, "It's Ground Hog Day....." remember to use the day to its fullest.

Perfect
G.D really is nearly perfect. I never tire of it. At the same time I think most people miss the point. (By the way, I've NOT seen the Special Edition.)

I'm facinated each time watching the totally self centered Bill Murray caught in this marvelous time paradox, living the same day over and over. He goes through differing stages: fear and confusion; euphoria, when he realizes he can do ANYTHING without consequence; despair, when he realizes that life is meaningless if one pursues selfish pleasures without goals; and finally a peaceful self actualization when he dedicates himself toward self improvement and the humanitarian goals his situation gives him the opportunity to pursue.

It gives one pause to consider what each of US would do in a similar circumstance.

Oh, it's really funny, too.

Groundhog Day a classic
In 1993 , director Harold Ramis genius of dark comedies like ''Analyze This'' casted Bill Murray as Phil Connors in this dark but mostly enjoyable movie named GroundHog Day.

Bill Murray plays Phil Connors a weatherman, who covers everything from weather to Ground Day. Phil isn't happy with his life, in fact he realizes that he is repeating the same routine over and over again. From work in the morning,to
talking to the annoying Ned Ryanser( Stephen Tobolowsky), while listening to Sonny and Cher in the morning to covering the stupid GroundHog Day, Phil is repeating the same day over and over again. Of course the irony here as done by the plot, is that he is the only that knows it. It's like an episode the ''Twilight Zone'' (which I reviewed too on other sites). Eventually Phil has a mental breakdown in which he plans to do whatever he wants. He comes completely unglued when realizing how wasted his life had become, and thus wants to change it.

I use the term breakdown because well Phil isn't exactly a nice guy, he's arrogant and obnoxious. We hardly sympathize with this guy, much less that he is miserable.
However, the point the movie makes is the guy realizes he has been wasting his life away and wants to change it, although Phil's change doesn't go ahead smoothly.

He drives reckless around the train tracks, gets arrested, steals a bagfull of money from a couple of dumb cops, charms his way into sleeping with a beautiful young girl and yet finds out that he still isn't happy. Until he puts the moves on Rita (Andy McDowell), his producer. McDowell is the few actresses that I know that has limited acting potential but her beautiful presence can convey some emotions making her sympathetic.

However, in order to get close to Rita, Phil has to get info on her likes and dislikes from her friends. This angle in the movie, really made me a little sick, because even we are suppose to sympathize with Phil, he hasn't really changed all that much. Rita, eventually finds out Phil's motives and slaps him in the face, and telling him to get lost. LOL No surprise there, in fact Rita's action sums up my argument that Phil hasn't really changed all that much despite his aim to not repeat the same day, he is still repeating his same behavioral patterns.

Phil though in order to impress her and to change himself, starts doing bizarre, yet unreal things that get him attention and he does start to become nicer. This is where the movie gets ridiculous, because even though this is a comedy, I found the rest of the movie to be predictable, superficial, yet enjoyable
Phil becomes a gifted ice sculpter (who knows where he learned this) as one scene, where his cutting a sculpture of an ice angel is shown. Then Phil saves a guy from choking to death, a kid from a falling tree and a host of other surprises. LOL

Yes Harold Ramis does go a bit over the top with this Phil guy, obviously a lot of the stuff he pulls of is almost impossible giving Phil's background, but Ramis is again trying to show the point (although laughingly bad) that Phil is changing. He now has a heart and will do anything to be with this nice woman and of course by Phil doing this he has filled that empty void that he had when he was repeating the same unfulling routine of covering that stupid Groundhog Day in Pennsylvania.

Ramis is actually a buddy of Murray going back to the old days of their ''SCTV'' days, and ''Ghostbusters'' days, so these two talented comedian can pull the hijinks in the film with some realism.

Still though Ramis does do a good job of making us think about the movie and Phil itself and gives us that scary thought that we perhaps might end up like Phil, a shriveled, ugly man who has been repeating the same stupid routine yet doesn't have the capacity to see that this misery is at his own doing.

LOL ... Read more

Amazon.com

Though it seems like a one-joke premise, this spinoff of Al Franken's Saturday Night Live character, self-help nerd Stuart Smalley, actually has some substance. And, in fact, it offers a message that wouldn't be out of place at an Al-Anon meeting (although with the laughs). Stuart, fired from his cable TV self-help show, goes home to resolve a family crisis. Dad (Harris Yulin) is an abusive drunk, Mom (Shirley Knight) is an enabler, Sis is an over-eater, and Brother has a problem with his temper. The film turns serious, but Franken actually makes the drama interesting, using humor to leaven it. And he brings a certain sympathy and resolve to the lisping, cross-eyed Stuart. To be sure, it's not your typical SNL movie. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (34)

ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES I HAVE EVER SEEN...
The first time I saw this movie was when it was in theatrical release, (which lasted about a week). I was in a movie theater in Times Square with a friend, and there were only two other people in the audience. Al Frankin has referred to this movie as a "disaster" because it was pulled from theaters after not even reaching one million dollars. Note to Al: THIS MOVIE IS NOT A FALIURE!

Every detail of this film, from the opening montage to the marvelous acting, (these are TOP NOTCH actors in this film), to the hilarious comedy to the story to the music...everything is hysterical. I only wish they had chosen a different title. Stuart does not save his family, he can only try. The movie should have been called "Stuart Smalley."

I was so astounded by how wonderful this movie was, yet practically no one saw it and Al Frankin calls it a disaster. I honestly, truely, unexagerratedly believe that this movie should have been up for several Oscars, including Best Director and for the supporting cast. The actor who plays the father was especially wonderful. I only hope that more people discover this movie.

When the movie was over in the theater, (I have since seen it again on video several times), the two other people in the audience came up the aisle and also expressed how good the movie was. I wish I could have direct addresses for director Harold Ramis and Al Frankin so that I could write to them and tell them how proud they should be of this movie.

He doesn't really save his family, but...
Sadly, a lot of folks have never heard of this little gem. It had a very short theatrical release but has been gaining a wider audience, largely among members of 12-step programs, through its various video releases.

To describe the story line of this very funny movie would be to sell it short, because the premise doesn't sound like it would lend itself to such a delightful comedy. But the film grabs one's attention from the very beginning with its montage of 50s and 60s family photographs during the opening credits. Are these possibly family photos of the lead actors at an earlier stage of life? When Vincent d'Onofrio's name is on the screen, the guy in the photo looks an awful lot like him. And then we're off and running, with Stuart telling us on his television show that he has just received a sweater that one Melissa D. knitted for him. Melissa is a recovering sex addict and knitting the sweater "gave her something to do with her hands."

From that point on, the pace only rarely slackens, as we are introduced to Stuart's various friends and nemeses, beginning with Roz Weinstock, very possibly the meanest and most sadistic boss since Captain Bligh, and deliciously played by Camille Saviola. Roz has fired Stuart for maligning her on the air, and she is only the first of a series of people Stuart manages to annoy as he lives out his affirmation of "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and, doggone it, people like me." Perhaps not everyone likes him, certainly not the customer in the restaurant (an unbilled role, possibly director Harold Ramis?) who has to wait while Stuart explains his latest predicament to his best friend and Al-Anon sponsor Julia, wonderfully played by Laura San Giacomo.

From there, it is a constant back-and-forth for Stuart between Chicago, where he lives, and Minneapolis, ironically one of the chief centers of recovery programs, and the home of his very dysfunctional family. Stuart's beloved Aunt Paula has died, setting in motion an ever-muddier chain of events that eventually teach Stuart in a big way that the only one he really has the power to change is himself. Nevertheless, the ever-optimistic Stuart continues to offer his gifts to others, some of which are eventually picked up and appreciated.

Just as the setting goes back and forth from Chicago to Minneapolis, so the time frame goes back and forth from the present to the past through black-and-white flashbacks, some happy, some less so. These give us some idea of how Stuart has come to be the way he is today, and of the ghosts that he has to grapple with while living out his affirmation.

The film does take a rather serious turn near the end, but Al Franken as Stuart Smalley helps to keep the tone somewhat light during this section. And, as in real life, not all the loose ends ever get neatly tied up, but Stuart has nevertheless made his impact, as we see in a very heartwarming ending.

While most of the actors in the film are not household names, a number of them are quite experienced and turn in some memorable performances. Harris Yulin, Shirley Knight, Lesley Boone and Vincent d'Onofrio are all good as Stuart's family members, the men in particular. There are also a number of memorable cameos, particularly Julia Sweeney as the constantly apologizing Mea C., and Walter Olkewicz and Jeremy Roberts as the Skoag brothers who try to force the teetotaling Stuart to drink beer at a bar.

The music is fun also, beginning with the codependent song that is played during the opening credits. And it was great to hear Ethel Merman blasting her way through "Everything's Coming Up Roses," during one of the scenes where Stuart is trying to pull himself up by his bootstraps.

This picture has some of the funniest lines I have ever heard in any film. My particular favorite is Stuart's brother Donnie's attempt to define for him what an "easement" is, despite the fact that he obviously doesn't have the slightest notion. But many will like even better Stuart's comment to his sister about the pound cake. While there is plenty here for audiences in general to laugh at, there are also a number of jokes that are targeted toward members of 12-step programs, and especially those programs geared toward helping friends and family members of those addicted to alcohol and drugs. It's obvious from the writing that these are topics near and dear to screenwriter Franken's heart.

So, I recommend this movie with just the caveat that you will find it funnier and closer to home if you have some familiarity with the programs that the film gently pokes fun at. And even if you don't, after seeing the film you may still wind up with a new approach to life.

Great Great Movie
I absolutely love this movie! I watch it everytime I am frustrated with my family and always end up feeling a little bit better. Other than making us laugh, this movie teaches us that at some point it's ok to separate ourselves from our family's problems and that we have to accept that we can't fix everything for everyone that we care about. I was happily surprised that this movie contained more than obvious humor, it actually has heart!!

If you've ever been a member of a 12-Step Program...
If you're ever been or are now a member of a 12-Step Program you'll find this movie wildly entertaining. Sadly, the humor so evident in this film is so common amongst many familes struggling with relatives of addictions. Key words here are : affirmations, 12-Step, intervention, codependency, and many others to mention here.

A Jewel of a Movie
It's sad when I mention scenes in this movie at work and I get a "huh?" Very few people has bothered to see this movie and I think they're missing something. I found it poignant, funny and subtle. It it has some of the best one-liners and a rather sad but well written ending. Any grown-up out there (belonging to a dysfunctional family) still trying to stay with the concept of "family holiday gathering" should do what Stuart ultimately did in the end. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

I Love this movie!!!
I watch this movie when I need some good "mind candy" entertainment. Having just come back from vacation in Jamaica, it was even more of a joy to watch. Robin Williams is (as always) great fun to watch. Peter O'Toole is classic as the disdainful British expat. Jimmy Cliff is a bonus! Don't expect anything deep, just a bit of parody and fun!

Give it to me on DVD PLEASE!!!
The scene where Eugene Levy and Rick Moranis hit the beach is one of the funiest 5 minutes on film I've ever seen!

This movie HAS TO be rereleased on DVD. Will somebody PLEASE tell the studio that if Power Ranger Movies can be on DVD, why not a cult classic like Club Paradise?!!!

Wish you were on vacation feelgood perfection
There is something about the atmosphere of this movie that really sticks with me over the years. The music and the cinema really does take me on vacation... a vacation from work, the weather, everything. It's zany and non-sensical flick but still maintains that metal drum sand-in-the-shoes goodness.

Certainly, I couldn't call this movie without flaws but it is a perfect fit for those moments when you are harried at work, tired of TV and can't slip out for that vacation just yet. If you watch it in the winter months, I'll bet you'll find yourself wanting to see it again days after.

"Funny stuff" for SCTV, Caddy Shack, Animal House lovers
My title refers to Eugene Levy (if you saw most of SCTV, you know what I'm referring to) but Club Paradise has an interesting, if predictable, plot and enough "situations" to allow the all-star cast to ham it up.

Robin Williams, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, Peter O'Toole, Joe Flaherty, Jimmy Cliff(!), Twiggy plays it straight a la Blues Brothers and is lovely.

Harold Ramis' direction, again, has the perfect touch.

Oh, did I mention the reggae soundtrack is terrific?

An 80's Masterpiece
I've always said that if I'm ever fortunate enough to meet either Rick Moranis or Eugene Levy, I'm going to surprise them by saying their finest comedic hour could very well be Barry Steinberg, Barry Neigh--smoke meats. So classic. Especially when under the influence of Johnny...ya know, Johnny, J's, joints... ... Read more

Description

The greenskeeper is about to start World War IIIagainst a gopher.The judge plays to win but his nubile niece has her mind set on scoring her own way.The playboy shoots perfect golf by pretending he is the ball.And the country-club loudmouth just doubled a $20,000 bet on a 10-foot putt.Insanity?No. Caddyshack.

Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight and Bill Murray tee off for a side-splitting round of fairway foolishness that does for golf what Animal House did for college fraternities and Police Academy did for law enforcement.

Chase's laid-back delivery has kept audiences of Saturday Night Live and movie hits National Lampoon's Vacation, Fletch and Spies Like Us in the aisles for years.Sharing his wisdom with a caddy or his bed with debutante Lacey Underall, he never misses a shot.Rodney Dangerfield is well, Rodney Dangerfield.Even when he's off camera, he's on.And fans that have made Easy Money and Back to School box-office hits like him just fine.

Knight-possessor of the best slow burn since Laurel and Hardyfusses, fumes and finesses his way through his role as Bushwood Country Club's one-man Legion of Decency.Murray's hole-in-the-head assistant greenskeeper is straight out of Looney Tunes.Murray, who brought the house down in Meatballs, Stripes and Ghostbusters, is funny even when he talks to himself.

In Caddyshack, the term "golf nut" takes on a deranged double meaningand the laughs are par for the course! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Funniest Sports Flick Ever!
"Caddyshack" combines terrific comic writing, a top-notch cast at the top of its game, and America's love affair with the silly game of golf to form comedy gold.

Using the most cliched plotlines imaginable (the "cools versus the rules," and "the little guy needs to find his way in life"), "Caddyshack" nevertheless breaks a lot of new ground with its timeless characters. Chevy Chase plays golf-stuf/playboy Ty Webb, who mangles philosophy while performing dazzling golf feats on the Bushwood Country Club course -- yes, the name "Bushwood" is revealing. Chase has never been better than in this film, and it's almost sad to see how phenomenal he once was when you stand this performance next to the dreck he's put out in recent years.

The underappreciated Ted Knight plays Webb's nemesis, Judge Smails, an uptight petty aristocrat who plays essentially the same role as Dean Wermer in "Animal House." Smails is Elmer Fudd to Webb's Bugs Bunny.

Rodney Dangerfield is also in the film, playing essentially himself as an obnoxious real estate developer with zero fashion sense -- ask ten people to name the character Dangerfield plays in "Caddyshack," and you'll stump ten people. But it's likely that most of those ten will be able to quote Dangerfield's character: "Lovely boy -- now I now why tigers eat their young!" "You're a caddy, huh -- for Italians, this is skilled labor." "This is the ugliest hat I've ever seen, I bet when you buy this they give you a can of soup . . . but it looks good on you, though."

And last but not least, the immortal Bill Murray plays Carl the Groundskeeper. Carl is charged with ridding Bushwood of a gopher, a varmint who loves nothing more than vandalizing golf courses and dancing to Kenny Loggins. Murray, in a performance bordering on madness, tries various futile strategies to nab the gopher, including sniper rifles, decoys, hoses, and plastic explosives, but it's his mumbled soliloquies that are the most hilarious. Murray's imagined golf game, whacking flowers with a rake, is one of the funniest scenes in any movie, ever.

Our "hero," Danny (Michael O'Keefe), is a minor character completely overwhelmed by these other characters, but his storyline is the thread that ties all the other subplots together. He cheats on his girlfriend Maggie (Animal House alum Sarah Holcomb, inexplicably with an Irish accent) with the gratuitous slut, Judge Smails' niece Lacey Underall (Cindy Morgan), and finds himself pitted against the Judge in the climactic golf match.

Not much of a plot. The movie's greatness is in its execution. The writers (Brian Doyle-Murray and Harold Ramis) find the underlying humor in the country club lifestyle and the unique culture that surrounds golf and skewer everything in sight. Be on the lookout for comic stereotypes . . . from the spoiled rich brats to the doctor who's never in the office to the profane pastor, nobody is safe. Fortunately, "Caddyshack" knows to stay just on this side of crude (coming nearest to the line with its classic "Jaws" parody involving a Baby Ruth) -- this is a witty film, not a cruel film.

This movie is a must for every guy's film library. Just be careful -- there's always a temptation to quote "Caddyshack" out on the golf course. Be warned, only about 5 million people have done it before you, and the novelty's wearing off.

Also be warned -- "Caddyshack" sparked quite possibly the worst sequel ever, "Caddyshack 2." Do not watch that movie!

Caddyshack-Golf at its funniest
"It's in the hole." Is only one of the great-remembered lines in the comical, 1980's golf film, Caddyshack. One might think that the words themselves is not funny, but when delivered by Carl Spackler (Bill Murry) a demented greens keeper, who is living out a fantasy of making a hole in one, using the tops of well groomed flower tops as golf balls. As the flower pedals are scattered all over the ground from the blow of an imaginary golf club, (sickle) you can't help to laugh at the hysterical scene. The brilliant script, written by Brain Murray and Harold Ramis (who also directed the film) is packed full of numerous hysterical lines which are used today when we are out on the golf coarse, laughing at our incompetent golf games.

The story kicks off as a snobbish head of a ritzy golf coarse, Judge Smails (Ted Knight) tries to take advantage of an high school student, Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe) who is interested in law school, but needs the job as a caddy to pay his way through college. Judge Smails is put in his place as a wealthy land developer, Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield) come on the scene and wants to build condominiums on the exclusive golf coarse. Ted and Rodney go at each other throughout the entire film, which leaves the viewer on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. If that's not enough, Ty Webb (Chevy Chase) a quiet co-founder of the coarse gets involved and gives his on hilarious performance as the middle man, pulled in many different directions. And of coarse, the most remembered character is the lonely green's keeper, Carl Spackler (Bill Murry) who is having his own private war with a gopher that has been digging up the golf coarse.
The above summery does not do the film justice. With an all star cast and a hilarious script, a soundtrack full of 1980s rock. How can you go wrong? Golfer enthusiasts, who see this hysterical comedy, will be chanting the funny punchlines every time they have a chance to, on the golf coarse. This is why I highly recommend this film and give it 5 stars.

Welcome to Bushwood Country Club
When I first saw the previews on HBO, it was to see Mr. Gopher, that wascally wodent, and yes, I'm ashamed to admit it, but to see Lacey Underall in action. Hey, gimme a break! I was thirteen, okay? I'm not attracted by that type anymore.

As for Mr. Gopher, he becomes the target of Carl (Bill Murray), the assistant groundskeeper, who is something of a basket case. He has funny monologues with himself, watches the elderly woman golfers and mutters things with ... undertones, and seems to be living in his own little world.

The previews described this as the slobs against the snobs. Well, Judge Smales (Ted Knight), Dr. Beeper, and the bishop definitely fit the latter. They try to keep certain people from becoming members, and are clearly the elite class. Result, they turn Bushwood into what Al Czervik calls a "crummy snobatorium." As Smales snidely tells off caddy Danny Noonan, who is unsure what to do with his life, but is aspiring for the caddy scholarship, "Well, the world needs ditchdiggers." His attitude changes when Noonan saves the judge from a golf mishap, but hey, as Czervik tells him, "Who made you pope of this dump?"

The laid back Ty Webb (Chevy Chase) is probably the one who's got the best philosophy to golf, just to play it. There's even a parodic reference to a certain George Lucas movie, when he tells Danny "There's a force in the world that makes things happen, and all you have to do is get in touch with it." Let's see, three years after... that'd be right. And I sincerely doubt that Matsuo Basho said this quote attributed to him by Ty, or if he did, it must have been in some very obscure renga verse of his: "A flute with no hole is not a flute, and a donut with no hole is a Danish."

In contrast, there's Al Czervik, a rich, loudmouthed, snazzily-dressed, life-of-the-party type who is full of jokes, wisecracks, and whether you like him depends on how uptight or laid back you are. At dinner, check out his rapid-fire delivery, "My compliments to the cook, this is low-grade dog food. The steak still has marks where the jockey was hitting it." He then makes a funny face as he passes gas, and asks, "Oh! Someone step on a duck?" His table dissolves with laughter. However, when an uptight man next to him fails to laugh, Czervik says, "The graveyard's two blocks to the left." Judge Smales taken an immediate dislike to Al, especially as the latter constantly needles him until he explodes in a temper.

The swimming pool scene is notable for the Busby Berkeley parody number, the usual party-like hijinks in the pool, and whenever I see Baby Ruths at my local store, I inwardly snicker--no pun intended. Although the next time I'm near a swimming pool...hmm, why not? With a candy bar, not what it was thought... never mind!

Dangerfield gets the best laughs and hands-down steals the movie as Al Czervik. Sure, he's got a big mouth and is an instant insult machine, but it's towards the uptight snobs. He also doesn't care too much for the club rules. Anytime I hear Journey's "Any Way You Want It", I think of this movie. And love his hi-tech gadgets! "Einstein sold me this golf club. Nice man--made a fortune in physics."

As for blonde Cindy Morgan (Lacey), okay, she only has one topless scene, but I've seen better looking models than her. And although the chittering, squeaking Chuck E. Rodent, who apparently loves swaying to Kenny Loggins' theme song "I'm Alright," clearly does not resemble a real gopher for laughs, he is to Bugs Bunny as Carl is to Elmer Fudd.

Much of the movie relies on Rodney Dangerfield's funny lines, Ty's deadpan quips, and some cartoon-style hijinks involving Mr. Gopher. In other words, classic 80's humor. But Danny Noonan's quest to find himself is a major part of this movie. Overall rating, 3.75, rounded to 4.

Winning the Caddy Scholarship, or just puttering around?
..."Caddyshack" might be the funniest film I ever have viewed... Writer/Director Harold Ramis and writer/actor Brian Doyle Murray have woven many strong comedic threads into Caddyshack's fabric.

Danny Noonan must win Bushwood Country Club's Caddy Scholarship to afford college. Danny circulates among Bushwood's members doing everything possible to win that scholarship. Danny panders to Ty Webb (Chevy Chase), an undermotivated overachiever whose father helped found Bushwood. Danny panders to Judge Smales (Ted Knight), the stuffed shirt who currently runs Bushwood. And Danny panders to Lacey Underall, Judge Smale's visiting niece who does not play ... golf. Meanwhile, Rodney Dangerfield plays Al Czervik, a nouveau riche real estate developer who attempts to breathe life into Bushwood's forest of bored stiffs. And Bill Murray plays Carl, the burnt-out assistant groundskeeper whose mission to trap a gopher escalates into World War III -- and the gopher survives.

"Caddyshack" shows Bushwood's members at extravagant play while the staff watches with scorn. *Carl, the burnt-out assistant groundskeeper, might be Bill Murray's greatest role.* Add original songs by Kenny Loggins and the result is an unforgettable masterpiece. "Caddyshack" has something for everybody -- even golfers.

Hillarious!
Loaded with a few of the greats in comedy. ... Read more

Description

The greenskeeper is about to start World War IIIagainst a gopher.The judge plays to win but his nubile niece has her mind set on scoring her own way.The playboy shoots perfect golf by pretending he is the ball.And the country-club loudmouth just doubled a $20,000 bet on a 10-foot putt.Insanity?No. Caddyshack.Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight and Bill Murray tee off for a side-splitting round of fairway foolishness that does for golf what Animal House did for college fraternities and Police Academy did for law enforcement.Chase's laid-back delivery has kept audiences of Saturday Night Live and movie hits National Lampoon's Vacation, Fletch and Spies Like Us in the aisles for years.Sharing his wisdom with a caddy or his bed with debutante Lacey Underall, he never misses a shot.Rodney Dangerfield is well, Rodney Dangerfield.Even when he's off camera, he's on.And fans that have made Easy Money and Back to School box-office hits like him just fine.Knight-possessor of the best slow burn since Laurel and Hardyfusses, fumes and finesses his way through his role as Bushwood Country Club's one-man Legion of Decency.Murray's hole-in-the-head assistant greenskeeper is straight out of Looney Tunes.Murray, who brought the house down in Meatballs, Stripes and Ghostbusters, is funny even when he talks to himself.In Caddyshack, the term "golf nut" takes on a deranged double meaningand the laughs are par for the course! ... Read more

Reviews (172)

The slobs -vs- The snobs
This is a classic comedy that is still funny after so many years, I have read the reviews of this film left by others regarding the picture, I am not sure what they are talking about?!, I thought it had a great DVD transfer, the 19th Anniversary edition that is, they could be referring to the initial release of this film years earlier, however everyone plays their roles to perfection, Chevy Chase plays what is probably his best role as a playboy who golfs for fun, not scores, Rodney Dangerfield is perfect as a free-living, humorous & rude real-estate developer who loves getting a rise out of the late Ted Knight's uptight judge, & Bill Murray is lovable as the dim-witted groundskeeper who has a personal war with a gopher that is the film's real star, watching these characters unfold in neat as is Michael O'Keefe as a ambitious caddy who longs for somthing more, Cindy Morgan is Knight's niece with a questionable reputation, definately a movie that anyone could probably relate to, with the exception of some gross-out humor, the candy bar most noticebly, it is a straight comedy as Dangerfield squares off against Knight, watching these two is like watching politians go at it, but Murray's obsession with killing the gopher is never dull, watching the gopher react to his future plan of ridding him is funny as Murray uses plastic explosives in the form of other animals, this film had a sequel that had potential & had Murray & Dangerfield attached, but bowed out after Warner Bros. refused to compromise a script rewrite by them, only Chase returned for that one with little screen time, I highly recommend the original, but pass on the sequel, why Warner would allow Murray & Dangerfield to walk on the follow-up just shows how arrogant studio executives are, the follow-ups failure was their reward, the original is one of the best comedies ever!!!!!!!

Grab your bag
Caddyshack is a movie that takes place at a upscale country club. The plot is based around a golfing match for high stakes between a team of Rodney Dangerfield and Chevy Chase versus Ted Knight. Caught in the middle is Michael O'Keefe. But forget the plot, it really doesn't matter. What matters are the brilliant comedic performances given by the above-mentioned and Bill Murray. Mr. Dangerfield plays a wild and crazy land developer who is rude, crude and obnoxious. Mr. Chase is Ty Webb, who is independently wealthy and plays golf without keeping score. Mr. Chase is at his wisecracking, smug best. Mr. Knight, plays a stuffy judge and he brings his Mary Tyler Moore persona to the character as he thinks he's smarter than he actually is. Mr. O'Keefe is given the least funny of the roles, but we feel for his character Danny Noonan. Mr. Murray gives a tour-de-force performance as Carl, the bumbling, stoned assistant greenskeeper. His scene where he describes as the Cinderella story at the Masters is a movie classic and one of the funniest scenes ever filmed. If you like comedies and want to laugh, then Caddyshack is for you. It is a movie that you can watch a million times and laugh just as hard as the first time you saw it.

Belly laugh city
Just when I thought I couldn't watch the rest of the movie, a hysteric comedic scene or line brought me out of it. Rodney is unforgettable. When this one shakes out, some of the funniest stuff ever (so bad it's good).

A golf player's must!
If you play golf,this film is for you. I'm sure Jack Nicklaus,Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods have all seen this film. Harold Ramis directs an all-star cast featuring Chevy Chase,Bill Murray,Brian Doyle Murray(Bill's brother),Rodney Dangerfield and the late Ted Knight. This film's fetured song is I'M ALRIGHT recorded by Kenny Loggins. This hit film,theatircally released in July 1980,spawned the sequel,CADDYSHACK 2 in 1988.

Best Golf Movie...Ever
While it's tough to put a golf movie ahead of Adam Sandler's great Happy Gilmore, no other golf movie has as many memorable lines in it as this one does. In fact, few other comedies have as many great lines as Caddyshack. Who can forget the conversation about playing with the Dali Llama or Bill Murray's monologue while "driving" the flowers?

"It's in the hole!"

One of the best scenes of the movie is where Chevy Chase drives the ball through Bill Murray's window, causing a great conversation between two comic greats of our time. Also, for anybody who has seen the new Tiger Woods' commercial where he's chasing the gopher and don't understand what in the world is going on- see this movie. ... Read more

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Robin Williams went through a period in the mid '80s when he looked like he'd turned into the next Richard Pryor: yet another brilliant standup comic neutered by the script mills of the Hollywood studios. Indeed, Williams seems almost like a spectator in this film, reacting to a supporting cast extremely deep in talent doing what they can with the mediocre script by Brian Doyle-Murray and director Harold Ramis. Williams plays a heroic Chicago fireman, who is injured and retires after saving several lives in a fire. He takes his insurance settlement and buys a resort on a poor Caribbean island (the film was shot in Jamaica). He spends the rest of the time playing straight man to a gaggle of guests that includes such SCTV alumni as Rick Moranis, Andrea Gross, Eugene Levy, and Robin Duke, as well as Jimmy Cliff and Peter O'Toole. Occasionally rising to the level of mild amusement, Club Paradise is, disappointingly, little more than a series of hit-and-miss sketches strung together by the feeblest of plots. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (26)

I Love this movie!!!
I watch this movie when I need some good "mind candy" entertainment. Having just come back from vacation in Jamaica, it was even more of a joy to watch. Robin Williams is (as always) great fun to watch. Peter O'Toole is classic as the disdainful British expat. Jimmy Cliff is a bonus! Don't expect anything deep, just a bit of parody and fun!

Give it to me on DVD PLEASE!!!
The scene where Eugene Levy and Rick Moranis hit the beach is one of the funiest 5 minutes on film I've ever seen!

This movie HAS TO be rereleased on DVD. Will somebody PLEASE tell the studio that if Power Ranger Movies can be on DVD, why not a cult classic like Club Paradise?!!!

Wish you were on vacation feelgood perfection
There is something about the atmosphere of this movie that really sticks with me over the years. The music and the cinema really does take me on vacation... a vacation from work, the weather, everything. It's zany and non-sensical flick but still maintains that metal drum sand-in-the-shoes goodness.

Certainly, I couldn't call this movie without flaws but it is a perfect fit for those moments when you are harried at work, tired of TV and can't slip out for that vacation just yet. If you watch it in the winter months, I'll bet you'll find yourself wanting to see it again days after.

"Funny stuff" for SCTV, Caddy Shack, Animal House lovers
My title refers to Eugene Levy (if you saw most of SCTV, you know what I'm referring to) but Club Paradise has an interesting, if predictable, plot and enough "situations" to allow the all-star cast to ham it up.

Robin Williams, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, Peter O'Toole, Joe Flaherty, Jimmy Cliff(!), Twiggy plays it straight a la Blues Brothers and is lovely.

Harold Ramis' direction, again, has the perfect touch.

Oh, did I mention the reggae soundtrack is terrific?

An 80's Masterpiece
I've always said that if I'm ever fortunate enough to meet either Rick Moranis or Eugene Levy, I'm going to surprise them by saying their finest comedic hour could very well be Barry Steinberg, Barry Neigh--smoke meats. So classic. Especially when under the influence of Johnny...ya know, Johnny, J's, joints... ... Read more

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An inevitable idea: a working man (Michael Keaton) who can't meet all his professional and family responsibilities has himself cloned. It works so well having one copy of himself to take charge of matters at the office that he makes another copy who takes care of the home front. Pretty soon, different aspects of Keaton's personality are emphasized in the different clones: the laborer becomes a macho creep and the domestic god becomes rather feminine. A third clone, struck from the duplicates instead of the original, becomes like a photocopy of a photocopy: inferior. This timely comedy should be better than it is, but special-effects requirements are so labor-intensive that most scenes feel stiff and leaden. Keaton is good in all four parts, and in certain gee-whiz effects scenes, where he even high-fives himself, he pulls off a minor miracle or two. (Of course, a kid did the same thing in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap.) The DVD release includes optional widescreen and standard formats and optional French and Spanish soundtracks. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (24)

KEATON'S BEST ROLE (X FOUR)!
This is a frequently funny movie with some improbable situations thrown around the central fact that Keaton is cloned repeatedly in an effort to do his job, help out with the housework and maybe, just maybe, get to drive a golf ball once in awhile. Andie MacDowell is simply beautiful and beautifully perplexed as his wife who, in one crazy night, gets ravished by all the clones breaking "rule #1", just one of many hilarious set pieces. Keaton is all over the place and, considering the premise, he does well here (his double-takes are classic) so the only question is, "Whatever happened to...Michael Keaton?" Our family's favorite!

Poses an interesting scenario
This is definitely an original premise for a film, and the casting was dead on in selecting Michael Keaton, as he puts his comedic talent to excellent use in Multiplicity. The movie presents an interesting perspective of cloning and what may occur in its aftermath. Utter hilarity ensues as each clone displays unique personality traits - one is a tough armchair-quarterback type, another a male Martha Stewart, and the fourth - a copy of a copy - needs to be seen to be believed. The film was co-written and directed by Harold Ramis, and as far as comedy is concerned you can't go wrong with most of his work. The script holds together pretty well considering that it was a four person collaboration. My favorite scene was probably the one where Andie MacDowell is in the mood and encounters each of the clones - that scene is worth the price of admission. This movie deserved more of a push than it received - it's worth checking out if you are a fan of any of the participants.

One times one is two. That's Multiplicity.
Seeking simplicity causes complexity in the movie Multiplicity. An over-worked construction contractor's life gets even more hectic when his homemaker wife decides to return to the workplace. He seeks relief by delegating his work and domestic duties to clones. But, a new brand of chaos ensues when the natural order is disturbed. The life lesson taught in the movie is captured in one line, "About quality time with your family? It's all quality time." Michael Keaton is superb in his four diverse roles: the macho workaholic, the sensitive husband and father, the mental deficient, and the original Doug Kinney. This is a must see comedy worthy of every star.

Stinker
I thought this movie was boring and when they do the 'clone of a clone' thing it was a cue for some jokes at the expense of the mentally impaired that really are in very, very poor taste.

Aren't comedies supposed to be funny?

Too Cute
Michael Keaton is truly funny in this. He never has enough time, so he decides to clone himslef..The clone then clones itself...It gets funnier with each clone! hahah "Hey Steve..I like Pizza" ... Read more

Reviews (239)

it's going to last you the rest of your life!
Groundhog Day is the funniest movie of the 90's. Brilliant performance by Bill Murray who plays a cocky weatherman Phil Connors who covers Groundhog day every year in the small town of Punxatawnee that he hates. The day end with him being stuck there because of a blizzard that he didn't predict...and what more, he relives groundhog day over and over again...taking advantage of it, taking his own life, making a move on his producer Andie Macdowell which turns out to be his first lesson in reviewing his inner cruelty and becoming a better person, and a local hero!

This movie is straight out funny...it will make you crack up with every viewing. Watch out for Stephen Tobolowski in his bizarre role as Ned Ryerson, and a cameo appearance by the film's director (and Murray's costar in Ghostbusters) Harold Ramis.

The features are well worth the money too.

A tale of love, hope, and redemption
This is a terrific movie - hilarious, uplifting, and deeply romantic and heartwarming.

Bill Murray and Andie McDowell are perfect in this film, Murray as the cynical, infinitely self-centered TV weather newscaster, and Andie McDowell as his radiant and relentlessly uplifting TV producer and love interest. The plot has been rehashed many times by others, so I won't repeat it again.

The thing that makes this movie so memorable, and makes it stand out from all others is not the comedy, which is enjoyable, but the deeper themes behind it.

What are these themes? In reading the other 226 reviews, people have mentioned everything from Buddhist karma and reincarnation, Nietzsche and existentialism, Kubler Ross, the Seven Sins, and Gurdjieff -Ouspensky and the Fourth Way. Comparisons have been made to themes from the Twilight Zone, and Frank Capra movies like "It's a Wonderful Life".

Yes, I suppose all of these themes are present, and people will interpret this movie in the religious or philosophical context with which they are most familiar. Which is why it's a bit surprising that so far nobody has mentioned the main theme that stood out immediately for me in this movie.

Above all the existentialism and New Age themes that might be found in this movie is a very old fashioned one - at its core, this movie is a moral tale of love, hope, and redemption.

Bill Murray's character is stuck in time, stuck in purgatory, stuck in a perpetual rut of endless reincarnation and immortality, whatever you want to call it. His character, Phil Connors asks, "What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?"

Connors first uses his recursive immortality to dive even deeper into the Seven Sins, and then sinks into despair, hopelessness, and attempted suicide. But gradually, he awakens to the possibility that his choices of action do matter, and discovers that through caring for the other people in this town, he is able to regain hope in his own life again. It is this genuine turn in becoming a better person that wins the heart of Andie McDowell's character and earns him redemption from this purgatory.

Another reviewer had mentioned a link to the theme of making hard choices in the "Lord of the Rings". Thanks to "Groundhog Day", I came to understand one question from LOTR that had always bothered me - why would any immortal being (i.e., elves like Arwen and Haldir in LOTR) ever give up their immortality? The answer: maybe immortality becomes tiresome and meaningless if one cannot make a difference in this world, maybe leaving immortality to gain the love of another is truly more worthwhile.

There was just one other aspect of this idea that came to mind - what if whoever or whatever had kept Phil Connors stuck in time had continued to keep him there even after his transformation? We like to think that love and hope always leads to redemption. What if it doesn't? That's one real-life possibility which is not explored in this movie, but nevertheless, it is still a terrific movie.

Renaissance Man Extraordinaire - Carpe Diem
There are so many messages behind this great movie with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. He is head over heals for MacDowell from the start, but as an arrogant weatherman, he seems to just tick her off from the start as well.

Imagine waking up every morning and it is the same day over and over again? Well, Murray has this happen to him. Every time he does his day becomes one disaster after another until he finally gives in and figures out he can use each day to improve himself and his life a little at a time.

The message here is clear. We all have a life that is made up of the same day everyday, what we choose to do with that day is really up to us. Do we want to improve our lot in life or just go along with being ourselves in a boring unfulfilled endless life that is a cycle of recurring themes?

This movie shows anyone, even though it is a comedy, that each day we have a choice to make the day what it can be. Murray plays Phil Connors, on Ground Hog Day when the ground hog's name is also Phil...go figure. Connors is as arrogant as they come and he just keeps trying so hard to impress people.

He goes from egotisical and self serving to seeing himself to get the girl of his dreams, Rita. It would be nice to know how many days of Ground Hog Days he spent there. You can see him go from this to a renaissance man who really cares about people, loves life and takes each day and uses it to improve himself.

Rita, although the same person and not being influenced or affected by being in Ground Hog day, comes to really like Phil. This movie makes us laugh at ourselves and our humanity. And by the end of the movie, he shows that he can have a positive effect on everyone he comes in contact with.

So when you hear the song, "I've Got You Babe," and the announcers saying, "It's Ground Hog Day....." remember to use the day to its fullest.

Perfect
G.D really is nearly perfect. I never tire of it. At the same time I think most people miss the point. (By the way, I've NOT seen the Special Edition.)

I'm facinated each time watching the totally self centered Bill Murray caught in this marvelous time paradox, living the same day over and over. He goes through differing stages: fear and confusion; euphoria, when he realizes he can do ANYTHING without consequence; despair, when he realizes that life is meaningless if one pursues selfish pleasures without goals; and finally a peaceful self actualization when he dedicates himself toward self improvement and the humanitarian goals his situation gives him the opportunity to pursue.

It gives one pause to consider what each of US would do in a similar circumstance.

Oh, it's really funny, too.

Groundhog Day a classic
In 1993 , director Harold Ramis genius of dark comedies like ''Analyze This'' casted Bill Murray as Phil Connors in this dark but mostly enjoyable movie named GroundHog Day.

Bill Murray plays Phil Connors a weatherman, who covers everything from weather to Ground Day. Phil isn't happy with his life, in fact he realizes that he is repeating the same routine over and over again. From work in the morning,to
talking to the annoying Ned Ryanser( Stephen Tobolowsky), while listening to Sonny and Cher in the morning to covering the stupid GroundHog Day, Phil is repeating the same day over and over again. Of course the irony here as done by the plot, is that he is the only that knows it. It's like an episode the ''Twilight Zone'' (which I reviewed too on other sites). Eventually Phil has a mental breakdown in which he plans to do whatever he wants. He comes completely unglued when realizing how wasted his life had become, and thus wants to change it.

I use the term breakdown because well Phil isn't exactly a nice guy, he's arrogant and obnoxious. We hardly sympathize with this guy, much less that he is miserable.
However, the point the movie makes is the guy realizes he has been wasting his life away and wants to change it, although Phil's change doesn't go ahead smoothly.

He drives reckless around the train tracks, gets arrested, steals a bagfull of money from a couple of dumb cops, charms his way into sleeping with a beautiful young girl and yet finds out that he still isn't happy. Until he puts the moves on Rita (Andy McDowell), his producer. McDowell is the few actresses that I know that has limited acting potential but her beautiful presence can convey some emotions making her sympathetic.

However, in order to get close to Rita, Phil has to get info on her likes and dislikes from her friends. This angle in the movie, really made me a little sick, because even we are suppose to sympathize with Phil, he hasn't really changed all that much. Rita, eventually finds out Phil's motives and slaps him in the face, and telling him to get lost. LOL No surprise there, in fact Rita's action sums up my argument that Phil hasn't really changed all that much despite his aim to not repeat the same day, he is still repeating his same behavioral patterns.

Phil though in order to impress her and to change himself, starts doing bizarre, yet unreal things that get him attention and he does start to become nicer. This is where the movie gets ridiculous, because even though this is a comedy, I found the rest of the movie to be predictable, superficial, yet enjoyable
Phil becomes a gifted ice sculpter (who knows where he learned this) as one scene, where his cutting a sculpture of an ice angel is shown. Then Phil saves a guy from choking to death, a kid from a falling tree and a host of other surprises. LOL

Yes Harold Ramis does go a bit over the top with this Phil guy, obviously a lot of the stuff he pulls of is almost impossible giving Phil's background, but Ramis is again trying to show the point (although laughingly bad) that Phil is changing. He now has a heart and will do anything to be with this nice woman and of course by Phil doing this he has filled that empty void that he had when he was repeating the same unfulling routine of covering that stupid Groundhog Day in Pennsylvania.

Ramis is actually a buddy of Murray going back to the old days of their ''SCTV'' days, and ''Ghostbusters'' days, so these two talented comedian can pull the hijinks in the film with some realism.

Still though Ramis does do a good job of making us think about the movie and Phil itself and gives us that scary thought that we perhaps might end up like Phil, a shriveled, ugly man who has been repeating the same stupid routine yet doesn't have the capacity to see that this misery is at his own doing.

LOL ... Read more

Reviews (147)

A good ol' time at the movies.
Elizabeth Hurley was an ideal choice for the role of Satan in "Bedazzled," opposite Brendan Fraser, who is also well cast as a misfit who offers his soul in return for seven wishes. The movie is a remake of an original film, and while it may tend to drag down a bit in its final acts, the result is a comedy tour-de-force which had me laughing and feeling pleased throughout.

What more pathetic character could we ask for in Elliott, the computer technician with no life? Elliott has no friends, but that doesn't stop him from conversing with his coworkers whom he thinks are actually listening. When his attention becomes snagged by fellow coworker Allison, her rejection brings him to the attention of a mysterious woman in red who reveals herself to be the Princess of Darkness. Her plan: to offer him seven wishes in return for his soul, and while he remains skeptical, the thought of being with Allison (with the help of Satan's television screens) drives him to accept the offer.

This is where the movie gets good, as we follow him on his many adventures accompanying each of his wishes. His first wish, to be rich and have Allison for his wife, lands him as a Spanish cocaine dealer whose wife is cheating on him with her English teacher, followed by his second wish to be emotionally sensitive, which drives Allison into the arms of a shallow man ("I just want someone who wants to get in my pants"). Elliott soon catches on to Satan's tricks, yet still keeps taking his wishes, with hilarious results.

First and foremost, the performances from Hurley and Fraser are what make the movie worthwhile. Brendan Fraser looks like he's having so much fun playing his role, segueing from a fast-talking Mexican who speaks multiple languages, to the overtly sensitive red-haired boy who bursts into tears at the glance of the sunset. Hurley gives a smashing performance as a female Satan, her accent adding wit and charisma to a role that is being dealt with in a new way. In watching "Bedazzled," I could see how much fun the two actors were having in playing their roles, which made the movie more enjoyable and the comedy more comfortable.

That comedy arises from many different things: first, there's the relationship between the two characters. Satan knows that she's not going to live up to her promises entirely without flaw, which leads to some very funny results as Elliott discovers each wish's put-off. I also found a great many laughs during the opening sequence, which singles people out in the frantic pace of life and labels them with a certain flaw. Add a bit of witty dialogue and a goofy character on his way to his dreams, and what you've got is a reasonably successful film which delivers what it was intended to: laughs.

Which is why the ending, for me, doesn't quite live up to the rest of the material. The laughs seem to fizzle out a bit: they're still a couple of chuckle-worthy moments at hand, but not on par with the hysterics of the first two thirds of the movie. I originally intended to dispute the way in which the movie "cops out" by taking the approach it does in the end, but once I thought about it (and you'll understand me when you watch it yourself), there really was no other way for it to end and still retain a certain lightheartedness.

On a slightly off-the-subject opinion, I also felt that the film had a good advertising plan going for it. The preview trailers don't give away all the laughs, and the movie takes certain turns that we don't get to see in the ads.

All-in-all, "Bedazzled" is a regular comedy made just a touch better by the bright and vivacious performances of its leads. The fun they have in creating their characters' body and verbal language is laugh-out-loud funny, while the situations they find themselves in aren't original, but still have comedic charm.

Devilishly good fun from Fraser and Hurley
If you're looking for a light, screwballish comedy, this will fit the bill. The premise is predictable, but ripe with opportunities. Dweebish Elliot, marvelously played by Brendan Fraser, trades his soul to the Devil for seven wishes. The twist here is that each wish lands Elliot in a whole different world - Columian drug lord, NBA star, etc. In each scenario Fraser basically creates a whole new character, and principal members of the supporting cast also appear in revamped personas. Not only is it an impressive show of the actors' versitility, but it makes for a very funny movie. As funny as all the different wish lives are, the best parts of the movie are the connecting scenes where Elliot and the Devil plan the next wish. Elizabeth Hurley has a wonderful time as the Devil, and this is the perfect vehicle for her wicked sense of humor. This is also a movie where you really appreciate the work of the costume and make-up crews. Everything from Hurley's devilishly funny costumes to Fraser's repeatedly revamped features really contribute to the humor of the movie. All in all, a very appealing movie.

One of the worst remakes of all time
Very few movies have I been to see in theatres and wanted to walk out on. I ended up staying till the end of this one, but I wish I hadnt... This DVD isnt at a cheap price for any other reason then it beeing a pretty bad movie. Most people who didnt like the movie wouldnt even bother to reveiw it, but I got time to kill...

Read someone elses reveiw for the plot, I'm sure it's been explained a thousand times already.

The most annoying thing about the film was Liz Hurly. Her constand bobbing around as she walked was irratating, I dunno what she was thinking, but that was one of the worst performance's i've ever seen by anyone. ... I suppose if your one of her loyal fans who would go to see her do anything for a perv on her, you probably will be distracted by somthing else other then your mind to come to the conclusion shes is doing a terrible job of acting.. I hoep they didnt pay her for that role... and probably the fans of Brendan Frasier are giving out good reveiws because theyd give there right arms to watch him on screen... but for me, sex images dont sell a movie at all. Therefor, the thought that having 2 actors both men and women would go to see for some kind of attraction thing going on, just dosent cut if, espeiclly when it's not funny, the acting is terrible, and again, that annoying bobbing up and down as Liz Hurly walks... what is that??? was it supposed to be funny? well, underline "supposed to be" then.

Horrible film, only fans of these actors, or people looking at the movie for the wrong reasons will absolutly love this film.

Horrible acting

I enjoyed it
Selling your soul to the devil has been a theme in a couple of moives. This modern tale of it isn't that bad and is actually pretty good thanks to smart writing, a great director, and good casting.

Elliot Richards(Fraser) is the love desperate nerd that everybody hates. He is to nice and gets annoyinig from the simple fact that he trys to hard. He has the hots for a woman at work Allison(O'Connor) who barely even knows he's there. He wants her desperately so he says to God he'd do almost anything for her. The next thing you know The Devil(Hurley) is there offering Elliot a chance to get Allison.

The deal is simple. Elliot will get the Devil his soul in exchange for seven wishes. Elliot is reluctant at first to the proposition but after some clever temptations by the devil he buckles in and says yes to her. The next thing you know he is making wishes and the devil is fulfilling them with some nasty and quite devilish tricks. Now Elliot must decide if this is really the path he wants to take and if these wishes are all that they are cracked up to be.

Brendan Fraser is good in this movie. This guys movies are usually hit or miss and this one is a hit. I don't like it as much as say the Mummy series or Blast from the Past, but this is a good movie. Fraser is fantastic when he acts out the wishes. He's so funny when he's the Colombian drug lord speaking his Spanish. He's great in the movie and you can tell he really had some fun making this movie.

Elizabeth Hurley is breath taking in the film. This is one of the most gorgeous and flawless woman in the world and in ways she carries this movie. She is very tempting and I like how they casted her as the devil instead of some sweet talking con artist man. She's so hot in the film and she's just awesome. If you like Elizabeth Hurley you have to go and watch this film.

Harold Ramis has given himself another good film. This guy is a clever writer and it shows in the film. The movie was also clever in the way that he includes all of Elliots co-wokers from the beginning of the film in the wishes. He's a smart director and really is underrated in the business. He needs to make more movies because most of the ones he's made are great.

Bedazzled is a good movie and it's easy to find cheap. If your looking for a good pop corn movie this one is it. It has a good moral ending that I don't think will offend anybody. Go see Bedazzled and be prepared for a devilish good time.

Follow the skimpy outfits.
This movie is great entertainment for a day when you have nothing else to do. The Devil (Elizabeth Hurley) offers the office geek (Brendan Fraser) a handful of wishes that turn the poor guys world upside down in exchange for his soul. Fraser is chasing after a girl named Allison and uses his wishes to make her like him, but none of them work out since the Devil always had to twist them around and stick a wrench in the works. In the end, he figures out that you don't need to be rich and powerful to get a woman's attention and one simple wish breaks his contract with the Devil. A good movie, but the plot is a little overdone. ... Read more

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Cast Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal together in a film and it should be a sucker's bet as to who's going to be funnier and who's going to give the more nuanced performance. Somehow, though, De Niro walks away with most of the laughs in Analyze This, a buddy action-comedy about a mob boss (De Niro, natch) suffering from panic attacks who makes a nebbishy shrink (Crystal, natch) an offer he can't refuse--actually, it's not really an offer, it's a command. The good doctor is forced to help the gangster get in touch with his feelings. Had the brilliant TV series The Sopranos not underscored how thin and watery and shticky director-cowriter Harold Ramis's approach to such potentially rich material actually is, the movie--a hit in theaters and De Niro's biggest film ever--would seem more fresh and kicky. De Niro's definitely a hoot as the ever milder menace, and Crystal actually concentrates on giving a credible performance opposite the acting legend (alas, he doesn't turn his character's fear of his patient into inspired comedy, as Alan Arkin did in Grosse Pointe Blank). The conclusion devolves into the requisite gunplay, and Chazz Palminteri and Lisa Kudrow are criminally wasted as an opposing mob boss and Crystal's fiancée, respectively, but overall, it's breezy fun. --David Kronke ... Read more

Reviews (136)

Could be better, but a still a cool mob movie.
This popular gangster comedy is good, but I'll admit, it could've been better. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the movie and couldn't find too many flaws, but I thought the movie should've been more involving for its excellent premise. I mean, put the one and only Robert DeNiro, Billy Crystal and Groundhog Day director Harold Ramis together and you should have brilliance. Analyze This at times just doesn't analyze itself too brilliantly. Still, I really liked the movie. The characters are fresh, intriguing and really original - especially DeNiro's - and are a delight to watch. Lisa Kudrow's character was an interesting one but I felt she was underused for her talent. Billy Crystal is an utter delight to watch. He has a cool, calm character and gives one of the best performances in the film. The movie is very original and the script is very well written. I appreciated Harold Ramis's effort, but a few more camera tricks or - I repeat - scenes with Lisa Kudrow could've improved the movie. Out of all this, however, I just couldn't go past the character of Jelly. I respected him the most out of all the characters in the movie and whenever he was on-screen; the movie was a delight. His character is one of the most involving ones in the movie and I just thought he was a really good man to take up screen space. Joe Viterelli plays him excellently. Well, through all this review I've mostly flawed Analyze This, but I really think it is worth your viewing time and it still worthy of a strong 4 or 3.5 stars out of 5. I highly recommend this movie if you want a film that blends comedy, drama and mostly importantly mayhem together in a really cool fasion.

DVD STUFF: 4/5. A good DVD. Very cool outtakes which will have you in chuckles, some great commentaries and nice production notes. I highly recommend The Sopranos Second Season and get this film' deal. Cool shtuff!

A Fun and Fanatical Film In The Mobster World!
ANALYZE THIS is a funny film. Directed by Harold Ramis (Bedazzled, Groundhog Day, Caddyshack), this film takes a hysterical view of what it might be like it you took a vicious Mobster and put him into therapy.

Starring and produced by Billy Crystal (The Princess Bride, Monsters Inc., When Harry Met Sally) as the psychiatrist who gets to treat Robert De Niro (Meet The Parents, Showtime, Frankenstein) as the Mobster with "issues". You have a comedic team that reminded me of the old Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis film. Coupled with the very funny performance of Lisa Kudrow (Friends, HangingUp) as the wife-to-be of Billy, this film has a lot of humor and energy.

The story is simple - De Niro needs a psychiatrist because he is becoming emotionally unstable regarding his feelings about the various crimes he is committing. Billy Crystal is forced to see him as his patient when he bumps into one of his Mobsters cars.

From ten on De Niro keeps interrupting Crystals life and wedding plans because he is becoming more and more unstable. There are some great performances by the stereo-typical performance of Italian Mafioso.

The DVD extras include a very funny gag real of all the mistakes the two stars has made and a great DVD commentary with Billy and Robert talking about the making of this film. Really worth this purchase - is the commentary alone. Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal are hysterical together on and off camera!

This is a great film fo those who like light=hearted comedy and a story that keeps you intrigue and involved. Who knew Robert De Niro has such comic timing as well. A good film to have in your collection of DVD's (12-22-02)

Comedic masterpiece
When I saw the trailer for this movie I thought it was going to be a very weak movie. When I saw it for the first time in the movie theater my side's ached because I was laughing so hard. Everytime I see it it fascinates me, every scene, every sentance is amazing. The chemistry and timing for this film is perfect. OCD..obsessive compulsive disorder? no, organized crime division.

1 star is too much
Ok I get it, it was supposed to be funny. But in reality it wasn't. A mafia man who cries all the time? Then slaps people? Come on! This was so bad, I am still mad I rented this trash.

LIGHTEN UP, PEOPLE!
This is a mob comedy, more like a spoof, and i couldn't stop laughing. DeNiro is great in this and funny(meet the parents funny)so is Billy Crystal, A great cast. Some people need to lighten up, obviously you took this film to seriously. I recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor. ... Read more

Description

They locked up mob boss Paul Vitti in Sing Sing and that's where he sang sang - bellowing West Side Story tunes and convincing officials he's more suited for a nut house than the Big House. Better yet, the Feds say, let's release Vitti into the custody of his therapist Ben Sobel. ROBERT DE NIRO (Vitti) and BILLY CRYSTAL (Sobel) reprise their Analyze This roles and reteam with filmmaker HAROLD RAMIS (Caddyshack) and co-star LISA KUDROW. ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Harold Ramis' Analyze That
Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal return in a sequel that takes an unsubtle swipe at "The Sopranos," and offers little else.

Paul (Robert DeNiro) is in prison and Ben (Billy Crystal) has settled down into a routine life in suburbia with wife Laura (Lisa Kudrow) and his son. Someone is gunning for Paul in the big house, and Ben's father dies. Paul has a complete nervous breakdown, singing the score to "West Side Story," and he is released into Ben's care (after some very funny psychoanalytic tests). Of course, Paul was faking and of course, the FBI knows, trailing the men as Paul must suddenly go out into the world and get a real job.

After several employment mishaps, Paul is hired on as a consultant on the mob TV series "Little Caesar." There, he reunites with his old gang and they begin planning a huge heist. Meanwhile, Ben is still trying to grieve for the father he sometimes hated, popping pills and trying desperately to keep Paul in line. In the end, we find out who was trying to kill Paul, who may be redeemable after all.

Like its predecessor, "Analyze That" is merely okay. The focus here is definitely on DeNiro, as he is featured in almost every scene. Ben takes a backseat in the film when in fact his situation dealing with his father's death (running gag: "He's grieving, it's a process") is more interesting than Paul's heist and double crossing cronies.

The film takes an almost angry look at "The Sopranos" in the form of its fictional show "Little Caesar." Naturally, I felt a little hypocrisy at this stage. A fake movie about mobsters poking fun at a fake TV show about mobsters.

While no laugh riot, there are some bright spots. DeNiro has the funny psycho tests scenes, and Crystal is very natural while watching his life unravel. If you thought Kudrow's role in the first one was overpraised, then you will completely think the same here. Her lines seem hurried, like she did this over lunch hours during "Friends," and she is once again completely wasted in an underwritten role. Joe Viterelli is always good as Jelly, Paul's henchman, and Cathy Moriarty is fine as a rival crime boss.

"Analyze That" is a ninety five minute foul mouthed sitcom, complete with end credits outtakes, that has its likable characters and not much else. The initial "mobster/shrink" gimmick wore off long ago, and a third movie does not seem likely.

PRETTY MUCH THE SAME MOVIE.
"Analyze That" follows almost exactly the same patterns that the original movie set. And perhaps that's not too bad, because we got another amusing movie from the duo De Niro / Crystal. The movie is funny, but for some reason we get the feeling that "Analyze That" could have been even better. This comedy has the right ingredients: Billy Crystal, one of the best comedians of his generation, Robert De Niro, the best actor of his generation, and a very charismatic supporting cast, including Lisa Kudrow.

Crystal and De Niro reprise their roles as a therapist and mob-boss patient, and of course they are the main reason why this movie has funny moments, Crystal plays the funny guy and De Niro plays the though guy, only this time he turns -apparently- into an old softy singing guy. De Niro isn't the typical comedian, we are used to see him as a mobster, but not as a singing mobster, so when he sings, we laugh.

"Analyze That" offers some laughs, not too many, but this sequel still can be considered as an amusing comedy, of course, we get the sensation that could have been even better, but if you liked the first one, you'll like "Analyze That".

A Minus 5 .....Twice
Well its not often I fall asleep with utter bordom, but I did with this one *yawn*, 20 minutes into the movie, I hit the DVD player reject button, this Movie was so.o.oooo Unfunny and a boring piece of B-S , the DVD Cover's was the only good thing going for it, sorry Billy, Better luck next time :) "Analyze this" gets the big thumbs down as well, I couldnt even give the 2 DVD's away, Hmmmmmm Ohh well, I guess they make Good Coffee Cup Mats..... so not all is lost :)

A few occasional laughs
Original movie 'Analyze this' wasn't a masterpiece but was still decent. This sequel is worse. There is no enough materials here for Robert de Niro and Billy Crystal to work with (it's sad to see more and more movies with Robert De Niro that do not deserve his talent). I have seen already all de Niro facial expression in the first movie (where it was funny) and it just doesn't work for the second time. The plot is quite pathetic. Lisa Kudrow, unfortunately, doesn't do very well here. Overall, it's worth to watch only if you have nothing to do and no other movie is available.

A Few Good Laughs
Analyze That features two good performances from Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro. Its kind of refreshing to see De Nero doing comedic work. The parts where De Nero's character acts out scenes from West Side Story are quite funny. Crystal gives us his usual amusing schtick about self guilt particulalry in the relationships with his late father and wife.

The story however is helter skelter where De Nero's mob boss character seems to shift gears too much from amusing fool to hard ass mob boss and all points in between. This can be more annoying than funny although there are some cute moments. However, there is little variation from the Jelly's character gives the film a light hearted touch.

Therefore, this movie stands in the middle of the pack. ... Read more