The Big Picture
1. Caddyshack (1980) All discussions of golf-movie greatness
begin with this snobs-versus-slobs classic. Pick your favorite
line ("Hey, baby! You must've been something before electricity";
"Big hitter, the Lama"; "You take drugs, Danny?"), but in the end
it boils down to this: The film is both a parody of country-club
life and a dead-on skewering of it.
2. Happy Gilmore (1996) The movie that proves--once and for
all--that golf is the funniest sport. Adam Sandler swings like a
caveman, howls gibberish at unwitting fans and gets his butt
kicked (literally) by Bob Barker in a pro-am. As a bonus, Shooter
McGavin (Chris McDonald) ranks among the best comedic film
villains ever. Check your brain at the door and enjoy.
3. Tin Cup (1996) If you ignore Kevin Costner's weekend-hacker
swing and a finale that hinges on a three-wood shot with
backspin, Ron Shelton's genial tale of a driving-range pro
seeking his inner Ben Curtis coasts by on easy-breezy charm.
Nothing since has so perfectly captured the boozy, Zen heart of
the game (not to mention many a male golfer's desire to woo Rene
Russo).
4. The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) Robert Redford's movie has a
great, glossy affection for golf, but it's an overpasteurized
piece of faux Americana that's earnest to the point of boredom.
And Matt Damon makes Adam Sandler look like Ernie Els.
5. Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004) It was only a matter of
time before Hollywood got around to Jones. Jim Caviezel, fresh
off a deific turn in The Passion of the Christ, stars as the man
who won the Grand Slam at 28 and then retired. Perhaps the movie
should have taken its cue from Jones and quit while it was
ahead--after the opening credits.
6. Caddyshack II (1988) Why? No, seriously ... why? Without Bill
Murray, Rodney Dangerfield or the directorial talents of
comic-genius Harold Ramis, everyone involved should have taken a
mulligan. How bad is it? Director Allan Arkush never made another
major motion picture.
FIVE COLOR PHOTOS: PHOTOFEST
COLOR PHOTO: GUY D'ALEMA (CAVIEZEL)