80s Comedies Still Being Remembered as ‘Greats’

Even though comedies such as Caddyshack and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off are not really considered movies of our generation, the common consensus among students at Glenbard West is that they have seen these movies and agree that they “greats.” Both these movies offer clever and, at times, crude humor as they go through their storylines.

A little background on Caddyshack: Danny Noonan played by Michael O’Keefe works as a caddy at the upscale Bushwood Country Club in the 1980s to raise money for college. He volunteers to caddy for a very wealthy member in preparation for the Caddy Day Golf Tournament, in an effort to gain votes for the caddy scholarship. The stories progresses towards the end result with crude comedy throughout the story.

To name a few notables in this movie, Bill Murray plays Carl Spackler and Chevy Chase plays Ty Webb. Both actors do a great job of playing their roles while making it very clear of their signature comedic acts. Bill Murray pulled off one of the most memorable scenes in comedic film known as the Cinderella story, by hitting the flowers in the flower bed with play-by-play sports commentary while he continues hittting the flowers. This laugh-out-loud Bill Murrayesic scene is remembered for the “it’s in the hole” saying.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’s storyline is about a high school senior who cuts class often, played by Matthew Broderick.  Another notable character is best friend Cameron Frey played by Alan Ruck. When yet another opportunity comes up for Ferris to ditch school, he calls in sick so he can go adventure through Chicago, which includes borrowing a Ferrari and going to a Cubs game at Wrigely Field, all while his principal is hot on his trail in an attempt to catch him. The part of this movie that still resonates with high school students and teachers is the iconic “Bueller, Bueller, Bueller,” spoken by Ferris’ teacher while taking attendance. Many teachers at Glenbard can be found saying this from time to time to lighten the mood of a class.

Personally, when watching both comedies it just seems like there is something special within these movies that make them consider some of the greats from the 80s. Yes, both of these movies are rated PG-13 or R, but that doesn’t stop them from being an 80s comedy classic.  The editors at Common Sense Media, a site that blogs about media topics,  state, “At the time of its release, no film had ever pushed the envelope of crude humor like Caddyshack.” The crude humor is created with very unlikely outcomes or turn of events that occur during the comedy which leaves viewers laughing out loud.

When Caddyshack was released in 1980, it really paved the way to other comedies that would come later on in the 80s, like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Adam Smith from Empire Movie Reviews exclaims that Caddyshack is “Sporadically hilarious, with roots that run deeper than expected.”

Caddyshack and  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off have shown through the years since the 80s that are still loved for their clever and crude humor.