5 Faves: Golf

1. Caddyshack
2. Tin Cup
3. Happy Gilmore
4. Greatest Game Ever Played, The
5. Legend Of Bagger Vance, The

I’ve always been interested in golf. At least in watching it which started with my Dad. I used to play, but I was never great at it. One time I played against a friend and we wagered a buck a hole and a buck a shot. It was a 9-Hole, Par 3 course; I lost $19. Also, my first real job as a teenager was working at a mini-golf / driving range. I have always and continue to be attracted to the beauty of the sport, the drama, the tradition which is why Caddyshack is by top choice as a golf film because is exhibits all three. Well, maybe not, but it’s damned funny. Four comedy icons at the top of their game. I really enjoy Tin Cup.  It may be a bit too long, but that didn’t stop me from seeing this movie three times during its theatrical run. Kevin Costner gives a very nuanced performance and Cheech Marin is a riot. Even though I know the outcome, I still get goosebumps every time the final shot drops into the cup. Happy Gilmore is a silly movie. It’s implausible, it’s illogical, it’s idiotic, but there are some scenes that I laugh at now just as hard as when I first saw them. Ben Stiller steals every scene he’s in. It’s probably in my top 20 for films that I quote the most. Directed by Bill Paxton, The Greatest Game is a movie about a 20-year-old golfer who gets the chance to compete against his idol at 1900 U.S. Open. A touching underdog story full of drama and starring Shia LaBeouf before he went crazy. Also, the actor who played his caddy, was very annoying. Bagger Vance is a fantasy where an ordinary man gets the opportunity to play against two golf legends, Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones, after he encounters a mysterious caddy. Beautiful looking movie, well acted.