Who’s Your Caddy - Dir. Don Michael Paul 2007

I know what you’re thinking: a movie about black people playing golf at a stuffy, all white country club–it’s gotta be hilarious! This is in no way the kind of cinema that I’d call extraordinary, but when you compare it to other things that pass as comedy these days (”Date Movie” comes to mind), Who’s Your Caddy isn’t really that bad. I watched this with a friend. He was actually the poor sap to bring it to the counter at the video store, and he got a little embarrassed in the process. I can’t blame him. Every once in a while it happens to me, too. I’d rather have a bottle of hemorrhoid cream fall out of my pocket on a first date than bring some of the things I rent up to the counter at the video store. The former is a medical condition that you don’t have any control over, and I think people are okay with stuff like that (or at least they should be). On the other hand, you have to go out of your way to rent “Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-A-Rama” and those people behind the counter know it. I digress.

This movie is pretty fun in a lot of spots, not so funny in others. One of my particular favorites is the tricked-out golf cart, just because I think it’s funny when people put rims on things. There are also a few great shots of interesting situations set to rap music. Nothing wrong with that, is there?

The Plot: Big Boi from Outkast applies to an all white country club, where the principal from Ferris Bueller runs the show. The Boi is quickly turned down, but, with a bit of luck, manages to purchase a property next door that contains an important piece of the golf course. Using this property as leverage, he gains entry to the club for him and his crew. As you can imagine, this is where the fun really begins.

The rappers make some pretty wacky decisions, and the stuff-shirts respond accordingly. In a climax that’s rather reminiscent of Caddyshack, the opposing sides make a bet on a round of golf. The loser, of course, must leave the club forever.

What makes it watchable: I’m a bit ashamed of how easy this movie was to watch, and how many times it made me laugh. I kept thinking of Bamboozled, probably my favorite Spike Lee film, and its comparison of films like this, and gangsta rap in general, to the old minstrel shows. Chris Rock’s stand-up also comes to mind (”here you go, Shaq–go buy yourself a bouncing car”).

The film is full of stereotypes, and in some ways is a step backwards as far as cinema goes. However, when most of the comedies in the theater rely on pretty explicit sexual humor and a level of crudeness that makes even some of my peers blush, it’s hard to knock a film that’s relatively tame in comparison, but still manages to get some laughs. This isn’t the best movie ever, or even the best movie I watched yesterday (that was Mystic River), but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy watching it.

No breaks or averted eyes

Overall score from 1 to 10: 6

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