It’s hard to make a golf comedy without recalling the crude 1980 classic Caddyshack starring Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, but with its crude humor, farcical innuendo, and elegant eponymous setting. The Country Club certainly deserves the comparison. But the film’s more obvious influence is on early Wes Anderson, particularly his second feature, Rushmore. Director Fiona Roberts (her sister, who also co-wrote with Sophia Roberts, who both star) leans heavily on Anderson’s undeniable work. , with strictly symmetrical compositions, abrupt zooms, and heightened pastel colors his palette is a style easily imitated. As if to underscore the similarities, the film oozes a lot of Andersonia-ness as it opens with a handcrafted, pleasantly lanky title sequence with credits on tees and golf balls.
These visual flourishes are derivative, but compelling and well-realized. But the writing lacks any of Anderson’s wit, and rather tends toward the kind of broad, macabre slapstick that’s closer to Two Broke Girls than to Royal Tenenbaums.
The story of a pair of working-class teenage intruders who debacle at an upper-class golf tournament has a predictable sitcom rhythm, with working-class hero Elsa (Sophia Robert) to her girlfriend. It features an expository monologue of this astonishing clumsiness of a seizure, ranging from Her sister Tina (Fiona Robert): “I think my dad is just mad because he got fired. College is out of reach now!” The joke couldn’t be better. There is a long, long, uninteresting sequence about flatulence. According to the credits, these noise effects were provided by comedian Steve Higgins. They were not worth trusting.
The Country Club
Unrated. Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Available for rent or purchase on most major platforms.
