Caddyshack is a Laughing Matter

            “Comic Relief” by Morreall lays out three theories of humor, superiority theory, relief theory, and incongruity theory. The movie “Caddyshack” has elements of all three of these throughout. The superiority theory explains the humor people find in other’s inferiority. People enjoy feeling as though they are the superior to others. The relief theory explains the need for humor to relieve nervous energy or tense situations. The incongruity theory can be explained as the things that are not expected or do not fit within the situation. They are often in situations when you are expecting a certain response or action to happen and another occurs.

You can see the superiority theory in the movie through almost all of Al’s actions. As soon as he arrives at the country club, he tips the valet and also gives him an additional tip while telling him to put on some weight. He often addresses the employees of the club in this manner.  He is expressing the superiority people often feel to the people who are employed at the location we are at. Carl also shows the superiority theory through his interactions with the gopher. He acts as though he is the gophers superior but in reality, the gopher continues to outsmart him. This situation makes those watching feel as though Carl is inferior to themselves. These are just a few examples of the superiority theory played out throughout “Caddyshack.”

When the judge comes into the locker room, he remarks to an employee that a car needs to be towed because it is parked in his spot. This is a tense scene due to his negativity to others around him. In the background, we see a gentlemen in a towel get up quickly and run own to move his car. In this scene, the relief theory can be seen. People are uncomfortable with the judge’s unnecessary negativity to all around him so they use humor to relieve the tension. This theory can also be seen when the judge makes an inappropriate joke about religion and race to a priest. After this joke, the black employee begins doing the task he was asked to do, buffing the judge’s shoes, and an absurd amount of smoke is created causing relief.  The relief theory can be seen throughout the movie; these are just a couple examples.

In the very beginning of the movie, Danny’s father asks a child at the breakfast table in his home, “Who are you?” This situation could be explained using the incongruity theory. You would not expect someone to not know a child who is in their home eating breakfast with them. Another instance you can see the incongruity theory is when Danny is talking to Ty about the lumber yards in which Ty owns. Danny points out that Ty does not spend much time at either of them and his response is that it’s because he doesn’t know where they are. You would imagine someone that owns a business or even two knows where the business is located. These are just a couple examples of the incongruity theory that can be seen in “Caddyshack.”