MovieChat Forums > Funny Money (2007) Discussion > Chevy Chase movies you may consider

Chevy Chase movies you may consider

posted 15 years ago by programmer04
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I can sympathize with those who dislike any movie starring Chevy Chase, especially if they've only seen his work in the past 15-20 years. The younger generation may especially think most of what he does is total crap if they have never had the chance to see some his earlier films. I know I'm not going to convince everyone, young or old, to start liking him. I mean, I don't really like his movies of late. He seems to have gone in the same direction as fellow SNL alumni Eddie Murphy and Chris Farley by going from more teen and adult targeted projects to children and family targeted projects, and once all three (Chase, Murphy, and Farley) made the transition, things were never the same for them. The biggest positive for Chevy Chase most recently was when he played a racist father of a racist murdering son in an episode of Law and Order. I thought he played that very serious role quite well.

Anyway, back to the topic. Here is my list of Chase films I enjoyed enough to watch at least twice in my lifetime:

Foul Play (1978)
Caddyshack (1980)
Seems Like Old Times (1980)
Under The Rainbow (1981)
Modern Problems (1981)
Vacation (1983)
Deal Of The Century (1983)
Fletch (1985)

What do you think? Does anyone have a favorite, or do you think they all suck?

[–] vranger 15 years ago

I mostly agree with you. Chase has done a poor job of selecting roles for a LONG time now, and hasn't added anything to even the poor movies he has chosen to do. He's had a few that never went into general release ... like "(un)Funny Money", and that is a VERY bad sign.

I'd only modify your list a bit. I didn't think much of Deal of the Century. That movie tried to make too much out of what was essentially a cameo by Eddie Murphy at a time when he was red hot. Neither his cameo nor the rest of the movie lived up to expectations.

Caddyshack is a classic comedy, but not because of Chase. Literally any actor could have pulled off his part. Bill Murray and Rodney Dangerfield made that movie.

To your list I would probably add Three Amigos, Funny Farm, and Memiors of an Invisible Man. None of those are comedy classics, but they are watchable and somewhat interesting, unlike pretty much all of his work for the last 18 years.

Back during the early Saturday Night Live salad days, I'd have bet anything that as a movie star with staying power, Chase would have been the pick over Bill Murray. History has shown that Murray has had a genius in picking roles and delivering a performance that Chase never mastered. Even with Murray, its been a while since he delivered big in a leading role. I'd have to go all the way back to The Man Who Knew too Little, and that's been 13 years now.