I’ve been a Caddyshack fan since I first saw it on HBO in 1981 as a nine-year-old kid. More than 40 years later, it’s still one of my ten favorite movies. While most people remember the gopher, Bill Murray, or Chevy Chase, the character I always identified with was Al Czervik.
Al, brilliantly played by Rodney Dangerfield, represented the ultimate outsider. He was loud, abrasive, successful, and completely uninterested in following the social rules established by the country club elite. His feud with Judge Smails, played by Ted Knight, was really about more than golf. It was the classic battle of the snobs versus the slobs.
Now, I’m not nearly as funny as Rodney Dangerfield, and I’m probably not as abrasive as Al. But there were times in my career when I understood exactly how he felt.
One place that comes to mind is my time at Meyer Suozzi. Usually, if someone doesn’t like me, I can point to a reason. I have strong opinions. I speak my mind. I don’t always tell people what they want to hear. But from day one, I always felt that Lois, the managing attorney, decided I didn’t belong. Whether that was true or not, that was certainly how it felt.
I remember listening to conversations that often sounded like Judge Smails name-dropping club members. Except instead of country club members, it was discussions about the children of partners who became politicians, many of whom I didn’t particularly admire. There was always a sense that there was an inner circle and then there was everyone else.
Over time, it became obvious that I was never going to make partner. Looking back, that’s probably one of the best things that ever happened to me.
One of my favorite scenes in Caddyshack is when Judge Smails tells Al he’ll never be a member of Bushwood. Al responds that he wouldn’t join that crummy snobatorium if they begged him.
That’s how I feel today. I didn’t fit in there, and they didn’t think I belonged. In the end, it worked out just fine. I built my own practice, my own reputation, and my own career. Meanwhile, the firm I once thought I needed has spent the last fifteen years slowly fading away.
Sometimes not getting into the club turns out to be the best thing that ever happens to you.
