City Slickers

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For other uses, see City slicker (disambiguation).
City Slickers
City Slickers.jpg
Theatrical release poster by John Alvin.
Directed by Ron Underwood
Produced by Irby Smith
Written by Lowell Ganz
Babaloo Mandel
Starring Billy Crystal
Bruno Kirby
Daniel Stern
Patricia Wettig
Helen Slater
Jack Palance
Music by Marc Shaiman
Cinematography Dean Semler
Edited by O. Nicholas Brown
Production
company
Castle Rock Entertainment
Nelson Entertainment
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
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  • June 7, 1991 (1991-06-07)
Running time
 112 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $26 million[1]
Box office $179,033,791[2]

City Slickers is a 1991 American western comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby and Jack Palance, with supporting roles by Patricia Wettig, Helen Slater and Noble Willingham.

The film's screenplay was written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, and the film was shot in New York City; New Mexico; Durango, Colorado; and in Spain. A sequel, City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold, was released in 1994.

Plot

New Yorker Mitch Robbins has just turned 39 years old, and is having a midlife crisis. His best friends are also having crises of their own: Phil Berquist is stuck managing his father-in-law's grocery store, while trapped in a 12-year sexless marriage with his ruthless wife, Arlene, and Ed Furillo (Bruno Kirby) is a successful sporting-goods salesman and playboy, having recently married an underwear model, but is struggling with the idea of monogamous marriage and the pressure to have kids.

At Mitch's birthday party, Phil and Ed present a joint gift: a two-week cattle drive in the southwestern United States. Mitch initially declines, having promised to visit wife Barbara's parents in Florida. When Nancy a clerk from Phil's grocery store inadvertently reveals an affair they had, Arlene files for divorce and Phil is dismissed. Barbara has Mitch go along both to cheer up Phil and to help himself find some purpose before he is tempted into adultery and/or suicide.

In New Mexico, they meet ranch owner Clay Stone and others there for the cattle drive. As they "learn the ropes" of moving a herd, there is a tense encounter with the ranch's professional cowboys, Jeff and T.R., who drunkenly proposition vacationer Bonnie Rayburn (Helen Slater). The standoff is abruptly halted when Curly Washburn, the trail supervisor, lassos Jeff into a chokehold, then chastises both for being intoxicated on the job. He demands an apology to Bonnie, who appreciates Mitch's efforts on her behalf.

Curly, Jeff, T.R., and the ranch's guests begin the long drive to Colorado. Curly overhears Mitch insult him and later humiliates Mitch in retaliation. After a destructive stampede is Mitch's fault, as punishment Curly chooses a fearful Mitch to accompany him to find stray cows. They spend the night alone and slowly begin to bond. Mitch discovers that despite Curly's tough exterior, he is a very wise man. Curly advises him how to face his problems: by singling out the "one thing" that is most important in life.

The next morning, Curly and Mitch deliver a pregnant cow's calf. Curly is forced to euthanize its ailing mother by delivering a coup de grace, so Mitch informally adopts the newborn and names it Norman.

The drive runs into trouble when Curly suffers a fatal heart attack. As they proceed without him, Cookie the cook gets drunk and injures his legs. Without Curly's presence, Jeff and T.R. become freely intoxicated, goading Mitch into challenging them. Ed intervenes and Phil disarms both, furiously ordering them to go to bed.

Fearing reprisals from their supervisor, Jeff and T.R. abandon the city folk in the wilderness, leaving them with no trail supervisor, food, or map. The vacationers decide to abandon the herd and seek civilization, except for Ed and Phil, who intend to drive the cattle to Colorado despite Mitch's objections. The others ride on ahead, but Mitch unexpectedly returns to rejoin his fellow "city slickers" and finish the drive.

The final test involves crossing a dangerous river. Despite a violent storm, the men successfully drive most of the herd across, but Norman the calf is caught up in the river's rapid current. Mitch chases and successfully lassos it, but in turn gets caught in the rapids; seeing this, Phil and Ed rush to save Mitch and Norman. As the trio collapse on the river bank, life's problems seem far behind them. From there the three easily lead the herd to the Colorado ranch, where they are warmly received by the others. Stone rewards the entire group, and the trio in particular, by fully refunding their fees but also decides to sell the cows to a meat company for a fine price.

Ed returns home to tell his newlywed wife he is fine with having children. Phil starts a new relationship with Bonnie. Mitch returns to New York City with Norman as a happier man, having realized that his family is his "one thing". Mitch explains he has spared Norman from the slaughter by purchasing him and bringing him home.

Cast

Reception

The film received a "Fresh" score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.[3] Jack Palance, for his role as Curly, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the only Oscar nomination the film received. His acceptance speech for the award is best remembered for his demonstration of one-armed push-ups,[4] which he claimed convinced studio insurance agents that he was healthy enough to work on the film. Billy Crystal was hosting the Academy Awards that night, and used the humorous incident for several jokes afterward that evening. The next year's Oscars opened with Palance appearing to drag in a giant Academy Award, with Crystal (again the host) riding on the opposite end.

Palance and Crystal both were nominated for Golden Globes for their performances, in separate categories, though only Palance won.

The film is currently ranked #73 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies" and number 86 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs.

Production

The film's plot, which consists of inexperienced cowboys battling villains as they press on with their cattle drive after the death of their leader, was conceived to be similar to John Wayne's The Cowboys, although that was a Western drama as opposed to a comedy.[5]

In his 2013 memoir, Still Foolin' Em, Billy Crystal writes of how the casting of City Slickers came about. Palance, he says, was the first choice from the beginning, but had a commitment to make another film. Crystal writes that he contacted Charles Bronson about the part, only to be rudely rebuffed because the character dies. Palance got out of his other obligation to join the cast. Rick Moranis, however, originally cast as Phil, had to leave the production due to his wife's illness. Daniel Stern was a late replacement in the role.

On the night Palance won the Academy Award, according to Crystal, the 73-year-old actor placed the Oscar on the comedian's shoulder and said, "Billy Crystal ... who thought it would be you?" Crystal added in his book: "We had a glass of champagne together, and I could only imagine what Charles Bronson was thinking as he went to sleep that night."

Awards and honors

American Film Institute recognition

In popular culture

References

  1. ↑ DVD & film details giving "an estimated budget of $26 million". Tower.com. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ City Slickers at Rotten Tomatoes and was also a box office success. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  4. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGxL5AFzzMY
  5. ↑ The Cowboys - Similar Movies at MovieFone. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  6. ↑ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees

External links

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