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 it was shot in New York City; New Mexico; Durango, Colorado; and Spain. A sequel City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold was released in 1994, with the same cast, with the exception of Kirby, who was replaced by Jon Lovitz.
Video City Slickers
Plot
In New York City, Mitch Robbins, a radio advertisement executive, has turned 39 years old and is going through a midlife crisis. His best friends, Phil Berquist and Ed Furillo, experience problems of their own: Phil is trapped in a 12-year loveless marriage to his wife, Arlene; and Ed Furillo is a successful sporting goods salesman and playboy who has recently married an underwear model but is struggling with monogamy and the pressure of having children.
At Mitch's birthday party, Phil and Ed present a gift of a two-week cattle drive from New Mexico to Colorado. Phil is confronted by a co-worker, Nancy, who accidentally reveals her affair with Phil, which leads to his separation from Arlene. Despite Mitch's plans to go to Florida with his wife Barbara to visit her parents, Barbara persuades him to instead go with his friends and find some purpose before he contemplates adultery or suicide. In New Mexico, Mitch, Phil and Ed meet the ranch owner, Clay Stone, and their fellow drivers. Mitch develops a rivalry with the ranch's professional cowboys, Jeff and T.R., when they proposition one of the drivers, Bonnie. The standoff is stopped by the trail boss, Curly, who inadvertently humiliates Mitch in front of his friends.
During the drive, as Mitch, Phil and Ed begin to change their outlook on life, Mitch accidentally causes a stampede which wrecks most of the camp. In retribution, Curly orders him to help gather the lost cows, but over time, the two develop a bond when Mitch learns that Curly, despite his tough exterior, is actually a very wise man. Curly advises Mitch to discover the "one thing" in his life which is the most important to him, which will solve all of his problems. Along the way, Mitch helps deliver a calf from a dying cow, which Curly kills out of mercy. Mitch adopts the calf and names him Norman.
Curly suddenly dies of a heart attack, leaving the drive under Jeff and T.R.. Trouble begins when the cook, Cookie, gets drunk and accidentally destroys their food supply, and Jeff and T.R. intoxicate themselves with Cookie's hidden stash. A fight ensues when they threaten Norman and assault Mitch, leading Phil to lash out at them and unleash a lifetime of stress on them at gunpoint. Jeff and T.R. abandon them to avoid reprisals from Clay Stone. Though the remaining drivers consider leaving the herd to seek out civilization, Phil and Ed remain behind to finish the drive alone. Mitch has a change of heart and joins them while the others continue to Colorado.
After braving a heavy storm, they finally manage to drive the herd to Colorado, but Norman gets stuck in the river. Mitch saves him but they are both swept away with the current. Phil and Ed only barely manage to save them both and finally overcome their crises while resting on the bank. They reach Clay Stone's ranch in Colorado shortly afterwards. Clay Stone offers to reimburse them for their troubles, but reveals that he is selling the herd to a meat company. Having changed their outlook on life, Mitch, Phil and Ed decide to rebuild their lives, and Mitch purchases Norman from Clay Stone to save him from slaughter.
Mitch returns to New York City with Phil and Ed a happier man, and reunites with his family while bringing Norman home for a few days until he can be placed in a petting zoo. Phil enters a relationship with Bonnie, and Ed becomes open to the idea of having children.
Maps City Slickers
Cast
- Billy Crystal as Mitch Robbins
- Daniel Stern as Phil Berquist
- Bruno Kirby as Ed Furillo
- Patricia Wettig as Barbara Robbins
- Helen Slater as Bonnie Rayburn
- Jack Palance as Curly Washburn
- Noble Willingham as Clay Stone
- Tracey Walter as Cookie
- Jeffrey Tambor as Lou
- Josh Mostel as Barry Shalowitz
- David Paymer as Ira Shalowitz
- Bill Henderson as Dr. Ben Jessup
- Phill Lewis as Dr. Steve Jessup
- Kyle Secor as Jeff
- Dean Hallo as T.R.
- Karla Tamburrelli as Arlene Berquist
- Yeardley Smith as Nancy
- Robert Costanzo as Sal Morelli
- Walker Brandt as Kim Furillo
- Molly McClure as Millie Stone
- Jane Alden as Mrs. Green
- Lindsay Crystal as Holly Robbins
- Jake Gyllenhaal as Danny Robbins
- Danielle Harris as Classroom student
- Eddie Palmer as Classroom student
- Howard Honig as Skycap
- Fred Maio as Doctor
- Jayne Meadows as the voice of Mitch's mother
- Alan Charof as the voice of Mitch's father
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.
In his 2013 memoir, Still Foolin' Em, Billy Crystal writes of how the casting of the film came about. "Palance," he says, "was the first choice from the beginning, but had a commitment to make another film." He wrote 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.
Critical response
The film received a "Fresh" score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Jack Palance, for his role as Curly, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the only Oscar nomination it received. His acceptance speech for the award is best remembered for his demonstration of one-armed push-ups, which he claimed convinced studio insurance agents that he was healthy enough to work on it. Billy Crystal was hosting the Academy Awards that night, and used the humorous incident for several jokes afterward that evening. Later that night, Palance placed the Oscar on Crystal'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." 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.
Awards and honors
- Best Supporting Actor for Jack Palance at the 1992 Academy Awards Won
- Best Supporting Actor for Jack Palance at the 49th Golden Globe Awards Won
- Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical/Comedy for Billy Crystal at the 46th Golden Globe Awards Nomination
- Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical at the 46th Golden Globe Awards Nomination
- Genesis Award for Best Feature Film Won
The film is also recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2000: AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs - #86
- 2005: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
- Mitch Robbins: "Hi, Curly, kill anyone today?"
-
- Curly: "Day ain't over yet."
- - Nominated
- 2005: AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores - Nominated
In popular culture
- The Billy Crystal episode of Muppets Tonight featured a parody entitled "City Schtickers," with Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear in Kirby and Stern's roles.
- Funny or Die produced a mash-up short that combined the film with the 2016 HBO series Westworld that featured Crystal and Stern.
References
External links
- City Slickers on IMDb
- City Slickers at Box Office Mojo
- City Slickers at Rotten Tomatoes
Source of article : Wikipedia
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