Summer vacation. The great outdoors. Horseback through the Old West. Billy Crystal mugging for the camera.
And enough mid-life crises to fill a therapist’s schedule for a good six months.
“City Slickers” is a favorite on the summer outdoor movie circuit precisely because it’s got enough going on to entertain everybody in the family.
For little kids: Horses and cows and adventure. For tweeners: slapstick, a few potty jokes, and skilled comics like Crystal, Daniel Stern and Bruno Kirby. For adults: realistic (for a comedy) wrestling over what it means to be mature, and a welcome return for Jack Palance, who later won a best supporting actor Oscar as Curly.
“City Slickers” follows the three East Coast friends as they sign up for a Western cattle drive to get away from urban angst. They each have to step up when trouble hits; just when they’ve been arguing long enough and the kids get restless, a cute calf is born or there’s a runaway chuckwagon.
Nitpicking critics might find the comedy in “City Slickers” too broad, with too many crises solved by pop psychology. But broad comedy is a basic foundation of the all-family film, and enough smart people have enjoyed “City Slickers” to name it number 73 on the Bravo television channel list of all-time funniest movies.
You might consider your next viewing of “City Slickers” to be a requiem, of sorts, for two skilled actors. Palance and Kirby both died in 2006, Palance after a long life and career, Kirby before his time at age 57.
Each Tuesday, Michael Booth uncovers a movie gem for rewarding family entertainment. Send suggestions to mbooth@denverpost.com
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“City Slickers”
Rated|PG-13, for profanity, some mature subject matter
Best suited for|Families planning a summer vacation; dads considering a midlife crisis
