CITY SLICKERS

US, 1991, 114 minutes, Colour.
Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, Jack Palance, Patricia Wettig, Helen Slater, Josh Mostel, David Paymer.
Directed by Ron Underwood.

City Slickers are three very citified amigos, who go for holidays to rough it (like the Pamplona bull chase), find they are in the doldrums of mid-life crisis. How to understand themselves and regain some of their happiness? Why not join a Colorado cattle-drive, go back to the western frontier and the pioneer spirit, where men were men...? They do. And the result is an amusing mixture of expected farcical comedy and some serious talk about life from men's point of view. (In fact, women are at the edges of this film.)

But there is a good-natured approach to the problems. Billy Crystal gives an enjoyable performance - as does Jack Palance as Curly, the dying breed cowboy who gets a chance to use his menace style as well as to do some comedy. The film is optimistic in its hope that men can discover themselves, not their macho selves, but their deeper and gentler selves. Director Ron Underwood made the science fiction thriller Tremors.

1.Entertaining comedy with serious undertones?

2.The opening New York settings, Colorado and the West? The beauty of the West? Action, stunts? The musical score?

3.The title, the looking down on the city slickers? Out west? The myths of the west, the frontier, transforming men into men?

4.The comic style of the cast? Billy Crystal's comedy, Jack Palance playing against type?

5.The prologue with Pamplona, the bull-run, the thousands of people enjoying it, the macho holiday, Mitch and his being gored? Going to hospital? Ed and Phil and their enjoyment of the situation? Each of them flying home with their wives or girlfriends? The revelation about them?

6.Mitch, a year later, his approaching birthday? His mother ringing at 5.15, the time of his birth? Barbara as sympathetic? His gloom, discussion with the boss, the nature of his job, buying air? Going to the school, his father ashamed of him? The tone of his speech? The party, the gifts? His friends arriving, Phil's crisis and the denunciation by the girl, the scene with his wife? The gift of the cattle-drive? Talking things over with Barbara, her insight, the gift of time for himself?

7.Phil, personality and style, the story of his marriage, dominating wife, her father, the supermarket? The interactions with his wife? The macho enjoyment with Ed and Mitch? The girl coming to the party, the exposing of his adultery, his wife's reaction?

8.Macho, the outdoors type, organising the holidays? His womanising? The young woman going back from Spain, the possibility of marriage, his plans?

9.The themes of male friendship, the buddies, mutual interests, talk about baseball, sexual activity, action, age? Adultery, the hypothesis of the possibility of committing adultery - and who would know? Phil's question, Ed's response, Curly's response? Mitch and his integrity that he would know? The expectations of the cattle-drive, their enjoying it, steaks, gallantry towards Bonnie? The cattle-drive and their commitment? The resolution of the crisis with family, intimacy and commitment?

10.Mid-life crises, pressures, action, the image of American men, the macho image, finding their gentler selves?

11.The cattle-drive, the members of the drive: the old ranching couple and their tough attitude, the Jewish brothers and their comedy styles, making ice cream? The black dentist and his son? The background of ethnic humour as well as prejudice? Bonnie as the only woman on the drive, her wanting to back out, their reassuring her? The ranch hands and their macho attitudes, drinking, harassing Bonnie? Curly and the old-fashioned cowboy?

12.The action sequences, handling the cattle, the training, the riding (and the ache)? Rounding up strays, life at camp, the terrain? Mitch and his coffee machine and the stampede? Curly taking him and his participating in the birth? The fording of the river and saving the calf? The traditions of the western - and the references to Red River and the shout before going on the drive? The final irony that the cattle were being taken for slaughter and supermarkets?

13.Curly, his leathery face, the men's jokes, his throwing the knife at the ranch-hands to stop them? Rounding up the strays? His disdain of city slickers? Not liking Mitch, his jokes - wanting him to stop playing the mouth organ and then joining in the singing? His philosophy of one thing in life? The memory of the girl that he glimpsed? His dying and its effect on the group? A tribute to the old style cowboy?

14.Mitch and his jokes, the riding, the coffee and the stampede, rounding up the strays, the antagonism towards Curly, learning from him, the exhilaration of the birth? Looking after Norman, making the decision to go on?

15.The men, their talk, the stories about the best and worst days of their lives, their relationship with parents, with spouses? Their decision to go on the drive?

16.Bonnie, the glamorous young woman, participation in the drive, her not wanting to talk about baseball? The ranch hands attacking her? The group advising her to go back to the ranch and not participate in the drive? Her being there to welcome them - the credibility of her relationship with Phil?

17.The drive, the difficulties, the terrain, the rain, the flooded river, the calf? The rescue in the rapids? The success of the drive? Welcomed by the ranchers and the other members of the group?

18.The glimpse of the Jewish brothers, comic style, manner and mannerisms? The black dentists?

19.The return home, relationships, Ed willing to commit himself and not imitate his father? Phil and the relationship with Bonnie? The reconciliation of Mitch with his family and children - and the delight of the intimacy of family?

20.A successful comedy about male mid-life crisis?