Movie · 1991 · Comedy, Western · 1h 54m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 4.5/10 (106.5K ratings)
Yesterday they were businessmen. Today they're cowboys. Tomorrow they'll be walking funny.
Overview
Three New York businessmen decide to take a "Wild West" vacation that turns out not to be the relaxing vacation they had envisioned.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.5/10
IMDb: 6.8/10
Letterboxd: 3.36/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Metacritic: 70
TMDB: 6.5/10
Director
Ron Underwood
Production
Castle Rock Entertainment, Nelson Entertainment, Face Productions
Cast
Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, Patricia Wettig, Helen Slater, Lindsay Crystal, Noble Willingham, Jack Palance, Tracey Walter, Josh Mostel, David Paymer, Bill Henderson, Phill Lewis, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jeffrey Tambor, Kyle Secor, Dean Hallo, Karla Tamburrelli, Yeardley Smith, Robert Costanzo
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, crowd-pleasing 90s comedy that pairs fish-out-of-water laughs with an unexpectedly sincere midlife-crisis story. It’s not a masterpiece, but the chemistry, quotable banter, and Jack Palance’s scene-stealing presence make it easy to recommend.
Best for
fans of warm, character-driven comedies
viewers who like light westerns with a sentimental streak
people in the mood for a funny but gently reflective midlife story
audiences who enjoy buddy-movie chemistry
Skip if
you want a hard-edged or authentic western
you dislike broad 90s studio comedy
you need nonstop jokes rather than a mix of comedy and heart
you’re looking for something especially original or formally daring
Overview
City Slickers works because it understands that a midlife crisis can be both ridiculous and genuinely painful. The premise is simple and very funny: three bored New Yorkers head west to play cowboy and end up confronting their own stalled lives. That setup gives the movie room for fish-out-of-water comedy, but also for real conversations about aging, purpose, and friendship.
Worth noting
Billy Crystal keeps the tone nimble, and the trio’s rapport makes the movie feel lived-in rather than manufactured. The western material is broad but effective, and the cattle-drive setting gives the film enough physical comedy and danger to keep it from becoming just another talky studio comedy.
Bottom line
What lingers most is the balance: it’s a feel-good movie that isn’t empty, and a sentimental movie that doesn’t get too mushy. Jack Palance’s unforgettable turn adds a rough, mythic edge that helps the whole thing land. It’s an easy watch, but one with more heart than its reputation sometimes suggests.
Top Letterboxd reviews
RetroHound (5★) · 332 likes
Funny, touching, still as good as it was when I watched it in the theater with a young lady I would later marry. Our first movie date. Yes, she still married me even though I laughed way too hard and loud in the theater. And she's still married to me even though I still laugh too hard and loud sometimes.
lauren (1.5★) · 321 likes
jake gyllenhaal's film debut, dare i say..........................a star is born
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (4★) · 224 likes
I must have seen the opening and end credits of the sequel countless times on cable growing up, and I remember none of what I saw moving a needle for me, so coming into this film I wasn’t really expecting to laugh and enjoy as much as I did, despite this one having become one of Crystal’s best-ranked and beloved movies and Palance winning an Oscar, which, I mean, sure. He’s great in here, and he certainly leaves an impression,… more I must have seen the opening and end credits of the sequel countless times on cable growing up, and I remember none of what I saw moving a needle for me, so coming into this film I wasn’t really expecting to laugh and enjoy as much as I did, despite this one having become one of Crystal’s best-ranked and beloved movies and Palance winning an Oscar, which, I mean, sure. He’s great in here, and he certainly leaves an impression,… more
Joe A (3.5★) · 223 likes
Bill Crystal spends approximately 50% of the movie riding a horse while wearing a New York Mets hat.
If that doesn’t sell you, its still a classic fish out of water story combined with the “what is my purpose in life” story that is surprisingly poignant but also consistently funny because Billy Crystal is a comedic god.
Eliza (3★) · 177 likes
This entire movie was just being shocked that people were in this. Lisa Simpson? The guy from Home Alone? Mr Mosby?! JAKE GYLLENHAAL?!?!?!