Disc Reviews
City Slickers Blu-ray Review
Comedy is probably the hardest of genres to get right, and when you do, there is often less of a staying power than with more dramatic affairs. But! Get the right actors, decent writers, and you can be onto gold that lasts for generations. And such is a large portion of the career of Billy Crystal. He had his own certain charm, he worked with some of the right talent often, and delivered some zingers that are just as funny today as they were when they came out. City Slickers, I am happy to say, sits comfortably within that pile. The film sets up its premise fast (middle-aged male city workers go out to the rough country to play cowboy for a couple of weeks in the hopes that they can salvage their personal lives and souls). Comedic antics ensue, with a healthy dollop of sentiment for good measure.
Crystal is hilarious as the downtrodden Mitch. He has everything he needs: A job, a family, friends, and yet he’s hit an age where he sees everything starting to mean nothing. Likewise, he has two close friends (Daniel Stern and Bruno Kirby) who have their own problems in life, so the three of them are shoved off to the old country for a bit of self-discovery. They’ll meet fellow suburban dwellers looking for their own bit of adventure, the ranch hands who will teach them how to rope horses and herd cattle, and then there’s the main ranch hand, Curly (Jack Palance), who strikes fear in to the heart of any “city slicker” he comes across – and it’s the relationship that Mitch strikes up with this guy that starts the change his perspective on life.
The film adheres to the rules of what comedies used to do very well. Establish the world and your characters, get the plot moving, resolve issues, and be fun from start to end. Most importantly, do not outstay your welcome. Comedies, like basic horror, should get in and get out, and City Slickers does so gracefully.
Weirdly, this is just a Blu-ray release, not a 4K upgrade (Well, it’s a 2K scan, so it’s decent). But in the age of 4K remasters, it’s strange that this wasn’t given that treatment.
What treatment it does get, though, is a very good extras package. There was already some existing making of material, including a half-hour making of featuring a lot of the main players, there’s a good feature on the writers of the piece, and also a very lively commentary from the director along with Bill Crystal and Daniel Stern, which is both funny and informative.
Arrow Video has reached out and grabbed a bunch of new interviews, including director Ron Underwood, and actors Josh Mostel, Robert Costanzo, and Kyle Secor, and they are informative not just about the film, but also their own careers. They may not be high on the playbill, but as character actors they have their important part in the film – and as Arrow video has proved in recent times, getting in the C-list players for interviews can be just as rewarding.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• 2K restoration from a 4K scan
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Original lossless stereo audio and optional DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary with director Ron Underwood and actors Billy Crystal and Daniel Stern
• Go Cowboy!, a newly filmed interview with director Ron Underwood
• Top of the Class, a newly filmed interview with actor Robert Costanzo
• Country Bumpkin, a newly filmed interview with actor Kyle Secor
• Escape to the Country, a newly filmed interview with actor Josh Mostel
• Back in the Saddle: City Slickers Revisited, an archival behind-the-scenes featurette with insights and interviews from the cast and director
• Bringing In the Script: Writing City Slickers, an archive interview with Billy Crystal, screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel
• A Star is Born: An Ode to Norman, an archive interview on how Norman’s birth was filmed
• The Real City Slickers, an archival featurette where guests share why they chose a working ranch for their dream vacation
• Deleted scenes
• Theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley
• Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw
City Slickers is out on 4K Blu-Ray January 19th