City Slickers

Three friends from New York, all around forty, are each dissatisfied with their lives. Mitch Robbins feels stuck in a midlife slump, Phil Berquist is worn down by his marriage, and Ed Furillo, newly married to a much younger woman, has his own doubts. As a birthday gift, the men are signed up for a cattle drive out west, a holiday that promises adventure but requires them to live and work as cowboys for a couple of weeks. None of them knows the first thing about riding, roping or handling livestock, and the trail boss, Curly Washburn, has little patience for tenderfoots. What begins as a break from city life becomes a physical and emotional test.

Ron Underwood directed the film, his second feature after Tremors, from a screenplay by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. Billy Crystal plays Mitch, with Daniel Stern as Phil and Bruno Kirby as Ed, while Patricia Wettig, Helen Slater and Lindsay Crystal appear in supporting roles. Around 33 cast members and 184 crew are credited.

Made for about 27 million dollars, the film took roughly 179 million worldwide, a strong return that made it one of the bigger comedy hits of its year. On IMDb it holds 6.8 out of 10 from around 67,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.5 out of 10 from more than 900 votes, suggesting a widely seen film with generally favorable audience feeling. A separate critics' score sits at 7.1 out of 10 from 45 reviews, slightly above the audience averages. A sequel followed, with much of the cast returning.