CITY SLICKERS II
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1995 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2
In the continuing saga of Hollywood trying to recycle old hits (it worked with the Godfather trilogy didn't it - they made zillions from them), we now have CITY SLICKERS II, subtitled THE LEGEND OF CURLEY'S GOLD. Rather than a cattle drive, this time we have Crystal coping with another mid-life crisis (the big four-oh) by searching for buried treasure.
Almost all of the actors (Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Jack Palance, and Patricia Wettig) are back, but we have a different director (Paul Weiland rather than Ron Underwood), and it shows. He has Crystal playing it too reserved. I would have preferred any of Crystal's 10 minute Academy Award opening monologues for this movie.
Yes, there are funny scenes. The ongoing joke about the possibility of being bitten on the rear by a rattlesnake is the best. Between the funny scenes is a fair amount of boredom.
The worst part of the show is Crystal's kid brother played by Jon Lovitz. Most scenes with him in them are close to unwatchable. Patricia Wettig (whom I LOVED in "thirtysomething") is wasted here as she was in the original for that matter. Wish some producer would "discover" her.
Don't get me wrong, I did laugh many times, but they dragged the story out too much. It was 1:56 long, but there was not enough material here for even an hour and a half. The same writers as in CITY SLICKERS, Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel, devised a clever plot, but the script itself, although it had a great ending, was slow going. CITY SLICKERS II is similar in quality to the other retread on the market now, BEVERLY HILLS COP 3, but BHC 3 has bigger laughs yet with even more boring parts in between.
CITY SLICKERS II gets * 1/2 from me, and I suggest you pass it by. It is rated PG-13 and would be fine for teenagers if they have to see it.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEWED WRITTEN ON: June 11, 1994
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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