Chevy Chase Funny Farm Sheep Balls
Overlooked comedy gem
Now, admittedly, I saw this during a period of my life when I believed Chevy Chase could do no wrong but even so, this is one that holds up, and was unfairly lambasted by the critics. From the ads (if you can even remember that far back!) this looked like it was just going to be a "Vacation" rip-off, sort of "The Griswolds Move To the Country." Believe me, the humor in this film is much slyer and more charming than anything in the Vacation pictures (of which the first one was solid, the next two lame). The film is about a sportswriter (Chase) who quits his job in order to move out to the country with his wife (the wonderful Madolyn Smith) and write the Great American Novel. The movie details his gradual come uppance, as he realizes that neither country living nor his talent is all that it's cracked up to be.
The film wonderfully skews the convention of the innocent country rubes moving to the big city and being overwhelmed by its meanness and craziness. Here, it's the cityfolk who move wide-eyed to the country - and are amazed to find there a roll call of crazies, misanthropes, and just plain wierdos. Does this view of country life have any basis in reality? Probably not, but then the film isn't really trying to be a satire but instead a pure lunatic comic fantasy. And it gives us a rich array of supporting characters - from the town sheriff who hasn't yet passed his driving test and so must ride around in cabs, to the owner of an antiques store whose merchandise are all personal. All these characters are priceless, and the film just keeps coming up with more and more of them - until it has created this pleasantly bizarre and warped Otherworld, of a kind that only comedy can truly provide.
Best of all is the way in which Chase and Smith react to all of this and try to make some sense of it. I very clearly say "Chase and Smith" because the film belongs equally to both of them. It had to be billed as a Chevy Chase Comedy, of course, since he's the big star here, but this is no star trip; from the very first, the wife is made an equal partner in the trials and the laughs, and it's the way the two go through their new life together that provides much of the comedy. It also helps take the edge off of the usual Chevy Chase persona: in Funny Farm he's neither glib and disinterested (as in the Fletch movies) nor over the top silly (like in the Vacation movies). He comes across instead like a normal, personable guy who just finds himself caught in insane circumstances.
Finally, the climactic sequence of the film is absolutely priceless - one of the most brilliantly sustained comic set-pieces you'll see in any movie, of any era. Funny Farm is the type of movie which gives you a great time and leaves you with a big, dopey grin on your face after it's all over. Trust me, even if you don't normally like Chevy Chase, you'll love Funny Farm.
37 out of 39 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Chevy's Best Film
jrs-8 22 February 2005
I realize that comedy is subjective and things that I think are funny others may not think is too funny. But I am dumbstruck at some of the negative reviews for "Funny Farm." Far and away this is Chevy's best film. I think the screenplay is beautifully written with so many small touches of humor hidden within a scene that to list them would take forever. I will agree that the last act takes a bit of a wide turn in reality but it doesn't stray so far that the film goes off track.
The main story is your typical fish out of water story but what person can't identify with Chase's Andy Farmer in one way or another? Of course the film takes it to the extreme and it's all the funnier for it. And the characters are a biting reminder that not everyone is normal or sane for that matter. The waitress who serves lamb fries without explaining what that really is until it is desperately too late. The sheriff who has to take a cab because he flunked his driver's test. The mailman who throws the mail to the road because he is drunk by the time he reaches the Farmer's residence.
And the small touches? How about the dog that runs away from home just after being brought home for the first time? Or the umpire whose strike zone is a bit wide. The odd fate of Claude Musselman? And let's not forget the phone operator who can tell the sound of two pennies being dropped in a jar but fails to realize it's not a pay phone Chase is calling from? I laughed hard and often which is something odd for me in any film with Chevy Chase. In all the years with all of his films I can honestly say I have only enjoyed five of them (Foul Play, Vacation, Fletch, Christmas Vacation and this one. That's right I am not a fan of Caddyshack)and this is his best.
One more small moment sums up the film's humor for me. Chase is fishing with some men he has just met. One of them men gets a hook stuck in his neck. Instead of trying to pull it out Chase thinks it easier to knock the man out so THEN they can pull the hook out. After punching the man three times in the face one of the other men finally steps in and says "You're not knocking him out, you're only beating the p*ss out of him."
52 out of 59 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Fun film, worth a watch.
I wouldn't say this is one of Chevy Chase's best films, but this one still has some good things to offer. There is a fair amount of good laughs and an entertaining story, but not as great as some of Chevy's other credits.
Chevy Chase does a fine job with his role, playing a very similar character to most of his other films. Chevy is good at what he does and doesn't seem to stray very far from what works. Madolyn Smith-Osborne is fantastic in the film, looking just gorgeous and playing her role very well. The only other actors that were familiar to me were the movers in the beginning of the film, Mike Starr and Glen Plummer. Both actors do a fine job, although very small roles in the film.
If you are a fan of Chevy Chase, then I'd recommend seeing this film, you'll probably enjoy it. But, if Chevy Chase isn't your cup of tea, then this may not be the film for you. In any case, if you do see it, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading,
-Chris
11 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Would you like Lamb Fries with that?
Chevy Chase is normally associated with the Caddyshack, Fletch and Vacation series meaning that his one-shot movies mostly fall by the wayside. Films like Spies Like Us, Nothing But Trouble and Funny Farm have went largely unseen since the advent of DVD in 1997. Neither of these movies have received widescreen releases and have been out of print for years. I was beginning to wonder what Warner had against giving them definitive releases until I discovered an HD master of Funny Farm on the PlayStation Network.
I saw it only once, when I was about 9, and remembered very little. If you're a fan of Clark Griswold then Andy Farmer isn't too far removed. Andy is a sports journalist who retires from the big city to the Redbud, Vermont hoping to enjoy and idyllic, peaceful life and finally write the great, American novel (The Big Heist). When he gets there he and his wife discover that almost everyone and everything is weirder than the last. There are giant snakes in their pond, a dead body buried in their garden, a Sheriff who can't drive, a crazy mailman and a town who basically hate them. And top of all this Andy has severe writer's block while his wife manages to churn out a successful children's novel without really trying.
With careful, measured direction from George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy, The Sting) Funny Farm, based on a novel by Jay Cronley, manages to be a little classier than Chase's usual fare. This makes the lack of a home video version even more puzzling. It has never been released on DVD in the UK, and the 1989 VHS is long gone. If you have access to the PlayStation Network then go for it. I have a funny feeling that Funny Farm and Spies Like Us will probably be released as a Warner Blu Ray Double Feature in the near future, but nothing has been announced so far.
Don't let the mistreatment of this film put you off, it lives up to it's title and is the perfect vehicle for Chevy Chase and his goofy humour.
13 out of 16 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Hilarious
This movie is funny. I don't know why it has such low ratings. I like the sarcasm involved in having a married couple from the city moving out to a farm. This is a movie that I recommend to anyone who wishes to have a few laughs watching Chevy Chase and his superb timing for acting in comedies such as this one.
30 out of 33 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
„Funny farm" is a funny and underrated movie
This is the last movie of George Roy Hill – the director of "The Sting". It's a good farewell for him , since this is a funny movie . Chevy Chase is in good shape as the writer who struggles to write his first book. Madolyn Smith who plays his girlfriend is also good and very charming.
It's one of those movies that will help you relax after a hard day . It reminds me a little of "Money pit" with Tom Hanks. It has the taste of typical 80's comedy - a lot is going on and the characters are colorful. I was either laughing , snickering or grinning through all the movie. I loved the jokes with the dogs. One can't stop , while the other can barely move . The small town has also few interesting characters : crazy postman , teenagers stealing road signs , weird old lady from antique shop. There is nice love/hate/love relationship between Chase and Smith . In the end the movie kinda becomes a little Christmas movie.
Overall it's a very pleasant movie . I think it's underrated and deserves more attention. I give it 6/10.
7 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
A Decent Comedy
They don't make Comedy movies like this these days, it's just nice, pleasant non abrasive comedy. Daft, silly, stupid and fun. Loads of really good comedy moments. The baseball match, fishing, the dog....the list goes on. Definitely worth a watch.
7 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
One of Our Favorite Comedies
This is one of the best Chevy Chase comedies there is. The script in intelligent, his co star, Madolyn Smith, is wonderful and she and Chase have fantastic chemistry. The plot involves Andy and Elizabeth Farmer (get it?) who move from the city to small town Vermont so that he can write a book. They plan to start a family, but first, they have to get used to the eccentric people they are surrounded by. I have watched this movie at least a dozen times, and I still laugh out loud. We just bought the DVD (had the VHS but sold it a while back), and we're having fun introducing this hilarious movie to our kids. They love it too! This is a great, funny, sweet little film that more people should see.
18 out of 24 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
It's funny
This movie is just so rip roaring funny. I'll admit some scenes stall for time transition could be ones left out. It didn't have to try so hard. I mean, coin telephones in houses? Writers who need a second honeymoon just to have a wife read their book? Someone who wants to buy a house with all the furniture and the dog, too? It could be just as funny without getting cartoonish.
4 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
One of Chase's Very Best; Proves he was once a very talented comic actor
I recently rewatched this having seen it many, many years ago and remembering nothing of it. I stumbled upon some old Siskel and Ebert reviews on YouTube, and they had very mixed opinions about Chevy Chase and his movies. They thought he was a fairly one note actor playing a smart aleck type but did occasionally get some good scripts. However their praise for this film was extremely enthusiastic saying it was Chase's best work. Chase has had a career that has been very hit and miss. His best movie work was in the 70's and 80's and during the 90's he made some very bad career choices like his failed short-lived talk show, and picking bad scripts. But knowing Siskel and Ebert's love for this film and considering it was in the decade of Chase's better work, I had to give it another try, and boy am I ever happy I did. This movie was pure joy all throughout. Every gag worked, the acting was good, Chase had a chance to show lots more range here than in some of his previous (and certainly subsequent) films and no I dont agree with other reviews that say he was just playing Clark Griswold again here. His performance in this is fine comic acting. Madolyn Smith also gave a great performance as his wife. If the movie didn't have a great joke or visual gag, it was gorgeous to look at. The scenery and camerawork are simply dazzling and beautifully done for a comedy. George Roy Hill who directed Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting directed this and does great with the material that writer Jeffrey Boam adapted from a book. This film was sadly overlooked because of strong competition in the summer of 88 when it came out. It came out on the same exact day as the Tom Hanks classic Big and suffered from competition with Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Crocodile Dundee II, The Great Outdoors, and Die Hard among others. While it may not be a "classic" like the aforementioned films, it is noteworthy as just delightful comedic filmmaking from beginning to end and the last truly great film Chevy Chase made. In the 90's he made Man of the House and Vegas Vacation and they were the only two films he did that decade that were decent and not failures. But this ranks high along with Chevy's best 80's movies like Caddyshack, the Vacations Fletch and Three Amigos! Anyone who says Chevy Chase was never funny is mistaken. This film is proof that he is a very funny, talented comic actor with the right script. He found a diamond before the rough came. This is a good, fun comedy his best after the first Vacation. If you need proof that Chevy Chase at one point was a great comic actor you must see this movie. He really shines in this one.
8 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Non stop laughs
I like the bit where the post man just throws the mail out the window and drives off
7 out of 11 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
'Funny Farm' Could Be Chase's Funniest Comedy
Warning: Spoilers
Funny Farm is the story of Andy Farmer (Chevy Chase) and his wife Elizabeth (Madolyn Smith). Andy is a newspaperman and Elizabeth is a schoolteacher. The couple decided to move out to the country so Andy can write a novel. The move to Redbud results in a series of misfortunes that threaten to tear apart the Farmer's happy marriage.
The first sign of trouble is a fiasco with the movers and it just continues to go downhill from there. The townspeople are highly eccentric and the Farmers have a hard time making friends and even have a hard time owning a dog. Andy struggles to write his novel and Elizabeth decides to write a book of her own, much to her husband's dismay as she kept it a secret until a publisher decided to buy it.
This is a highly effective comedy with no shortage of laughs and I highly recommend this to anyone whether you are a fan of Chevy Chase or not.
4 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
I don't understand all the negative comments--This is a great film!
Not only one of the funniest Chevy Chase films, but one of the funniest comedies of the 80s in general. I don't get all the negatives posted here--this movie is laugh-out-loud funny and very underrated. The townspeople are hilarious and the whole sequence at the end where Chevy and his wife are paying people to be on their best behavior, creating a "Norman Rockwell" portrait of small-town life so they can sell their house, is among the most inspired and funny sequences ever. The whole battle of the sexes between Chevy and wife Madolyn Smith (whatever happened to her? she's beautiful and has great comic timing) when she's successful writing a children's book, while he can't get his crime novel off the ground, is more classic material. Goodness knows Chase didn't get very many chances to shine--besides Caddyshack and the original Vacation, this is probably his best work.
7 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Great Addition To Chevy's 'Average Guy' Comedies
While watching this movie, I realized that on several levels we live in a small town not much different from the Vermont one depicted. Our tourist town is located on a Channel Island in the Pacific, but the characters couldn't be more identical to those Chevy and wife deals with in the rural town they move to for serenity and quiet. Everyone tests their resolve to live in that community, and in failing to measure up to their standards, they are treated as outsiders. Once they understand the neighborhood peculiarities, everyone becomes acquainted, then accustomed to one another. While finding a common bond and learning to fit in, there is one silly misadventure after another. There are a lot of laughs in this movie that allow a person to stand back and realize that this is how small communities conduct themselves everywhere, and is a study in human behavior. Chevy's characters rarely make anything easy, which combined with a seemingly conservative personality has become his calling card.
12 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
My favorite Chevy Chase film!
This is my favorite Chevy Chase film for several reasons. Here they are: 1.) I love the scenery in the movie--Vermont, four distinct seasons, gorgeous Cape Cod house. 2.) I love and can totally relate to the story line. When I first saw this movie, I was in college and playing tennis on the tennis team. We traveled to a city where EVERYTHING went wrong--and, the people were just plain weird. I saw this movie, and I totally empathized with Andrew and Elizabeth Farmer! 3.) The humor in this movie is not over the top as it is with some of Chevy Chase's other films--everything is believable, and it's all very funny. 4.) I want a yellow dog!!! The yellow labrador in this movie will make you want one of your own! My only complaint with this film: The DVD version is not in Widescreen, and there are no special features. But, for $5.88 in the Wal-Mart cheap bin, YOU CANNOT GO WRONG. This is an excellent movie to watch over and over again.
17 out of 23 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
A classic of 80's comedy
Warning: Spoilers
Funny Farm is exactly what its title states. After Andy and Elizabeth move to Vermont from New York City, they hope for quite life while Andy works on his new career on being an author. Everything goes wrong. Their mailman is an alcoholic who throws the mail at them, their furniture gets lost along with the men driving it, and the writing career that Andy is hoping for falters.
Andy and Elizabeth need a way out and the only way to do it is to con their way out by tricking a family into buying the place. Along the way Andy and Elizabeth must confront their marriage problems that are slowly starting to develop.
The film is hilarious. Every scene with Andy results in him getting screwed, punched, or thrown in the lake. Andy is the one you look too for the comedy and Elizabeth as the set up girl. The film is meant to be more of a serious comedy but does break off into the goofy side, especially with Andy trying to stop the mailman and the whole sequence of them trying to sell the house.
Chevy Chase as Andy is perfect. He is older, which is needed for the role. A man who is smart and easy to annoy. The scene with the 'lamb fry' (sheep balls) in the restaurant had me on the floor laughing. Madolyn Smith-Osborne is pretty funny and I wish she still acted today. She is the one ultimately getting Andy angry.
This film is a true fish out of water story and doesn't disappoint. Just watch for the Norman Rockwell Christmas and the drunk mailman played by Kevin Conway.
Funny Farm. Starring: Chevy Chase, Madolyn Smith-Osborne, Kevin Conway, and Kevin O'Morrison.
4 out of 5 Stars
5 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Underrated Chase sleeper
FUNNY FARM (1988) *** Chevy Chase, Madolyn Smith. Amusing comedy with a married couple from NYC who seek solace in picaresque Upstate New York and wind up in a "Twilight Zone" of crackpots. Surprisingly Chase in low-key mode makes it even more entertaining than it ought to be.
5 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
You've Gotta Get Up Earlier Than That
Arguably the best film Chevy Chase made. It's a laugh riot from start to finish with Chevy, as Andy Farmer, gets into all sorts of mischief imaginable.
Andy's a big city newspaper writer looking to settle down in the country with his wife and to finally write the great American novel. He never expected country life to be so difficult. From a crazy postal delivery driver to the body of the former owner being found in the backyard.
The film is a great watch for any fan of comedy or Chevy Chase. The addition of Alice Drummond as Mrs. Dinges, the curator of the local antique shop, she's a hoot.
4 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Wildly uneven...
This Chevy Chase vehicle moves along agreeably most of the way, occasionally takes off with some laugh-out-loud-gags (like the sequence involving the bridge), other times disappoints with misfired jokes, generally keeps you lightly amused until it suddenly takes a wrong turn towards seriousness halfway through, and leads to an ending that, at least to me, seemed predictable, fake and pathetically hypocritical.
5 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Humorous Farm
Old School Chevy Chase in a serious of home related pratfalls and antics? Yeah, I'm game for that. None of this feels original at this point but with the right talent involved it's still a good time. I definitely laughed a few times watching this and it's hard to deny the command Chase had of the craft. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you can find it streaming somewhere.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
not consistently funny
Writer Andy (Chevy Chase) and wife Elizabeth Farmer move to the country Redbud, Vermont. At first, they see the little problems as quaint. Their movers have a harrowing time finding their house. However, the weird locals and unending problems overwhelm them. Elizabeth doesn't like Andy's manuscript and writes a children's book of her own. It all falls apart as the couple decides to get divorced and sell their home. They offer the locals money to fool prospective buyers.
It has a couple of good chuckles but the movie is more quirky than funny. Chevy's air of superiority gets into the way sometimes. He's not always lovable. This is not that bad either. I had a couple of chuckles but it's not enough.
4 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Underrated comedy and often overlooked
I think this movie has some classic lines by Chevy Chase and the town people, why this movie doesnt get talked about more, i dont know, i happened to laugh my head off at it, but of course i love chevy chase in about everything but invisible man and cops and robbersons
8 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Your funnybone will be rattled mightily, when you watch this very humorous send-up of idyllic life in New England
Andy Farmer (Chevy Chase) is a sports writer for a Manhattan newspaper. But, he and his lovely wife, Elizabeth (Madolyn Smith) long for a quiet life, away from the rat race. So, when Andy pitches an idea for a novel to a major publisher and receives an advance, they quit their jobs and buy a home in rural New England. Stopping for a picnic on the way to their new home, they take photographs of cows and wax lyrical about their coming good fortune. However, once in the town of Redbud, things do not go as planned. First, the movers get lost and are so irritated and tired by the time they arrive at the Farmers' house, they pitch Andy's desk chair into a nearby pond. Then, Andy and Elizabeth's new mail carrier is a maniac who drives by their place every day, going 70 mph and flinging their mail into the yard. Huh. Andy's first attempt at fishing his own pond results in the capture of a big black snake, which wraps around Andy's shoulders, while Elizabeth digs up a coffin, complete with a corpse, in the couple's garden. From their runaway dog to the horrid dinners served at the local diner to a major writers' block that consumes Andy, will they last the winter? This wonderfully funny film is a great entertainment choice for the proverbial "bad day". The script is very humorous, with a bevy of terrific one-liners. Case in point, when the movers arrive at a rickety bridge, one of them wails that "that's not a bridge, that's a bunch of termites holding hands"! Yes, that's one phrase, but the film sports quite a few of them. The cast, mostly unknowns, are great, with the star, Chase, on top of his game and Smith complimenting him nicely. The scenery in olde New England is lovely while the costumes and other movie niceties are top-notch. George Roy Hill's direction, too, is fast and fresh. If you are searching for surefire laughs at the end of a rough day, you could hardly do better than this little flick. Although it has no grandiose aspirations, it is grand entertainment indeed.
4 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Funny Funny farm
Warning: Spoilers
Funny Farm has some pretty funny moments with the movers, the crazy mailman, a sheriff that rides in a taxi, yellow dog, the Redbud village people and then there is the beautiful Madolyn Smith... the ambiance of the movie really sets it in the location and makes you believe they are really in that crazy small little town... similar to other fish out of water stories (Green Acres, Mr Blanding Builds His Dream House, etc.) but with the Chevy touch!
Then to have it all turn around and the reason they moved out turns out to work for her rather than his... great story!!
Chevy at his best... see Funny Farm for all it's intricate little funny story lines that cumulate with Chevy and Madolyn both getting what they want in the end. Redbud is reminiscent of a small town in NC I used to spend my summers while growing up (maybe not that crazy, but it had it's moments)
7 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An absolute riot
This is the way a comedy should be. Simple, easy to follow, and with plenty of laughs. Chevy Chase is simply perfect as a New York City sportswriter that moves upstate to start a new writing career. You can only guess what happens next.
From the minute they arrive at their new home upstate, everything goes to hell. The house has no phone, the movers get lost, the dog runs away, and everyone that lives in the area is unbearable to be around.
Chevy Chase's deadpan humor is used here better than any other movie, save for Fletch and director George Roy Hill of such classic films like "The Sting" and "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid" gives this film a much appreciated dose of Norman Rockwellian Americana.
5 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095188/reviews
0 Response to "Chevy Chase Funny Farm Sheep Balls"
Post a Comment