Funny Farm (1988)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

George Roy Hill

Writers:

Jay Cronley (book)
Jeffrey Boam (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 June 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Chevy Chase finds life in the country isn't what it's cracked up to be!

Plot:

When Andy and Elizabeth buy a farm in Vermont, they can't imagine the trouble that awaits them. Andy...

Plot Keywords:

Children's Book | Mailman | Telephone | Testicle | Taxi

Cast

Chevy Chase	...	Andy Farmer
Madolyn Smith Osborne	...	Elizabeth Farmer (as Madolyn Smith)
Kevin O'Morrison	...	Sheriff Ledbetter
Joseph Maher	...	Michael Sinclair
Jack Gilpin	...	Bud Culbertson
Caris Corfman	...	Betsy Culbertson
William Severs	...	Newspaper Editor
Mike Starr	...	Crocker
Glenn Plummer	...	Mickey
William Duell	...	Old Character
Helen Lloyd Breed	...	Old Operator
Kit Le Fever	...	Young Operator (as Le Fevre)
Dakin Matthews	...	Marion Corey Jr.
William Newman	...	Gus Lotterhand
Alice Drummond	...	Mrs. Ethel Dinges
Brad Sullivan	...	Brock
Nesbitt Blaisdell	...	Hank
George Buck	...	Peterbrook
Audrie J. Neenan	...	Ivy
MacIntyre Dixon	...	Mayor Barclay (as Macintye Dixon)
Bill Fagerbakke	...	Lon Criterion
Nicholas Wyman	...	Dirk Criterion
Raynor Scheine	...	Oates
Peter Boyden	...	Reporter
Reg E. Cathey	...	Reporter
Dan Desmond	...	Reporter
Don Plumley	...	Reporter
Brett Miller	...	Teenager
Jamie Meyer	...	Teenager
David Woodberry	...	Ike
Kevin Murphy	...	Ewell
Dennis Barr	...	First Base Coach
Barbara Baker	...	Woman in Stands
David Williams	...	Marcus
Steve Jonas	...	Driving Instructor
Russell Bletzer	...	Councilman
Evelyn McLean	...	Caroler
Steven John	...	Caroler
Robert Conner	...	Caroler
Judson Duncan	...	Caroler
Alison Hannas	...	Caroler
Robert Ingram	...	Caroler
Mary Johnson	...	Caroler
Kristin Kellom	...	Caroler
Paul Link	...	Caroler
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kevin Conway	...	Crum Petree, the Mailman (uncredited)
Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Elizabeth's Student (uncredited)
Darren Higgins	...	Boy with Deer (uncredited)
Fabio May	...	Townie (uncredited)
Mic Nuggette	...	Caroler (uncredited)
Diane Yang	...	Elizabeth's Student (uncredited)

Directed by
George Roy Hill

Writing credits
Jay Cronley		(book)
Jeffrey Boam		(screenplay)

Produced by
Bruce Bodner	....	executive producer
Robert Crawford Jr.	....	producer (as Robert L. Crawford)
Patrick Kelley	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography by
Miroslav Ondrícek		(director of photography) (as Miroslav Ondricek)

Film Editing by
Alan Heim

Casting by
Marion Dougherty

Production Design by
Henry Bumstead

Set Decoration by
James W. Payne		(as Jim Payne)

Costume Design by
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Lee Harman	....	makeup artist
Craig Lyman	....	makeup artist
Kaye Pownall	....	hair stylist

Production Management
George Goodman	....	unit production manager
Lee Haas	....	unit production manager: New York

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Princess McLean	....	second assistant director
Michael D. Moore	....	second unit director (as Mickey Moore)
Michael Rapley	....	second second assistant director
Liz Ryan	....	second assistant director: New York
Jim Van Wyck	....	first assistant director
Robert E. Warner	....	first assistant director: second unit (uncredited)

Art Department
Judy Cammer	....	set designer
Gerard Cubero	....	leadman (as Gerard M. Cubero)
Mike Cunningham	....	assistant property master
Robert DePatis	....	construction coordinator (as Bob DePatis)
Henry Larrecq	....	assistant art director
Michael Ross	....	property master
Carol Winstead Wood	....	production illustrator
Yarek Alfer	....	head sculptor (uncredited)
Paul W. Gorfine	....	scenic artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Deborah Dawson	....	assistant adr editor
Lee Dichter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Clark King	....	sound mixer
Richard Kite	....	boom operator
Hal Levinsohn	....	adr editor (as Harold Levinsohn)
Eytan Mirsky	....	assistant sound editor
Sanford Rackow	....	sound editor
Dan Sable	....	supervising sound editor
Ahmad Shirazi	....	sound editor
Dana Stefenson	....	assistant sound editor
Neil L. Kaufman	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Mel Zelniker	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Peter Albiez	....	special effects coordinator
Albert Delgado	....	special effects (as Al Delgado)
A.J. Thrasher	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	matte consultant (uncredited)

Stunts
Cliff Cudney	....	stunts
Lisa Dalton	....	stunts (as Lisa Loving)
John Patrick McLaughlin	....	stunts
Hugh Aodh O'Brien	....	stunts
Don Picard	....	stunts
George Robotham	....	stunts
John Robotham	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Bobby Brown	....	assistant camera: second unit (as Robert Brown)
Greg Coelho	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Raymond Fortune	....	electrician
Robert E. Gaynor	....	dolly grip (as Bob Gaynor)
Richard C. Kratina	....	camera operator: second unit (as Richard Kratina)
Robert Miller Jr.	....	second grip
Gary Muller	....	first assistant camera
Andrew Priestley	....	second assistant camera (as Andy Priestley)
Tom Priestley Jr.	....	camera operator (as Tom Priestley)
Richard Quinlan	....	chief lighting technician (as Dick Quinlan)
Ed Quinn	....	key grip
Jürgen Vollmer	....	still photographer (as Jurgen Vollmer)
Glenn Corbett	....	best boy (uncredited)
William M. Weberg	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Barbara Greenhoe	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eddie Marks	....	costumer
Marilyn Matthews	....	costumer

Editorial Department
John Hill	....	assistant film editor (as John Andrew Hill)
Mark Livolsi	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Kathy Durning	....	supervising music editor
Dan Wallin	....	music scoring mixer
Jeff Atmajian	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Patrick Russ	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Edward Iacobelli	....	transportation captain: New York (as Ed Iacobelli)
Gene R. Johnson	....	transportation coordinator (as Gene Johnson)
Jerry F. Johnson	....	transportation captain (as Jerry Johnson)
Bobby Marsh	....	driver

Other crew
Jim Barr	....	production accountant
Cynthia R. Coulter	....	animal handler
Patti Dalzell	....	script supervisor
Camille De Mave	....	assistant: George Roy Hill (as Camille DeMave)
Eric Feldman	....	production runner
Cathy Haft	....	location manager: New York
Tim Hill	....	production runner
David Israel	....	location manager
Alan Jacques	....	projectionist
Angela Kaye	....	secretary: Chevy Chase
Adeline Leonard Seakwood	....	production office coordinator: New York
Eric Myers	....	unit publicist (as Eric Meyers)
Matthew O'Conner	....	production runner
Martha Yates	....	production secretary
Al Cerullo	....	helicopter pilot (uncredited)
Marsha Zvonkin	....	assistant accountant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cornelius Productions
• Pan Arts
• Warner Bros. Pictures (presents) (as Warner Bros.)

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1991) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (video)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:PG | USA:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Grafton, Vermont, USA

Company:

Cornelius Productions

Trivia:

The last film directed by George Roy Hill.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the meeting with the lawyers about the divorce, Mrs. Farmer mentions that July is seven months away, meaning it is December. Yet, in the next exterior shot we see the grass is green and the leaves are still on the trees.

Quotes:

Andy Farmer: Call me Mr. Lamb Fries!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Wicked Stepmother (1989)

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.