--- title: "City Slickers: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/city-slickers/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/city-slickers" critics_score: 66 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # City Slickers (1991): what the critics said Critics' score 66 from 8 reviews: 5 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics find City Slickers an engaging comedy, with praise clustering around its dialogue, fish-out-of-water gags and the rapport between the three city men on a cattle drive. Jack Palance’s tough trail boss is the most consistently admired performance, even among reviewers less persuaded by the film. The warmer reviews also welcome its gentle mockery of Western conventions and midlife anxiety. For these critics, the friendships give the laughs some emotional weight. The disagreement centres on whether those friendships remain convincing when the life lessons arrive. The Los Angeles Times finds that the personal dramas and male bonding weaken an initially promising comedy. The New Yorker is more dismissive, treating both the tenderfoot jokes and the group therapy as predictable and contrived. The spread is fairly wide: most critics enjoy the mixture of sentiment and wisecracks, while the dissenters find it familiar and too eager to reassure. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 June 1991. The film delivers as a slapstick comedy about city guys on a dude ranch while being more ambitious than expected, with genuine emotional payoff alongside the laughs. The critic praises the quality of the dialogue and the convincing male bonding among the leads. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/city-slickers-1991) ## Radio Times — John Ferguson Rating 4/5. City men join a cattle drive to confront midlife issues in this engaging comedy that gently mocks both crises and the Wild West. Jack Palance shines as the tough cowboy, and director Ron Underwood handles gags and set pieces well. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-p04k81/city-slickers/) ## Empire — Lloyd Bradley Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic praises the film's focus on the absurdities of midlife crises through witty one-liners and fish-out-of-water comedy as three city men attempt a cattle drive. Jack Palance's trail boss Curly and the send-up of Western clichés are highlighted as strengths in this reasonably dry-eyed comedy. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/city-slickers-review/) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 2 June 2008. The critic finds the film ambitious and counterintuitive in blending fatherhood themes with the western genre and praises its self-aware parody of classic westerns along with strong performances, particularly Jack Palance as the trail boss. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/city-slickers/) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 June 1991. Three middle-aged friends join a cattle drive to escape midlife dissatisfaction, leading to confidences and quips around the campfire. The review notes the film's sentimental streak and the appeal of the cowboy experience for those feeling mundane. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/07/movies/review-film-3-men-at-dude-ranch-in-comedy-of-good-will.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Peter Rainer Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 7 June 1991. The uneven comedy features a strong early sequence and funny moments from Crystal and Palance but devolves into wishy-washy male-bonding blather after the trail boss exits. The critic notes that the added personal dramas and consciousness-raising undercut the humor. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-07-ca-278-story.html) ## Time Out — CM Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. Familiar tale of men facing midlife crisis on a cattle drive, with predictable rapid-fire quips after a promising start featuring Crystal's lecture on ageing. The formulaic comedy offers little new. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/city-slickers) ## The New Yorker — Terrence Rafferty Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 10 June 1991. The film is a depressingly efficient piece of product that alternates banal life lessons with wisecracking in the style of the writers' earlier work. The critic finds the tenderfoot gags predictable and the group-therapy elements ludicrous, with only tiny smiles from Palance and the animals. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1991/06/17/1991-06-17-099-tny-cards-000145278) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Jeff Menell 30 May 1991. The critic calls the film an uproarious buddy comedy certain to be one of the summer's biggest hits and a welcome treat after recent tame films. He praises the fresh humor, poignant dialogue, credible performances especially from Crystal, Stern, Kirby and Palance, while noting a few rough spots and predictable elements. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/city-slickers-review-1991-movie-1010723/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/city-slickers.md