Have you ever dreamed of being a successful author? What would it take to make that dream come true? Some peace and quiet would be near the top of the list, as well as some extra time. Wouldn't it be nice to just quit your 9-5 job and move to the country? Buy a nice big farmhouse with the view of a pond filled with swimming ducks. There would be no distractions and no clock to watch.

This is the basic premise for the movie, Funny Farm (1988). Andy Farmer, a newspaper Sportswriter, has made the decision to leave his profession to pursue a career as an author. At his farewell party, his boss even mentions how wonderful it would be to live out the fantasy of every writer to write THE Novel that they know is buried deep inside. Andy and his wife, Elizabeth, have purchased a lovely farm home in the small town of Redbud that appears to be the ideal setting.

Andy (Chevy Chase) and Elizabeth Farmer (Madolyn Smith-Osborne) find out very quickly that their Scarlett O'Haras' "Tara" is really more like the Douglass' "Green Acres". The only thing missing is Arnold The Pig. They begin to realize this on the very first day. Andy wants to carry Elizabeth into their first real home in the traditional way. He lifts her up, turns the door knob and it swings open. Well, the top part swings open, I should say. Andy begins walking inside only to be stopped in mid-stride by the bottom half of the door. Before he realizes what has happened, Elizabeths' body has been dumped on the other side. It's a sign!

This is only the beginning of the mishaps. The moving van with all of their furniture gets lost, forcing them to sleep on the floor. The telephone can't initially be found....and when it is finally uncovered, it turns out to be a pay phone...with no place to insert coins. As each problem arises, Andy reminds Elizabeth to "think of the settlers" of the past.

Eventually the Farmers begin to settle in, despite the bugs and the snakes and a crazy mailman that throws their mail at the mailbox and a dead body buried in their vegetable garden. They attempt to fit into the community at the Annual Founders Day Picnic. A community, I might add, that is full of some rather unusual folks. It certainly isn't Mayberry! They wind up driving home with Andy soaked to the skin after participating in the fishing tournament.

As time goes by Andy faces writers' block while Elizabeth secretly starts penning her own childrens' stories. The trouble really begins when a publisher accepts a manuscript of Elizabeths' and sends her a $5,000.00 check. Marital bliss begins hitting the skids from this point on. And that's all I'm going to tell you. You've gotta watch it to see what happens.

~ The Cast ~

Chevy Chase can make me laugh with his facial expressions alone. I used to love when Gilda Radner would do her "Roseanne Roseanna Danna" reports on Saturday Night Live and Chevy would sit there making faces at her. His Clark Griswold in the National Lampoon movies always cracks me up. The man is funny, no doubt. He's not necessarily a good actor, though. It seems like in many of his roles he is trying to re-enact his days on SNL as a comic, and never really getting into his characters. Funny Farm was different. He really does an excellent job in this one. He becomes the character and doesn't rely so much on goofy expressions and delivering his usual one-liners.

Madolyn Smith-Osborne was very good as Elizabeth Farmer. She plays the role of a supporting, but independent wife very well. I think she brings more comedic moments than Chevy does. At first I didn't realize that this was the same woman that played "Pam" in Urban Cowboy (John Travoltas' "Other Woman" in the film), her first role. She was very stiff and appeared unfeeling in that one. She puts more of herself into the role of Elizabeth Farmer.

The remainder of the cast are all in relatively small roles. I did enjoy watching Brad Sullivan as the scowling, bad-tempered Brock with a fishhook planted into his neck. This guy really knows how to play a snively-type. His role as the abusive father, Henry Wingo, of Nick Nolte in Prince of Tides, was really outstanding. All you have to do is look at his face and the first thought that comes to mind is "Mean".

It was also interesting for me to watch Bill Fagerbakke in the very small role of one of the Criterion brothers (they dug up the graves), Lon. He was always a lot of fun to watch in his role of Dauber on "Coach" (one of my favorite TV shows). His scenes in Funny Farm are very few, though, so don't blink or you'll miss him.

~ Credits ~

George Roy Hill, Director
Robert L. Crawford, Producer
Jeffrey Boam, Screenplay
Miroslav Ondricek, Photographer
Alan Heim, Editor
Elmer Bernstein, Music
Based on the book, "Funny Farm--A Sweeping Epic of the Sticks" by Jay Cronley.
Running time: 98 minutes

~ My Feelings ~

Funny Farm is one of those movies that I put into the VCR when I'm in a day-dreaming mood. It's cute and it has it's funny moments. It doesn't bring on great big belly laughs, but it is entertaining.

I think that I should also mention the setting of Funny Farm. The house and the land are pretty enough in the summer scenes, but it is gorgeous when Christmas comes, with the white snow and all of the decorations. The filming location is listed simply as "Vermont". I had heard that Vermont was beautiful and this film shows that to be very true.

One of the more humorous moments for me is the scene when Andy and Elizabeth are celebrating their anniversary with a dinner out. The dinner takes place at a small diner. This diner has a contest going to see who can eat the most "Lamb Fries". Little does Andy know what Lamb Fries really are, and he proceeds to break the record with a lot of enthusiasm. Eventually the waitress lets him in on her secret recipe. Yes, I laughed. I like silly stuff, ok??

I'm giving Funny Farm a score right up the middle with 3 stars. There isn't anything even remotely offensive about it as far as language or nudity, so a child of any age could watch it. It certainly isn't the best comedy that you'll ever see, but it's far from the worst.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older