Funny Farm
2.5/4
Starring: Chevy Chase, Madolyn Smith
Rated PG (probably for Mild Language and Sensuality)
I've been a lifelong movie fan, and used to religiously read the movie reviews in our local paper. One criticism I had is that critics seemed to trash the ones that made me laugh out loud while give overwhelming praise to the ones that were filled to the brim with subconscious, internal laughs (if that). I always found that really irritating. I mean, when I want to see a comedy, I want to laugh until my sides hurt, not have suppressed chuckles. Isn't something like "Ted" harder to pull off than "State and Main?" The David Mamet picture may be wittier than the movie about the teddy bear, but shouldn't guffaws count for something?
I have the same feelings about "Funny Farm." The script by Jeffrey Boam is clever and witty. More thought went into this movie than cheap slapstick and crude humor. But at the same time, it feels like it should be funnier than it is. I liked the inventiveness of the humor, and while I smiled and chuckled from time to time, I didn't laugh out loud until the climax. The film is too grounded. Watching this movie feels like watching a Coyote/Roadrunner short directed by Lars von Trier. The film tries to give depth where it isn't necessary. Or perhaps it's above simply making us laugh.
Part of the problem is that "Funny Farm" doesn't have a plot. It has a set-up and that's it. Andy Farmer (Chase) is a sportswriter from The Big Apple who decides with his wife Elizabeth (Smith) to move to the country, write a novel and raise a family. Needless to say, the city slickers have met their match with the small town folk.
That's it as far as plot goes. Without even a rudimentary story to carry the film, "Funny Farm" needed to make up for it in other ways. But it doesn't. At times it feels like director George Roy Hill is making a heartfelt dramedy (iMDb lists it as a comedy/drama, not that that means much). But the character development is so low that any sort of drama that gains traction is due solely to the talents of Chase and Smith. The Farmers aren't characters. They're walking punchlines. That's fine for something as silly as this, but there has to be a lot of jokes to make up for it. And they have to land.
Chevy Chase gives it his all, trying to do more than play the optimistic but hapless dork he usually plays (like in the Vacation movies). He generates a bit of feeling, which I promise you wasn't in the script. Madolyn Smith is uncharismatic and doesn't show a good aptitude for comedy. I could see her in a drama. Everyone else has a walk on role at best.
As restrained as the film is, it can at least boast an uproarious climax. I won't give it away, but I did laugh a lot. It's just a pity that the film took more than an hour to really let loose and push the material into real comedy rather than just internal smiles.
"Funny Farm" has its moments, but it feels like unrealized potential. Like it's afraid to make us laugh than just smile. Odd thing for a comedy.
Starring: Chevy Chase, Madolyn Smith
Rated PG (probably for Mild Language and Sensuality)
I've been a lifelong movie fan, and used to religiously read the movie reviews in our local paper. One criticism I had is that critics seemed to trash the ones that made me laugh out loud while give overwhelming praise to the ones that were filled to the brim with subconscious, internal laughs (if that). I always found that really irritating. I mean, when I want to see a comedy, I want to laugh until my sides hurt, not have suppressed chuckles. Isn't something like "Ted" harder to pull off than "State and Main?" The David Mamet picture may be wittier than the movie about the teddy bear, but shouldn't guffaws count for something?
I have the same feelings about "Funny Farm." The script by Jeffrey Boam is clever and witty. More thought went into this movie than cheap slapstick and crude humor. But at the same time, it feels like it should be funnier than it is. I liked the inventiveness of the humor, and while I smiled and chuckled from time to time, I didn't laugh out loud until the climax. The film is too grounded. Watching this movie feels like watching a Coyote/Roadrunner short directed by Lars von Trier. The film tries to give depth where it isn't necessary. Or perhaps it's above simply making us laugh.
Part of the problem is that "Funny Farm" doesn't have a plot. It has a set-up and that's it. Andy Farmer (Chase) is a sportswriter from The Big Apple who decides with his wife Elizabeth (Smith) to move to the country, write a novel and raise a family. Needless to say, the city slickers have met their match with the small town folk.
That's it as far as plot goes. Without even a rudimentary story to carry the film, "Funny Farm" needed to make up for it in other ways. But it doesn't. At times it feels like director George Roy Hill is making a heartfelt dramedy (iMDb lists it as a comedy/drama, not that that means much). But the character development is so low that any sort of drama that gains traction is due solely to the talents of Chase and Smith. The Farmers aren't characters. They're walking punchlines. That's fine for something as silly as this, but there has to be a lot of jokes to make up for it. And they have to land.
Chevy Chase gives it his all, trying to do more than play the optimistic but hapless dork he usually plays (like in the Vacation movies). He generates a bit of feeling, which I promise you wasn't in the script. Madolyn Smith is uncharismatic and doesn't show a good aptitude for comedy. I could see her in a drama. Everyone else has a walk on role at best.
As restrained as the film is, it can at least boast an uproarious climax. I won't give it away, but I did laugh a lot. It's just a pity that the film took more than an hour to really let loose and push the material into real comedy rather than just internal smiles.
"Funny Farm" has its moments, but it feels like unrealized potential. Like it's afraid to make us laugh than just smile. Odd thing for a comedy.
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