Funny Farm

Chevy Chase, Madolyn Smith. A Manhattan sportswriter retreats from the city with his wife, but they discover country living isn't all it's cracked up to be. 1988/color/101 min/PG/fullscreen.

George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) directed this 1988 comedy that gives star Chevy Chase one of his better-quality vehicles. Chase plays a New York sportswriter who turns to the country for a simpler, happier way of living. He discovers, of course, that things don't work out that way. Hill's usual touch with comic timing, tone, and dialogue give Chase a rare career opportunity to be part of something a little classier than most of his other movies; but Funny Farm nevertheless has its share of so-what gags. Still, the film's overall tone is winning and laid-back, and it makes for nice escapist fare. --Tom Keogh