Funny Farm (1988)

A couple swap city life for the country, but their picturesque new hometown turns out to be just a little bit different to what they were expecting.

Director:

George Roy Hill

Writers:

Jay Cronley (book), Jeffrey Boam (screenplay)

Stars:

Chevy Chase, Madolyn Smith Osborne, Kevin O'Morrison

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

When Andy and Elizabeth buy a farm in Vermont, they can't imagine the trouble that awaits them. Andy has quit his job as a sports journalist and is planning to use the peace and quiet of the country to write the Great American Novel. From the moment the movers' truck gets lost with their furniture, though, there's little peace and less quiet. From a manical mailman to a dead body buried in the garden, Andy is distracted by the town and its wacky inhabitants. His effort at a novel is mediocre, at best, and he's threatened by Elizabeth's foray into writing when she attempts a children's book. Can the Farmers survive the townsfolk and each other?

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | vermont | mailman | children's book | small town | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aventuras y desventuras de un yuppie en el campo

Filming Locations:

The Apthorp building - 2211 Broadway, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$25,537,221

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cornelius Productions,Pan Arts,Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The teams playing in the first baseball match were the "Redbud Raiders" and the "Bartsonville Bombers". The team seasons tickets that Andy Farmer (Chevy Chase) left one of his fellow sports-writers at the start of the film were for "The Giants". The sports team names that featured on Andy's cap and t-shirt in the movie were for the "New York Mets" (baseball) and "Los Angeles Rams" (football) respectively.

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Goofs

As Elizabeth strolls along the shoreline waiting for Andy, we see a sweeping shot of the lake behind her. In the next cut, Andy is swimming to shore in an area of the lake that was clear of swimmers.

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Quotes

Crocker: [reacting to Andy's anger about them, the movers, being late] You slept on the floor huh? We slept outside with the bugs and the wild animals. A bridge nearly killed us. Nobody knows where the hell Redbud is. And we haven't eaten since yesterday morning. So stay the hell out of our way and keep your mouth *shut*!

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Connections

References The World According to Garp (1982)

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Soundtracks

Good King Wenceslas
(uncredited)
Written by John M. Neale (as John Mason Neale) and Thomas Helmore
Performed by Redbud Band

User Reviews

My favorite Chevy Chase film!

This is my favorite Chevy Chase film for several reasons. Here they are: 1.) I love the scenery in the movie--Vermont, four distinct seasons, gorgeous Cape Cod house. 2.) I love and can totally relate to the story line. When I first saw this movie, I was in college and playing tennis on the tennis team. We traveled to a city where EVERYTHING went wrong--and, the people were just plain weird. I saw this movie, and I totally empathized with Andrew and Elizabeth Farmer! 3.) The humor in this movie is not over the top as it is with some of Chevy Chase's other films--everything is believable, and it's all very funny. 4.) I want a yellow dog!!! The yellow labrador in this movie will make you want one of your own! My only complaint with this film: The DVD version is not in Widescreen, and there are no special features. But, for $5.88 in the Wal-Mart cheap bin, YOU CANNOT GO WRONG. This is an excellent movie to watch over and over again.