City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994)

City Slickers 2 is a western comedy and that in itself should make you want to see it. How many films are there in this sub genre? But the casual happy go lucky performances from Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern and Jon Lovitz make this a winner all the way. Though nowhere as good as the original City Slickers is a great diversion from the chaotic world of today. Get lost in the Texan sun and early 90s charm.

A lot of the time I avoid sequels to successful comedies, but "City Slickers II" received some fairly good ratings, so I decided to check it out. Unfortunately, I found this film just not funny or emotional enough, and it felt a bit unoriginal. There are some things that had potential, such as Billy Crystal thinking he sees his old friend Curly at several places, as well as his dream at the beginning of the film, which was worth a few laughs. One problem is that the jokes just do not feel original here, and this film uses the exact same gag from the previous film in which Crystal mouths the words his mother says when she calls on the phone. Neither Crystal or Daniel Stern is very funny here. Jack Palance is pretty good, but not flawless as with the previous movie that won him an Oscar. One downfall to this film is the addition of Jon Lovitz, who cannot act and behave like a child most of the time. There were good scenes, such as Palance discussing his relationship with his brother and such, but ultimately the film becomes cheesy and anticlimactic. There are some fairly off-color scenes as well, one thing that earned this film a PG-13 rating. If you want my advice, stick with the original, a funny film that had good jokes, emotion, and even some lessons, and somehow felt like an original, good comedy.**1/2 out of ****

I don't think that the first one really needed a sequel, but "City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold" is OK if we just accept it as completely ridiculous. Billy Crystal and Daniel Stern reprise their roles from the original, this time looking for gold said to be buried in the mountains where they had the cattle drive, but Jon Lovitz replaces Bruno Kirby. Jack Palance also returns, not as Curly but as his brother Duke. Needless to say, there's a series of silly situations along the way.I guess that I wouldn't call this movie god-awful - the comments about trying to milk the "cow" were pretty funny - but they really didn't need to make this sequel; the original was just fine. I can see why Billy Crystal didn't have any hits in between "City Slickers" and "Analyze This".Also starring Patricia Wettig, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Bill McKinney (the "squeal like a pig" guy from "Deliverance"), David Paymer, Josh Mostel, and Billy Crystal's two daughters.

I found this film much more fun and fulfilling than the first because of the addition of Jon Lovitz to the base cast. I realize this goes against common opinion, but I believe this installment was much better executed. The first movie, when compared to this sequel, feels like the main characters had something to prove to one another and not just to themselves where this chapter feels more self-motivated and "real," primarily to the addition of Jon LovitzOne thing is for sure, without the City Slickers' version of the Criterion Brothers as ranch hands, it was definitely more enjoyable for me. The "danger" sequences were slim and short while maintaining a tall adventure.Instead of using the first third of the movie to develop all the characters, they catch you up on Phil and Mitch and then lovingly introduce you to Glen. It left more time for the actual movie and less time for the "you must grow up to be a warrior" speeches and diatribes. I loved it! Jon Lovitz is awesome!It rates an 8.7/10 from...the Fiend :.