WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

City Slickers
Genre:Comedy

Reviewed In Issue 10 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, Helen Slater, Jack Palance.

WSR Review Scores
Picture Rating: 5
Sound Rating: 5
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score:
Internet Links

Supplementals

DVD General Information
(Studio/Distributor): New Line Home Video
(Catalog Number): ID2713SU
(MPAA Rating): PG13
(Retail Price): $39.99
(Running Time In Minutes): 114
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): Yes
(Theatrical Release): 1991
(LD Release Date): 06/01/94
(THX® Digitally Mastered): Yes

Credits Information
(Director): Ron Underwood
(Screenplay/Written By): Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel
(Story): NA
(Music): Marc Shaiman
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer): Lawrence G. Paull
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor): O. Nicholas Brown
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers): Billy Crystal
(Co-Producers): NA
(Producers): Irby Smith

DVD Picture Information
(Principal Photography): Academy Standard Flat
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 1.85:1
(Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 1.85:1

DVD Sound Information
(DVD Soundtrack): Dolby Surround
(Theatrical Sound): Dolby Stereo SR
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(Remastered Dolby Digital):
(Remastered DTS Digital Surround):
(Additional Languages):

WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
City Slickers is a comedy about three good friends who decide to take a get-away-from-it-all refuge from their stale and stressful New York corporate world existence in a fantasy western adventure. It’s a comedy about careers, cowboys and midlife crises. Billy Crystal leads a great cast with his role as an urbanized executive who is worried and struggling to find the meaning of his life. When he and two buddies (Daniel Stern and Bruno Kirby) hit the high west to play cowboys on a real-life cattle drive, the trio embark on some comical situations which ultimately end up leading to a better understanding of themselves and each other.

LaserDisc Picture:
The picture quality is wonderful and solid throughout with no apparent grain or noise and no artifacts that distract. It is also perfectly framed at the 1.85:1 theatrical ratio. Colors are vivid and fully saturated. Images are sharp and detailed, even the actors’ makeup is discernable. Fleshtones range from full saturation to oversaturation to an orange hue in some scenes. Blacks are deep and textures are well defined, especially in the cloth fabrics of the actors costumes. Interiors appear perfectly lit and natural with excellent shadow detail. The outdoor western scenes are sweeping. Night scenes have a solid appearance, completely without visible grain or noise.

LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The soundtrack is extremely transparent and dynamic. Marc Shaiman’s music score is a real treat and provides much of the subtle surround envelopment. The cattle drive delivers the real aggressive surround and the extreme deep regions of bass. Dialogue is completely natural as expected. Some missed surround opportunities, but nonetheless a great presentation for us city slickers.
(Surround Bass Below 50Hz):
(Aggressive System Surround):
(Intense 25Hz Bass):
(Deep Bass Challenging):
(Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
(Holosonic Soundfield):
(Aggressive Split Surround):
(Center Back Surround Imaging):
(Directionalized Dialogue):
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
Superb Color Fidelity:
Superb Cinematography:
Reference LaserDisc:
Collector Edition: