Sleevenotes:

Crack up with Chevy Chase down on the 'Funny Farm' as the National Lampoon's star pleads asylum in a crazy comedy. He's taken a country vacation to get away from it all. But the wacky rustics are even more eccentric than his Manhattan neighbours. And the quiet life he hoped for becomes a madhouse of mirth.

Review:
This is a movie where Chevy cuts down on his trademark one-liners and gives a wonderfully restrained performance as the fish-out-of-water character Andy Farmer. The comedy is light-hearted but the story flows wonderfully and Chevy's acting is simply superb keeping the movie going strong throughout. Some of his facial expressions (particularly when his wife gets to read his novel for the first time) are excellent and really shape his character well. Madolyn Smith plays her role with a lovely understated style creating possibly the most believable of all Chevy's on-screen marriages. The story is essentially simple, the jokes are warm and gentle but the overall film is well presented and one I can always find time for.

Funniest scenes:
Chevy carries his wife into their new home through the split door.

The removal men try crossing the bridge.

The removal men start unloading the van with Chevy's writing chair...

Chevy attempts to call the Sheriff office - "Vulgar and abusive language is an automatic disconnect."

Chevy stands in for the injured baseball player on the fishing trip - "We gotta knock him out!"

Chevy sets a new record for eating lamb fries.

Chevy hits the bottle and attempts to ambush the mailman.

Chevy asks the townfolk to help sell his house - "How much notice do you think you'll need to start acting normal?"

The townsfolk play their part - "This is gonna cost us."

Top lines:
Crocker: "Hey Mac, which way to Redbud?"
Mac: "How did you know my name was Mac?"
Crocker: "Just guessed."
Mac: "Then why don't you guess your way to Redbud?"

Mickey: "This ain't a bridge - it's termites holding hands!"
Crocker: "We're going over it."
Mickey: "Not me - I wouldn't go over this thing on a skateboard!"
Crocker: "We're going over it - have a little faith in the craftsmanship of our forefathers."
Mickey: "Your forefathers, not my forefathers!"

Crocker: "You still got that map?"
Mickey: "Yeah."
Crocker: "Don't lose it - it might be the piece of evidence that gets me off a murder charge."
Mickey: "Who you gonna kill?"
Crocker: "The son of a bitch who drew that map."

Angler: "It's not working - you're not knocking him out, you're only beating the piss out of him!"

Andy: "Citizens of Redbud. We came to Redbud filled with hopes and dreams for a better life and a better place and basically we've seen those hopes and dreams shattered and crushed before our very eyes. Now I'm not saying it's entirely your fault - we're as much to blame for this as you. Well maybe more like sixty forty but we didn't come here to quibble about percentages."

Fletch UK Rating: 8 out of 10

Links:
imdb.com
yahoo movies