City Slickers Interpersonal Conflict

In the movie “City Slickers” we are introduced to many characters. Two of the most important are Mitch Robbins and Curly. Mitch is your typical American guy with a family and an average job. He begins to have a mid-life crisis and all the conflict that comes with it. He also brings along his friends each of whom have their own personal dilemmas they are dealing with. The movie takes place on a dude ranch and out on the range giving plenty examples of interpersonal conflict as well as humor. Intercultural communication is a big part of this movie. Mitch is from this city and is use to the luxuries that comes with living that lifestyle. Curly is a true cowboy who lives in traditional western fashion, including manual labor and hardships. He's

reaction to Mitch in the beginning is not a favorable one.

There is an obvious difference in the way each of them live and both have very different views on how things should be done. When it comes to self-concept Mitch realizes there is a lot of things in his life that need to in order to get him out of the rut he is in. The idea of a dude ranch means he would be doing something the opposite of his average everyday life. He feels he is stuck in routine and weighted down with responsibility that comes with growing older. Mitch feels that going to the ranch will be an freeing experience allowing him to bring some adventure to their lives. Knowing that he need some new guidance in life he feels that this trip will help him find the sense of direction he feels he needs. His perceptual accentuation of himself was that he was stuck in a monotonous routine and that he felt he would stay trapped in if he did not take drastic measures. Mitch felt that he no longer was individual but a man that did things only for his wife and kids. He expressed to his friends how carefree his childhood was and how as he had got older life had progressively gotten more stressful. This was an implication of how

he saw his life.
When it comes to verbal communication Mitch and his friends practice this often.

He discusses his discontent of his current life with his friends. One friend discuss how he feels about his soon to be ex-wife and the idea of becoming a father. While the other explains how his girlfriend wants kids and he's not sure how he feels about it. All of them discuss their best and worst memories of growing up. There is a lot of situations in this movie where characters verbalize their feelings to each other. This allows us to understand the emotions they are going through and how they feel at that particular time. The person with the best non-verbal communication is Curly. He's deep glares, clenched jaw, and up-tight posture communicate to everyone that he is not to be trifled with. He quietly observes his surroundings and is keenly aware of what's going on around him. Leaving us to believe he is an analyzer. Curly constantly use his bowie knife as another way to communicate that he shouldn't be messed with. Then there are such simple things as him giving a glance that lets someone know they need to move out the way. One of the biggest aspects of the movie is the relationship development between characters. When Mitch

first meets Curly he is amazed at the “ most manly man he has ever seen”. He is extremely intrigued with his face that looks like a “leather saddlebag with eyes”. We can assume from this he would like to get to know more about the guy. However, later he hears stories around the camp fire discussing some of do bad deeds that Curly has supposedly done. Mitch comes to the conclusion that the cowboy is nuts. Later, when he tries to make coffee using a battery operated grinder he scares off the cattle. This does not sit well with Curly and by his non-verbal cues it's easy to assume Mitch is not a person the cowboy would typically choose to hang around. Mitch is then forced to go with Curly to find the cattle and the dynamic of their relationship begins to change. Mitch tells off Curly and then Curly's respect for Mitch grows and his heart softens a little. A mentor relationship forms after the cowboy offers life experience advice as well teaches him cattle drive skills. This causes Mitch's feelings about the cowboy to change for the better as well. This is the point where they become more that just trail mates and an actual friendship begins. Later Curly dies leaving Mitch feeling he lost the only person offering him guidance. Besides the cowboy Mitch has two other friends with him. They have been friends for a long time but the experience renews their friendship with each other. Because of their verbal communication and sharing their troubles with each other they have a new perspective on each others lives. It as though they were almost brand new friends learning about each other again. In the beginning of the movie we are presented with a couple examples of relationship deterioration. Mitch's relationship with is wife has lost it's spark and they aren't particularly enjoying being around each other. While their relationship was deteriorating it began to redevelop after Mitch's self-concept changed and he came home a more positive and happy person. Mitch's friend on the other had didn't have the same outcome. Because he felt he was being neglected from his wife he ended having an affair. It was obvious that this relationship had been deteriorating for a long time. His soon to be ex-wife would constantly manipulate him by threatening to call her father who was her husbands boss. Knowing this he was constantly forced to do things he didn’t want to. After the trip to the dude ranch he came to the conclusion he would continue to go on with his life and develop a relationship with his new daughter.
“City Slickers” is full of different example of interpersonal communication. Whether it's relationship development between Mitch and Curly, Mitch and his friends, or Mitch and his wife the dynamic of the relationships are very obvious.