Wizard-8
I remember as a kid being intrigued by the ad for this movie, with its cartoon image and its stick-in-the-head tagline ("Prices are double. Your love life's in trouble. The car won't start. Your boss has no heart. The door squeaks. The roof leaks. Your stereo just went mono. All you need is a little Max Dugan.") But the movie disappeared quickly, and it seemed to have vanished completely, since I never remember it coming on television. I was surprised that it received a DVD release, since there was nothing to indicate it had built a cult. Anyway, I decided to finally watch it.Although it's branded as a comedy, it really isn't. Yes, there is the occasional one-liner, but mostly it's a light-hearted drama. And a charming one at that. Neil Simon wrote some very likable characters, even down to the ones who show up quickly and disappear never to be seen again in the movie. The cast could not be better. Broderick in his debut performance tones it down compared to how annoying he became when he was older. Sutherland is believable as a cop who has feelings for the woman in his life yet still feels he has his duty as a cop. Robards and Mason, who have most of the focus, are also good.The movie isn't without problems - there are a few spots where the characters seem unusually dim-witted - but overall it's a sweet movie that will make you feel good at the end. Give it a try.
steve-brink
Despite having Charlie Lau helping Mathew Broderick's character in his hitting, the high school baseball scenes were completely unrealistic and look like a bad Pony League game. I cannot see a high school coach treat a varsity level game in this manner. Make the umpires look like real umpires, too.Another thing, high school baseball is only seven innings and they are playing in the ninth inning. Come on, a little research here. A simple detail like this really ruins movies with sporting scenes that are filled with these kinds of errors.Being involved with sports, some mistakes like this type of thing can lose any credibility. Movies need to make sporting events to look realistic, especially down to the officials. I see too often referees and umpires in out-of-date uniforms (I mean vintage 1940s) and doing things most trained officials would never do.
almost29
I love this movie,It's a small low budget film that is simply a joy to watch,the characters are great.I can't wait until Fox releases Max Dugan Returns on DVD!!!The story is not lost in a bunch of silly special effects,come to think of there no special effects at all.I you want to enjoy a bit of nostalgia see this movie.
Intermopper
Neil Simon, did ya read Les Miserables recently? To say that this movie is loosely based on a modernized version of that book would be accurate; the script would be totally different if Victor Hugo never existed. Let's run down the list of parallels. Robards is Jean-Valjean: he served time in prison and now dedicates his life to the happiness of a young child, Matt(Cossette). Like Valjean, he has three aliases and --SPOILER-- disappears at the end. Although in Les Miserables, Hugo meant his disappearance to symbolize death. Robards' life in this movie revolves around being pursued and followed by a detective(Javert in Les Miserables). Javert's life-long ambition was to wrest Valjean, just as Sutherland becomes obsessed with this concept as it applies to Robards. Simon's theme is that family ought to be highly valued--one of the multiple themes contained in Hugo's novel. Swirl corny 80's elements--the baseball games--into to the rancid bowl, and a movie compiled of Hugo's ideas forms.This "comedy" has some other horrific extras that force the characters to act like slow-witted Kawala bears. When Robards goes out in public, he wears a dark jacket, a black hat, and sunglasses...because that doesn't look suspicious at all. Were you trying to look like a criminal, Roby?If you're into typical family-oriented 80's slosh(and many people evidently are) then I recommend this film with one reservation. Sutherland and Robards, the two best actors in this treasure, only have one scene together because that makes sense!
AD
