Runtime: 93 minutes
Directed by: Ken Shapiro
Starring: Chevy Chase,
Patti D'Arbanville, Mary Kay Place, Brian Doyle-Murray, Dabney
Coleman
From: 20th
Century Fox
Boy, does this have some problems that are modern now more than they were in '81:
You know, I am sure that in real life
Chevy Chase snorted some of the “demon powder”! I don't mean to make any
libelous statements and any book about the history of Saturday Night
Live has not been read by me, but as he was an original cast member, I
will just presume he used plenty of drugs at the time.
As for “demon powder” in context of this film, the most famous moment of Modern Problems was in the finale when Nell Carter (her character is from Haiti so OF COURSE she knows voodoo) tries to perform a ritual on Chase in order to banish his newfound telekinetic powers, which includes spreading white powder around his bed. In response, Chevy speaks like Donald Duck and snorts it up like someone in the original season of SNL would inhale some cocaine! As for the overall plot: Chase is a schlub who works at as an air traffic controller, drives a crappy Lancia Beta-soon after this movie came out Lancia left the United States-and he has nuclear waste from a tanker truck spill on him... don't ask. Chevy uses these powers to try and win back his girlfriend (Patti D'Arbanville). Of course, he lost her because he was the possessive type and somehow, that doesn't seem quite as charming or amusing in late 2018...
Chase's character does come off as a jerk and well, at least that's a not a stretch for him. For me, the other main players are more enjoyable, whether it's D'Arbanville, Brian Doyle-Murray as a Vietnam vet who is like Lt. Dan and is in a wheelchair or Mary Kay Place as Chase's ex-wife or Carter or the true highlight, Dabney Coleman playing a truly Dabney Coleman 80's character: a successful person who is an arrogant A-hole... he could do that SO well and did so, in plenty of movies. For me they were more enjoyable than a lead character where you wonder just why exactly the lead girl is still in love with him, especially after he shows everyone his powers. Maybe she enjoyed the sight of Chase in tiny basketball shorts... we get TWO scenes of that, while only one of Coleman's bare ass.
Naturally there are sight gags in a film like this and there is also physical humor and some amusing one-liners. Enough of it at least made me chuckle where I can say this was OK. In addition, I was relieved the scene set in a “gay nightclub” where most of the guys wear leather... that it wasn't as grossly offensive as it could have been.
As for “demon powder” in context of this film, the most famous moment of Modern Problems was in the finale when Nell Carter (her character is from Haiti so OF COURSE she knows voodoo) tries to perform a ritual on Chase in order to banish his newfound telekinetic powers, which includes spreading white powder around his bed. In response, Chevy speaks like Donald Duck and snorts it up like someone in the original season of SNL would inhale some cocaine! As for the overall plot: Chase is a schlub who works at as an air traffic controller, drives a crappy Lancia Beta-soon after this movie came out Lancia left the United States-and he has nuclear waste from a tanker truck spill on him... don't ask. Chevy uses these powers to try and win back his girlfriend (Patti D'Arbanville). Of course, he lost her because he was the possessive type and somehow, that doesn't seem quite as charming or amusing in late 2018...
Chase's character does come off as a jerk and well, at least that's a not a stretch for him. For me, the other main players are more enjoyable, whether it's D'Arbanville, Brian Doyle-Murray as a Vietnam vet who is like Lt. Dan and is in a wheelchair or Mary Kay Place as Chase's ex-wife or Carter or the true highlight, Dabney Coleman playing a truly Dabney Coleman 80's character: a successful person who is an arrogant A-hole... he could do that SO well and did so, in plenty of movies. For me they were more enjoyable than a lead character where you wonder just why exactly the lead girl is still in love with him, especially after he shows everyone his powers. Maybe she enjoyed the sight of Chase in tiny basketball shorts... we get TWO scenes of that, while only one of Coleman's bare ass.
Naturally there are sight gags in a film like this and there is also physical humor and some amusing one-liners. Enough of it at least made me chuckle where I can say this was OK. In addition, I was relieved the scene set in a “gay nightclub” where most of the guys wear leather... that it wasn't as grossly offensive as it could have been.
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