Diario de un hombre invisible

I've seen this movie a couple of times, and I like to watch it ever since I saw it the first time when its on TV. The plot is moderately original, the settings are good, and on top of all, we see great acting from all three leads: Sam Neill, Daryl Hannah and - to my surprise - Chevy Chase. My main memories about him the time I saw the movie for the first time was him sitting behind the wheel of an estate car, playing is undoubtedly most famous Clark Griswold character, which I really do not like. The more astonishing that it just takes a darker setting, some good co-actors, and the fact that he is visible only about half the time of the movie, and there you go, some fantastic Chevy Chase acting over there. He played his character very authentic, although maybe a little too cool later on during the movie. Maybe this movie cannot hold up to more popular Hollywood movies of its time, but it is a quite decent story with good acting and some very nice ideas. 7 outta 10, with a +1 star understatement bonus.

Eventually there comes a time when actors who usually specialize in comedy decide that, for at least once, they'd like to be taken seriously. And so it goes with this Chevy Chase vehicle in which he largely plays it straight. He's cast as Nick Halloway, a securities analyst who is rendered invisible after a freak accident at a laboratory. This makes things difficult as he attempts to romance a documentarian (a radiant Daryl Hannah) whom he's just met, and tries to avoid a sneaky Federal agent (an appropriately smarmy Sam Neill) who wants to exploit Nicks' situation.

At the least, "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" offers an interesting look at a person who has to accept invisibility as a fact of life. In addition to the benefits of not being visible, he must deal with the realities. For example, HE may be invisible, but the food and drink he ingests won't be as they enter his system. All the spy stuff is pretty standard-issue, and one has to presume that the source novel by H.F. Saint was somewhat more nuanced.

Still, this is reasonably entertaining. It was clearly just work for hire for the celebrated veteran director John Carpenter; because it's among the least "Carpenter-esque" of his filmography, it may not be very satisfying to his fans.

Chase is very earnest. You have to respect his restraint; at no time do you get the indication that he wants to crack wise. Hannah is appealing and of course gorgeous. Neill is an effective villain, although he doesn't really try to suppress his natural Kiwi accent for the role. Familiar faces like Michael McKean, Stephen Tobolowsky, Patricia Heaton, Donald Li (From JC's "Big Trouble in Little China"), Rosalind Chao, and Sam Anderson also turn up. JC himself has a cameo late in the picture as a helicopter pilot (billed as "Rip Haight").

But the real stars of the movie are undoubtedly the visual effects team at ILM. If a viewer is otherwise bored with this, they can't deny that the invisibility gags are effective.

Overall, good for some chuckles and thrills.

Six out of 10.

Chevy Chase is at it again. This time he plays a yuppie who become totally transparent after a freak accident. In "Memoirs of an Invisible Man", Nick Halloway(Chase) becomes both victim and pawn of the CIA. Halloway becomes invisible following an explosion in a laboratory which, makes him a perfect weapon against the enemy. However, someone in the CIA wanted him for more than that. So Nick escapes, and goes to the woman he loves dearly, Alice Monroe(Darryl Hannah). She thinks that Nick is dead, but when she sees the truth, it's out of sight. Literally. Nick's personality and wit gives him the edge when Jenkins(Sam Neill) would give him a promise to give him back his molecules so he can be living a normal life again. So far, Nick finds his condition a bit of a plus so far. He can play practical jokes, without getting caught. The only way you can get caught is to misuse the ability of stealth. It's a lot of fun, it's too bad it didn't do well at the box office. This movie is perfect for home viewing I believe. It wouldn't hurt to be invisible, just get used to it. 4 out of 5 stars!

Well aware of the strengths & limitations, and working within those confinements to put up a story that's serviceable & sufficiently satisfying despite its conventional structure, Memoirs of an Invisible Man is a sci-fi comedy without stakes that finds John Carpenter stepping out of his established forte, features some truly impressive special effects, and though it is no match to the director's finest works, it delivers the goods as a lighthearted, family-friendly entertainer.

Memoirs of an Invisible Man tanked in 1992, and was seen by many as a dismal failure, and a sure sign of Chevy Chase's film career demise. However, I, a life-long Chase fan, was pleasantly surprised by the film, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

It is fast-paced, quick-witted, and features a terrific dramatic turn for Chase. While the story is somewhat muddled, and the other performances, especially Darryl Hannah's, remain a bit stoic and wooden, the eye-popping special effects are truly top notch.

Chevy Chase has never been respected in Hollywood, and his movies are always deemed as failures, but to me, and others, he is a comedic genius, either as the familiar buffoon, such as Clark Griswold of the superb Vacation series, or as the aloof wisecracker, such as Irwin Fletcher, in the Fletch films.

Highly recommended.