Les Aventures d'un homme invisible

Nick Holloway (Chevy Chase) is a self-centered businessman who, somehow, ends up in a scientific experiment gone awry. As the sole inhabitant of a building at the wrong time, Nick is rendered invisible by a glitch in a research project. Almost immediately, he is tracked by a nefarious government agent (Sam Neill) who insists that Nick become part of the United States spy program...or else. Yet, Nick is clever and manages to escape, time and again. At last, Nick takes refuge at an empty summer house on the California coast, where he orders the delivery of groceries and tries to plan his next move. Visitors arrive unexpectedly, and one of them is a beautiful woman named Alice (Darryl Hannah), whom Nick has romanced before. Can Nick somehow communicate to Alice his troubles and garner her help? This is just one of those "nice little films" that can entertain in a big way for an evening. Chase is terrific, Hannah is beautiful, and Neill looks like he is having a ball as the designated bad guy. The rest of the cast, although unknown, are a complete joy as well. The sets are very special, including the city of San Francisco and the lovely-beyond-compare summer house on the coast. Costumes are likewise very fine, with Hannah looking like a dream most of the time. As for the production values, they are top notch but, the film does pose some problems. Chase is the star, therefore, he can't be "invisible" all of the time. Very often, the viewer sees Chase, but if a mirror or window is nearby, the reflection shows us nothing...except a toothbrush or a hat, for example. The end result is an inconsistency in the realm of invisibility but, in truth, it doesn't matter, not really. For those who love amusing films, with intrigue, romance and funny characters, this is a movie to consider. Although the flick is totally unassuming, it delivers a "good show" for almost any audience out there.

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.

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.

My Take: It' ain't great, but its funny and interesting, and packed with wildly imaginative special effects.

Part-Hitchcockian manhunt thriller, part-James Whale and part-screwball special effects comedy, John Carpenter's 1992 misunderstood MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN is a delightful although not entirely great comedy. Or was it really meant to be a comedy? Although it's obviously a Chevy Chase vehicle pumped up by (for-the-time) groundbreaking special effects. But was it really a comedy? John Carpenter refuses to tell us exactly what the identity of, not the character, bu the movie. It was both a thriller, a comedy and a love story at the same time. And, although Carpenter wasn't able to balance all three genres together and make them mesh together completely, he does provide an interesting and skillfully-made little film. The special effects are dated compared to today's standards (By the following year, these kind of special effects would be extinct and would make way for CGI with JURASSIC PARK) but they are still quite convincing at some scenes. As a matter of fact, they're actually quite funny in some scenes (The scene where Chase sees the food he just ate digesting was pretty hilarious). The performances are decent at best, with Sam Niell in fine form as the antagonist, a ruthless undercover agent, and Daryll Hannah as a fine damsel-in-distress. Chase is pretty good too, although due to his comedic screen presence, it's quite hard to take him seriously during his scenes that are meant to be serious.

Although flawed, MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN is a skillfully-paced and hilarious film. It might be an overstatement to say Carpenter was in control here, but no one can say he didn't at least do a passable job.

Rating: *** out of 5.

I enjoyed Memoirs of an Invisible Man, its no classic but better than its flop reputation. I've always been a fan of Chevy Chase and I'm also a huge fan of John Carpenter although I never imagined that Carpenter would direct a Chevy Chase movie, but to be honest if I had not heard that John Carpenter had directed this or seen his name in the credits and had just watched the movie oblivious to the fact I don't think I would have guessed this was a Carpenter movie. Nothing about it screams John Carpenter, its much more a Chevy Chase movie although a slightly more serious one than normal. He's pretty good in this, more straight and with less of the physical and wacky comedy that made his name. Daryl Hannah is as beautiful as ever as the love interest and Sam Neil makes a good villain. One thing I will say about this film is it seems like it may have been heavily cut as it seems a bit disjointed at times. Special credit to the special effects guys though , amazing effects for a 1992 movie. All in all a rather good movie.