The Couch Trip

I am surprised that this, well above average 80's comedy scores only a 5.2 from all the IMDB voters. Dan Ackroyd does his usual satirical turn as a con who seizes a great opportunity to steal a contract from his prisons physician. He retreats to California to start his work giving advice on a radio show pretending to be the infamous Dr Lawrence Baird. The only person that knows he's an imposter is the drunken priest (Walter Matthau) who comes along to be pampered by Ackroyd's new found wealth having blakmailed him. Charles Grodin throws in a good supporting performance too. For its genre I think this film deserves the same crediblity as 'Ferris Bueller' or 'Trading Places'. 7.5 / 10

Michael Ritchie's "The Couch Trip" is a wonderfully anarchic comedy about what makes a good psychiatrist. It is so subtle and wicked that you start to realize what a stinging satire it really is. It is also Dan Akyroyd's best movie, made in a particularly great film year (1988)for him. First, "The Great Outdoors" and now this.

Akyroyd stars as John Burns, a career crook who fakes insanity to escape prison. Now, a dumb comedy would just be about this. But "The Couch Trip" uses this as a springboard for everything else. Beverly Hills psychiatrist George Maitlin (Charles Grodin, subtly hilarious here)has a nervous breakdown and a replacement is selected: Lawrence Baird, who happens to be Akyroyd's psychiatrist! You can pretty much guess what's going to happen, but the great thing about "The Couch Trip" is not what happens, but how it is done.

"The Couch Trip" gives Dan Akyroyd the best role he has ever had. His John Burns is one of the truly original comic creations in movie history. Wicked one liners and physical humor are a part of it, but what makes it special is that Akyroyd makes Burns a lovable character. We root for him and grow to like him a whole lot during the 98 minute running time.

But Akyroyd isn't alone here. He gets strong support from other great comic actors. Walter Matthau joins the hilarity as a con artist minister who catches on to Burns' secret and commits genteel blackmail. Charles Grodin "slow burns" his way to another great comic role as the burned out psychiatrist. Grodin has been one of the most underappreciated actors in Hollywood. It's criminal they haven't used him more often. Richard Romanus plays Grodin's slimeball lawyer to perfection.

"The Couch Trip" is one of many films made by the now-defunct Orion Pictures Corporation that are currently unseen. MGM spent a fortune buying the Orion library but have yet to truly cash in on their acquisition. "The Couch Trip" joins "Dressed to Kill", "Blow Out" and countless others in gathering dust rotting in the vault. Shame on MGM for their inaction. Hopefully, with new management, "The Couch Trip" will find the audience and respect it deserves.

**** out of 4 stars

Only one comment (as of this writing) on IMDB?? Which is the ultimate example of why this is a very underrated comedy dealing with Aykroyd's escape from a mental facilitly (more like a den for misfits) and masqerading as his hated supervisor/doctor from the nutbarn. He heads to L.A. with his assumed name to sub for an unstable radio shrink (Grodin) and his candid approach garners him city-wide attention. He fast talks his way into a big contract and seems on his way. He gets distracted, though, by knockout Dixon (his real-life wife, how lucky), who is some kind of shrink-producer and also by Matthau's perceptive homeless schemer. He's onto Aykroyd and says he'll keep quiet if Dan splits the cash with him. That's just a little of what's going on in this busy little conman adventure, as at the same time Grodin is getting wise with the real doctor Aykroyd is impersonating. And Grodin's wife is also involved with his lawyer, who is seeing dollar signs in Aykroyd, as well is a kiss-butt producer, and annoyingly assisting Grodin is Clennon, the real doctor who is supposed to be replacing him. There are a lot of great jabs at the psychiatry profession, and the entertainment business, the best being the short but very memorable scene where Aykroyd takes calls on the radio, one of the funniest scenes I've ever watched. Unfortunately, the film ends abruptly and could've used a better knock out blow. But, from beginning to (near) end this provides a lot of solid laughs and it's too bad that the kind of plot it has doesn't permit another trip to the couch.

A patient in a chicago physcriatric hospital is in a war with Doctor Baird. When he intercepts a call for Dr Baird to replace LA shrink Dr Maitlin in his practice and his radio show. Baird had been selected because he was inept enough not to put Maitlin in the shade. Burns escapes from the hospital, travels to LA and assumes Baird's identity to get the job. Issues are complicated when drifter Becker recognises Burns as a conman and tries to get in on the act.

This is an earlier version of Dolly Parton's `Straight Talk' - a straight talker gets mistaken for a radio host, gives mad advise but the public love it. This is complicated by Matthau's conman getting involved and other little subplots. The plot doesn't always convince or hold the interest but it is quite amusing at points. The ending is pure laziness as it attempts to milk a happy ending out of unlikely circumstances.

Aykroyd is well suited to his character and provides all the jokes here. Grodin and Matthau are both good but Matthau is certainly greatly underused. Really it's Aykroyd's show and everything slows down when he's not onscreen or when he's having to move the story on.

Overall this is a very standard film. It's only amusing when Aykroyd is allowed free reign, for the rest of the film it's dull at times, aimless and meandering at others. Of the famous cast, this is nobody's finest hour.

As a fan of Dan Aykroyd, I watched this film when it was recently shown in the middle of night on TV. I wasn't expecting much, so it came as a big surprise that I loved it so much.

This is the type of film that Dan Aykroyd seems to love to make. A chance for him to 'ham it up' and not take things too seriously. If you loved him in The Blues Brothers or Ghostbusters you'll know what I mean, and you'd be wise to check out The Couch Trip.

Avid fans of Aykroyd will also have fun spotting all the tiny links to his other films in the script!

I can't describe this film without spoiling it for you, so all I can do is tell you to check it out. I can't praise this film highly enough, and it must surely be time for a DVD release!!