Le retour de Max Dugan

Robards carries this Neil Simon picture delightfully. It moves along with a nice pace and keeps the laughs coming.

I first saw this as a kid, in the early 80s, so it brings back fond memories to see it again. Clever dialog written by Neil Simon -- it has his signature all over it! A few surprising appearances as well, including Kiefer Sutherland as a baseball player (and he's not even credited on IMDb for this film), Shelley Morrison, who played Rosario the maid on Will & Grace, and David Morse as a cop. Robards plays Max Dugan, a ne'er-do-well absentee father who returns to the scene with a suitcase full of dubiously obtained money. His dying wish is to get to know his teenage grandson and to reacquaint himself with his daughter after 28 years. It's entertaining, well written, well acted. What's not to like?

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.

Something about this movie just makes me feel like I 8-10yrs old again. So glad I came across it in my 40's & am able to share it w/my kids (18 & 21yrs old lol) but they understand the way I am w/talking about my childhood!! ❣

I always enjoy watching this movie during those (rare) times that it comes on TV. I realize now that this movie makes an ideal holiday film, one that should best be seen around either Christmas/New Year's, or Thanksgiving holiday time. Why? Simply because it has such a strong "family values" theme to it. (Oh, and Max Dugan (Jason Robards) is also very generous with giving splendid gifts to his daughter and grandson (Marsha Mason and Matthew Broderick) in the film).

Perhaps a bit corny by today's film standards, I would nevertheless recommend this film to anyone who lived through the 80's - at least to those who were cognizant of everything that was going on around them. It should stimulate a few memories of the zeitgeist of the 80's (like, think "materialism" and "philosophy") - and it's all done without special effects or smoke and filter-lens photography.

This film shows Jason Robards in one of his best roles, with that deep, smooth, mellifluous voice of his just hitting all the right notes. Matthew Broderick is fun to watch in this film as well; it's an early peek at his big-screen work before he hit it big as Ferris Bueller in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Donald Sutherland is interesting as always, and Marsha Mason is excellent as the single mom trying to cope with all the crazy stuff happening to her.

If you like this film, I would recommend you rent "Rocket Gibraltar" (1988) starring Burt Lancaster. Another excellent family film that showcases a well-known actor in one of his last film roles.