Max Dugan Returns (1983)

The Neil Simon era in film didn't last long (circa 1977-1983) but some of us are old enough to remember when all they had to say in the trailers was "In Neil Simon's XYZ" to lure moviegoers. Many of the pictures were sub-par, but Max Dugan was a good swan song, in part due to Marsha Mason (if there were an Oscar for Best Couple, she and Dreyfuss should have received it for Goodbye Girl) but also simply because it's a neat little movie that's never received its due. Matthew Broderick's first movie. Donald Sutherland got a new haircut. Jason Robards may have been cast as an afterthought to lend cachet, but who else could play the ironic, world-weary, Kierkegaard-and-Wittgenstein-reading jailbird title character? I only have one acquired gripe: that so much of the dialogue is so "sharp" and "witty" that it feels contrived (not that they aren't memorable). This is one of the rare instances when a screenplay may be almost "polished" out of existence. That said, if you don't have a warm spot, you can forget it. This isn't a cinematic masterpiece (and I say that as a Polanski-and-Coppola type); but the story is neat and the performances are genuine, and in a decade when films set in L.A. focused primarily on glitz and bling-bling (which Max Dugan indirectly parodies), it's still refreshing to be made to feel at home among the sunlit bungalows of the city's low-key/low-rent, lower middle class suburbs.

I love this movie,It's a small low budget film that is simply a joy to watch,the characters are great.I can't wait until Fox releases Max Dugan Returns on DVD!!!The story is not lost in a bunch of silly special effects,come to think of there no special effects at all.I you want to enjoy a bit of nostalgia see this movie.

Neil Simon, did ya read Les Miserables recently? To say that this movie is loosely based on a modernized version of that book would be accurate; the script would be totally different if Victor Hugo never existed. Let's run down the list of parallels. Robards is Jean-Valjean: he served time in prison and now dedicates his life to the happiness of a young child, Matt(Cossette). Like Valjean, he has three aliases and --SPOILER-- disappears at the end. Although in Les Miserables, Hugo meant his disappearance to symbolize death. Robards' life in this movie revolves around being pursued and followed by a detective(Javert in Les Miserables). Javert's life-long ambition was to wrest Valjean, just as Sutherland becomes obsessed with this concept as it applies to Robards. Simon's theme is that family ought to be highly valued--one of the multiple themes contained in Hugo's novel. Swirl corny 80's elements--the baseball games--into to the rancid bowl, and a movie compiled of Hugo's ideas forms.This "comedy" has some other horrific extras that force the characters to act like slow-witted Kawala bears. When Robards goes out in public, he wears a dark jacket, a black hat, and sunglasses...because that doesn't look suspicious at all. Were you trying to look like a criminal, Roby?If you're into typical family-oriented 80's slosh(and many people evidently are) then I recommend this film with one reservation. Sutherland and Robards, the two best actors in this treasure, only have one scene together because that makes sense!

The "best"movie of the century, it was good and funny. Grandfather (Max Dugan) played by Jason Robards; mother (Nora McPhee) played by Marsha Mason; the teenager (Michael McPhee) played by Matthew Broderick; and the policeman (Brian Costello) played by Donald Sutherland, starring in the movie, "Max Dugan Returns." There are always a few positives and negatives in each movie, and in this one the few positives are: Max Dugan brings Nora and Michael a lot of money, buys them very expensive gifts to lets them think... Just because he came out of jail, doesn't mean he's an evil guy. He wants to make them happy. Although the policeman wants to be a friend, is he only doing his job too. The few negatives is that there's a lot of dishonesty going around. Nora's cars get stolen in one week, and she doesn't accept the gifts that were given to her by her father. I think the theme is about "honesty and dishonesty." There's not a lot of honesty in this movie. Nora and Max tell lies about him, because she doesn't want to lose her father again. They are tryig to hide his real image. "don't lie, 'cause the truth has to come out some time." Nora McPhee, was a wonderful mother and Gr.10 teacher. Before her father came back into her life, she was a single mother, because her husband had died of cancer. Then she accepts her father to come and live with them, just for a few weeks. Before that, she had a really old car, that was about to fall into pieces. Then the policeman, Brian, gave her a motorcycle to get around with, but shortly after that the bike got stolen too. Her father then suprized her with a new car. She didn't want to accept any of the gifts, because she said, she doesn't wants gifts than was bought with stolen money. The policeman, Brian Costello started to like Nora McPhee. He bought her a bike as soon as he found out that her car was stolen. Then they went out for dinner, when she dropped her handbag, he knew something was wrong. Then he saw an old man in her house, when he wanted to put the flowers he gave her in the house, because she left them in his car. Matthew Broderick was the teenager, Michael McPhee. He always had a problem with baseball. The next morning when he woke up, he saw an old man in the kitchen. He then asked his mother who the old man was and she said Mr. Parker his grandfather. Now Michael is confused over who the old man living with them really was. He accepted all the gifts that "the man" gave them, but he has to convince his mother to accept them too. Bacause he had a problem with baseball "Mr. Parker" got someone to help him.If I were a film judge, I would grade this film an eight. It's a funny movie with a theme to it. I enjoyed this movie and I also encourage everyone to watch it.