Modern Problems (1981)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

Ken Shapiro

Writers:

Ken Shapiro (writer) &
Tom Sherohman (writer) ...

Release Date:

25 December 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

A broken-hearted man + amazing moving powers = Out-of-control fun.

Plot:

Jealous, harried air traffic controller Max Fielder, recently dumped by his girlfriend, comes into contact with nuclear waste and is granted the power of telekinesis, which he uses to not only win her back, but to gain a little revenge.

Plot Keywords:

Air Traffic Controller | Telekinesis | Nose Bleed | Telekinetic Sex

Cast

Chevy Chase	...	Max Fielder
Patti D'Arbanville	...	Darcy
Dabney Coleman	...	Mark Winslow
Mary Kay Place	...	Lorraine
Nell Carter	...	Dorita
Brian Doyle-Murray	...	Brian Stills
Mitch Kreindel	...	Barry
Arthur Sellers	...	Mobile Supervisor
Sandy Helberg	...	Pete
Neil Thompson	...	Controller #1
Carl Irwin	...	Controller #2
Ronald E. House	...	Vender (as Ron House)
Buzzy Linhart	...	The Tile Man
Henry Corden	...	Dubrovnik
Christine Nazareth	...	Redhead

Runtime:

89 min | 93 min (FMC Library Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:L | USA:PG (certificate #26438) | Australia:M | UK:PG

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Contains Dabney Coleman's only on-screen nude scene.

Goofs:

Continuity: Max's car gets splashed with toxic waste. It's clean/dirty on and off for the entire scene.

Quotes:

Darcy: Max, please, what is the matter with you lately? I was kidding.
Max: Look at my face. I can't go to dinner like this. Look.
Darcy: Your face looks fine.
Max: I'm not going. I'm staying up here.
Darcy: Max. Max, you promised me that you would try to relax and be close to me this weekend.
Max: You were only kidding?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bruce Almighty (2003)

Soundtrack:

She Takes All Of Me

a great reunion from "The Groove Tube"

The director and star of the 1974 classic "The Groove Tube" reunited to make the wacky "Modern Problems", in which air traffic controller Max Fiedler (Chevy Chase) gets exposed to nuclear waste and uses his new powers to play all sorts of tricks. It's hard to say what was my favorite scene; there were so many funny ones (the ballet sequence was a real hoot, as was the restaurant scene).

Look, you just gotta see this movie. It's so hilarious and truly shows Chevy Chase during his heyday at his best. I know that in later years he degenerated into crappy fare like "Cops and Robbersons", but this affirms that he really can play a great role. A person would have to lack a sense of humor not to like this movie. Also starring Patti D'Arbanville, Dabney Coleman, Mary Kay Place, Nell Carter and Brian Doyle-Murray.

And also check out "The Groove Tube".