Dan Aykroyd has fun in a fast talking con man role in this reasonably amusing but never uproarious comedy. He plays John W. Burns, Jr., a criminal who faked insanity in order to get a somewhat cushier life inside a mental institution. Burns runs amok at this place, getting it on with the secretary (Victoria Jackson) and making life miserable for his stuffy, hostile psychiatrist (David Clennon). One day he intercepts a phone call to Clennon, who's been selected to temporarily fill in for a hot shot L.A. pop psychiatrist (Charles Grodin) who's suffering from lots of stress. He pretends to be Clennon, and the hilarity ensues as he keeps up the charade in front of Grodins' associates, played by the likes of Richard Romanus, Donna Dixon (the lovely real life Mrs. Aykroyd), and Arye Gross.
You know you can't go completely wrong with a cast such as this. Everybody plays their role to the hilt, whether it's Clennon as a guy we'll love to hate, the perfectly chosen Grodin in peak grumpy form, Arye Gross as a pathological ass kisser, or Mary Gross as Grodin's wife. Aykroyd is amiable and charming and as good at ever at getting lots of dialogue out quickly. Good character actors add to the enjoyment: Mickey Jones, J.E. Freeman, David Wohl, Michael Ensign, Charles Levin, Scott Thomson, Don Stark, and others. But you have to pay close attention to catch a cameo by Chevy Chase, who'd acted for director Michael Ritchie in one of his most successful vehicles, "Fletch". It's also a joy to see veteran Walter Matthau in one of his more carefree roles, as a self styled oddball who realizes Aykroyd's secret and attempts to blackmail him.
The plotting is kind of standard, as we see the highly unorthodox and tactless Aykroyd actually become a real hit on the air while filling in for Grodin. This, however, leads to one of the better gags in the picture as Aykroyd thinks he's found the solution to following through on his promise of free therapy to Grodin's patients. The R rating does allow for some well timed (but not excessive) use of profanity - that actually made it into the trailer!
Six out of 10.
You know you can't go completely wrong with a cast such as this. Everybody plays their role to the hilt, whether it's Clennon as a guy we'll love to hate, the perfectly chosen Grodin in peak grumpy form, Arye Gross as a pathological ass kisser, or Mary Gross as Grodin's wife. Aykroyd is amiable and charming and as good at ever at getting lots of dialogue out quickly. Good character actors add to the enjoyment: Mickey Jones, J.E. Freeman, David Wohl, Michael Ensign, Charles Levin, Scott Thomson, Don Stark, and others. But you have to pay close attention to catch a cameo by Chevy Chase, who'd acted for director Michael Ritchie in one of his most successful vehicles, "Fletch". It's also a joy to see veteran Walter Matthau in one of his more carefree roles, as a self styled oddball who realizes Aykroyd's secret and attempts to blackmail him.
The plotting is kind of standard, as we see the highly unorthodox and tactless Aykroyd actually become a real hit on the air while filling in for Grodin. This, however, leads to one of the better gags in the picture as Aykroyd thinks he's found the solution to following through on his promise of free therapy to Grodin's patients. The R rating does allow for some well timed (but not excessive) use of profanity - that actually made it into the trailer!
Six out of 10.