Customer Reviews

Modern Problems [VHS]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

What's up with some of these poor reviews? You people suck. Dabney Coleman's peformance, alone, puts Modern Problems over the top.

Can you really deny lines like..?:

"You see...what you need to realize is..she's a manipulatin' b!tch.."

[or]

"Don't look at me like I'm a freak..! I'm not a freak! He's the freak! I'm a g*ddamned goodlookin' man!"

...exploding ballet pants, extreme nosebleeds..and Nell Carter! What's not to love?

Now, if they'll just release a soundtrack featuring that killer TUBES song, I'll be happy. :)

The biggest problem is, the sound, and no closed captioning, so alot of gags are missed. After that it's a very funny movie, in a Big Trouble In Little China kind of way. The movie is far out, except it, sit back & laugh. Don't look for OSCAR material here.
Chevy's girlfriend leaves him, he gets doused in nuclear waste,
and wreaks havoc with hilarious results.

This is an awesomely funny movie, with a twist. It is one of the few rare movies I consider a personal favourite. Warning, though, it is clever adult entertainment, and some of you will simply not get it. It is spew-your-popcorn-over-the-chump-in-front-of-you funny, but also subtly deep, real, dark and very, very clever. I tip my hat to Mr. Sinister's concise summary, "A little slice of Regan-era fatalism". If you crave funny, clever and repeatable viewing that genuinely thoughful, this is a rare gem. A comedy onion!

Well Chevy Chase has made some horrendous movies over the years....this is not one of them. He plays an air traffic controller who is splashed with toxic waste and gains powers which enable him to move objects.

The scenes in which he uses his powers are outrageous....the restaurant, the opera house, etc.


So for a really good comedy, one of Chevys best, this is it. Its hilarious!!

Chevy Chase is great. This movie is a wonderful movie and full of fun and laughter.

This is one of those forgotten classics that you'll either love, like or hate alot. The concept is one that has been done several different ways in other movies...but seldom lives up to the results in this movie. Imagine if you were suddenly given the power of telekinesis, to move things and manipulate things at will. What would you do if you had that power? Well...in Chevy Chase's character's case, being as his life is running downhill, you try to win your girlfriend back and wreck havoc in the process. Again, other movies have tried this concept out...some being the average joe who gets to be a superhero with funny results. But the ideas in this film are genuinely original...which is probably why I consider it a classic. It would be interesting to see someone come along and attempt a remake of this one...though I doubt it would have the same impact as this one. I give it four stars only since the movie is a bit dated and some viewers may not like it as much as I do. :)

I love this film. It is the darkest Chevy Chase comedy ever released complete with Dabney Coleman and Nell Carter. The chemistry between Chase and Coleman alone warrant 5 stars and the sarcastic humor in it make this a true cult classic if ever there was one. Anybody who thinks this is not one of Chevy Chase's finest films is burnt. The only problem I have with it is the price these people want. While it is probably worth these amounts I wish they would redo this movie on a special edition disc because I hate price gougers.

This movie has a major plus for fans of Dabney Colman. If you've always wanted to get a view of that prodigious posterior without the obstruction of fabric, this movie is for you. It's worth the purchase price!

When I was 12 this movie was a staple on the then still-blossoming HBO. I think I've watched it or seen bits and pieces of it like more than thirty times. As a kid there were a lot of things I didn't get, of course, but it was funny to me. Now, that was 1982. Twenty-three years later I saw it on Amazon and nostalgia just washed over me. I had to have it. Finally, I thought, Modern Problems and Foul Play have been released to DVD, two childhood staples... I watched both movies. Modern Problems was as I remembered it, mostly. I get all the jokes and situations now that I'm an adult, of course, but there were some other things I got as well. This isn't the happy-go-lucky Chevy Chase that we all remember from Cassyshack and Seems Like Old Times, this is the darker side. Modern Porblems has its share of ridiculousness, but beneath the surface, this is a pretty dark comedy. When Chevy uses his telekinetic powers to make his ex-girlfriend's date's nose start bleeding, Jesus it is hysterical, but at the same time...when you have a chance to think about it...quite grim. There is an underlying 'life sucks' theme going on here which was where the world was in 1981 and I think this movie captures that pretty well. Is this my favorite Chevy Chase movie? No. Fletch and Vacation and Christmas Vacation and Caddyshack are. There's been a lot of others, too. Is this a classic? I'd say, yes. Here is 1981 all rolled up and categorized in a comedy by the reigning star of the time. A little slice of Regan-era fatalism. Enjoy.

I never really got into this movie, it's more strange than it is funny. And Chevy wasn't his usual self either, he was way to morose and distant to really side with his character or empathise with him in any way.

Chevy plays Max Fielder, an air-traffic controller who's life is constantly in the toilet and bad luck follows him everywhere. He's very paranoid and possessive over his girlfriend, so much so that she dumps him for some total dork.

On his way home from a disastrous night out his car is sprayed with radioactive gunk from a leaky government truck. He is soon blessed/cursed with telekinetic abilities, which he uses to get revenge on those who make his life miserable.

It could have been really fun but it's just...weird. Ken Shapiro (who?) does not have the same edge in his direction as Harold Ramis, Michael Ritchie or John Landis and he doesn't know how to fully use Chevy's brand of humor. There are some laughs to be had though, but their not so memorable.

The DVD is in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen but it's mostly all shot in soft focus so there's nothing outstanding here. The sound is plain old Mono and it's alright if nothing else, though the dialogue has very heavy use of ADR. A trailer and TV spot are included. Oh...and that theme song playing over the menu, opening and closing credits? Yuck!