For the first half of Max Dugan Returns, you have a charming comedy about a hard working single mother, her son, and her estranged father who returns, saying that he's dying and wants to make amends. It's somewhere mid way through that the lead character (Marsha Mason in fine form) starts struggling and the conflict of the film dries up. Things are going ok with her students, her son, and her father. Things are going so well that her father has taken to buying her new cars and furniture for her house. The biggest conflict she has is with her new boyfriend (Donald Sutherland) who happens to be a cop and happens to be on the lookout for her father. This could have led to some interesting tension, but it doesn't. Things become to simple and easy for our protagonist and things just sort of happen to her, which doesn't make for a very interesting story.
Max Dugan Returns has a strong premise, an A-list cast, and Neil Simon as the screenwriter. So, what went wrong? It's still not a bad movie, but it's hard not to pine for what it could have been.
Max Dugan Returns has a strong premise, an A-list cast, and Neil Simon as the screenwriter. So, what went wrong? It's still not a bad movie, but it's hard not to pine for what it could have been.