Amazing Stories is really a good series not serious like Twilight Zone, but more magical like his producer, in this episode Dom Deluise plays Guilt who bother everyone that try to overcomes some situations, but he is really tired and drinking sometimes, so your Boss call him back to takes a vacation, a cruise journey and there he finds Love, of course it's a typical Spielberg's style but delightfully silly!!!
8 Reviews
Burt Reynolds and his pals.
planktonrules22 June 2015
This episode of "Amazing Stories" was directed by Burt Reynolds. Because of this, it's not at all surprising that Dom DeLuise, Loni Anderson and Charles Nelson Reilly (Reynold's friends and wife at the time) are in this one.
This episode is a comedy-romance, not at all like you'd expect from "Amazing Stories". There is no huge twist or strange "Twilight Zone" sort of aspect to the tale. Instead, it's a silly story about the personifications of emotions. One, Guilt (DeLuise) is having a bad run lately and his boss (Charles Durning) orders him to take a vacation. There he meets and falls in love with Love (Anderson) and the story is rather charming AND silly.
This episode is a comedy-romance, not at all like you'd expect from "Amazing Stories". There is no huge twist or strange "Twilight Zone" sort of aspect to the tale. Instead, it's a silly story about the personifications of emotions. One, Guilt (DeLuise) is having a bad run lately and his boss (Charles Durning) orders him to take a vacation. There he meets and falls in love with Love (Anderson) and the story is rather charming AND silly.
Love and guilt belong together (?)
sonnyschlaegel10 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The 'Assistant to the Boss' sends emotions from Heaven down to Earth when they are needed there. They come in the form of human beings. The emotion 'Guilt' is played by Dom DeLuise. He makes people feel guilty who eat too much or who commit adultery etc. It seems that Guilt himself can't feel guilty. He drinks too much on the job and makes some mistakes, so the Assistant to the Boss orders him to go on holiday. His 'Guilt Trip' takes place on a cruise ship, where he falls in love with the emotion 'Love' (played by Loni Anderson)...
There are some jokes that I liked in this episode, for example the one about President Reagan and the one about Guilt's stamina. But I think that some other episodes are a lot funnier, and I have to admit that I don't think I really understood the message of the story. The message seems to be that love and guilt belong together. Is that really so? Do the makers of this episode mean to say that love has to be so sinful that you feel guilty for the love to be real and good and exciting? Or do they mean to say that love cannot be innocent, that is do they mean to say that it's always connected with sin and guilt?
(Skip this paragraph if you aren't interested in sociology.) Coincidentally, I had read an interview with Clotaire Rapaille (in the German magazine Focus) the same day that I watched this episode. He is a French marketing guru who investigates cultural codes. Knowledge of these codes makes it easier to develop the right products for different markets. For example: Rapaille says he has found out that the (U.S.-) American code for cheese is 'dead', so it has to be hermetically sealed and has to be advertised accordingly; the French code for cheese is 'living', so they want to have fresh cheese without 'plastic body bags'. Rapaille says he likes the U.S. better than his home country, so he has moved there. But he also says something about Americans that sounds like criticism. He says that he did a study for L'Oréal. For this study, he interviewed Americans about their attitudes towards love. He says he has found out that the American code for seduction was 'manipulation', that the code for love was 'false (unrealistically high) expectations' that can't be fulfilled, and that the code for sex was 'violence'. (He doesn't speak about possible reasons for these codes. The Puritan heritage perhaps?) I don't know if Rapaille is right about all these cultural differences; I've never been to the U.S. In addition I think that he deliberately generalizes and exaggerates to make his statements sound more pregnant and impressive. But if there really are such cultural differences, that might explain my problems in understanding the message of this story.
There are some jokes that I liked in this episode, for example the one about President Reagan and the one about Guilt's stamina. But I think that some other episodes are a lot funnier, and I have to admit that I don't think I really understood the message of the story. The message seems to be that love and guilt belong together. Is that really so? Do the makers of this episode mean to say that love has to be so sinful that you feel guilty for the love to be real and good and exciting? Or do they mean to say that love cannot be innocent, that is do they mean to say that it's always connected with sin and guilt?
(Skip this paragraph if you aren't interested in sociology.) Coincidentally, I had read an interview with Clotaire Rapaille (in the German magazine Focus) the same day that I watched this episode. He is a French marketing guru who investigates cultural codes. Knowledge of these codes makes it easier to develop the right products for different markets. For example: Rapaille says he has found out that the (U.S.-) American code for cheese is 'dead', so it has to be hermetically sealed and has to be advertised accordingly; the French code for cheese is 'living', so they want to have fresh cheese without 'plastic body bags'. Rapaille says he likes the U.S. better than his home country, so he has moved there. But he also says something about Americans that sounds like criticism. He says that he did a study for L'Oréal. For this study, he interviewed Americans about their attitudes towards love. He says he has found out that the American code for seduction was 'manipulation', that the code for love was 'false (unrealistically high) expectations' that can't be fulfilled, and that the code for sex was 'violence'. (He doesn't speak about possible reasons for these codes. The Puritan heritage perhaps?) I don't know if Rapaille is right about all these cultural differences; I've never been to the U.S. In addition I think that he deliberately generalizes and exaggerates to make his statements sound more pregnant and impressive. But if there really are such cultural differences, that might explain my problems in understanding the message of this story.
This was greenlit?
Leofwine_draca11 November 2016
GUILT TRIP is a quite dreadful episode of AMAZING STORIES. It seems to be going for some quirky comedy vibe but the comedy falls flat over and over again. I mean, the main characters are personifications of Guilt and Love, and that's supposed to be hook to keep you watching, but I just found it dumb. This feels like something a student would have written for a class project as it bears no relation to the real world.
Dom DeLuise gives his usual larger than life performance and Loni Anderson is her typical pretty but vacuous self. But the script is poor and the situations forced. The most interesting thing about this episode is that it was directed by none other than Burt Reynolds, who shows no real aptitude for the job.
Dom DeLuise gives his usual larger than life performance and Loni Anderson is her typical pretty but vacuous self. But the script is poor and the situations forced. The most interesting thing about this episode is that it was directed by none other than Burt Reynolds, who shows no real aptitude for the job.
Meandering Tale
Hitchcoc22 May 2014
I'm not sure how this was to capture our attention. Dom Deluise plays Guilt (apparently, God has a group of anthropomorphic characters that go to earth and dump their emotions on people). If Guilt wants to, he can stop anyone in their tracks. The immediately are overcome with the guilt he provides. Because he does a lousy job, he is forced by the big guy to go on vacation. He ends up on a cruise ship with Loni Anderson (WKRP in Cincinnati). They have a brief affair and then things get more complicated. The sad thing about this is that it is utterly dull. It's played for laughs certainly, but there were none that I could think of. Let it lie.
"It's like you don't have any conscience or anything."
classicsoncall28 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I've been straining my brain to come up with the point of this story but I'm not getting anywhere. Except for the fact it's got Dom DeLuise and Loni Anderson in it, there's not much more to recommend it. They both portray characters symbolizing human emotions. The apparently guiltless 'Guilt' is handled by DeLuise; I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of him guilting someone for overeating when he was even bigger than the guy himself (Rick Ducommun). Anderson, looking lovely as ever, was appropriately cast as Lovely. That's the way she introduced herself to Guilt, even though her character's name in the credits is listed as Love. As they both profess their fondness for each other, at a certain point they realize that they can't be romantically involved, but then on a dime, they're off hand in hand as a couple of lovebirds. The Casablanca flourish at the end hinted at the beginning of a beautiful friendship, but for my money, the folks who put this together were worthy of a guilt trip themselves.
'Guilt' Tough To Overcome, But Love Conquers All
ccthemovieman-130 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Dom DeLuise was rarely dull in anything he did. He had a way of getting your attention, usually making you laugh and care about his character. That's true here, too, even though he plays a fairly-unlikeable "emotion:" guilt. Yeah, he's a supernatural employee whose job it is, is to go around and place guilt in people's minds.
As he does so here, particularly early on, he sounds like Don Rickles with his insult jokes. Some were hilarious. One was another slam against Richard Nixon. What is it about these Hollywood Liberals and Nixon? They just can't stop dissing the guy. Get over it.
Anyway, after bungling an assignment because he got drunk and laid guilt on the wrong people (another funny scene), DeLuise is told to take a vacation cruise. On that cruise, he meets "Love," played by the lovely Loni Anderson...and she is more than a match for him. It's "All You Need Is Love," as the Beatles used to sing.
I enjoyed all the guest actors in here, almost all of them being familiar faces and good actors. It's not an outstanding episode, but it's good enough to keep your attention all the way and wonder what is "Guilt" going to do next.
As he does so here, particularly early on, he sounds like Don Rickles with his insult jokes. Some were hilarious. One was another slam against Richard Nixon. What is it about these Hollywood Liberals and Nixon? They just can't stop dissing the guy. Get over it.
Anyway, after bungling an assignment because he got drunk and laid guilt on the wrong people (another funny scene), DeLuise is told to take a vacation cruise. On that cruise, he meets "Love," played by the lovely Loni Anderson...and she is more than a match for him. It's "All You Need Is Love," as the Beatles used to sing.
I enjoyed all the guest actors in here, almost all of them being familiar faces and good actors. It's not an outstanding episode, but it's good enough to keep your attention all the way and wonder what is "Guilt" going to do next.
In a fairy tale a good lonely guy finds unexpected love!
blanbrn10 May 2014
In this "Amazing Stories" episode from season 1 titled "Guilt Trip" has Dom Deluise as a man named Guilt who is like a good guardian angel who on earth seeks out those in need as he gives help and advice. Only one day his boss advises that he take time for himself and get a vacation, and this happens to be on a ship cruise. It's there that Guilt meets a lovely and beautiful nice lady named oddly enough Love(the beautiful Loni Anderson) and you guessed it love is at first sight. This is one little sweet episode that proves love is possible for anyone and it's unexpected this was such a great fairy tale story! A real delight for viewers who are dreamers too!
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