Max Dugan Returns (1983)

An English teacher and struggling single mother has her life disrupted when the father who abandoned her as a child comes back into her life.

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writer:

Neil Simon

Stars:

Jason Robards, Marsha Mason, Donald Sutherland

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marsha Mason	...	Nora McPhee
Jason Robards	...	Max Dugan
Donald Sutherland	...	Brian Costello
Matthew Broderick	...	Michael McPhee
Dody Goodman	...	Mrs. Litke
Sal Viscuso	...	Coach Roy
Panchito Gómez	...	Luis (as Panchito Gomez)
Charley Lau	...	Charley Lau
Mari Gorman	...	Pat
Brian Part	...	Kevin Costello
Billie Bird	...	Older Woman
Tessa Richarde	...	Blonde at Shoe Store
Jim Staahl	...	Man at Shoe Store (as James Staahl)
Duke Stroud	...	Teacher
Sondra Blake	...	Teacher

Storyline

Nora is a single mother who lives with her son Michael in a small house. They don't have much money but at least they have each other. Out of the blue comes Nora's father Max Dugan, who left her and her mother when Nora was nine years old. He brings a suitcase with dollar bills and showers her and Michael with gifts, trying to make up for lost time, knowing that he has a fatal heart ailment. The money comes from his shady career in Las Vegas and Nora is dating a policeman who is very interested in meeting him.

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Plot Keywords:

police officer | gift | teacher | lunchroom | high school | 

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Taglines:

Prices are double. Your love life's in trouble. The car won't start. Your boss has no heart. The door squeaks. The roof leaks. Your stereo just went mono. All you need is a little Max Dugan.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some movie posters for this film featured a long preamble that read: "It's time to feel good again. Prices are double. Your love life's in trouble. The car won't start. Your boss has no heart. The door squeaks. The roof leaks. Your stereo just went mono. All you need is a little Max Dugan."

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Goofs

After a dinner, Max lights a cigar but it never fully ignites. A moment later, the cigar has half an inch of ash at the end.

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Quotes

Max Dugan: How do you know I'm Max Dugan?
Nora McPhee: You *told* me you were.
Max Dugan: I told you a lot of things, but so far you haven't liked any of them, so I'll keep on telling new ones until you pick out one you like.

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Connections

Referenced in Yes Man (2008)

User Reviews

Warm, funny and spirited--but leaves a curious question-mark behind...

As an actress, Marsha Mason always makes the best of an occasionally bad situation ("Audrey Rose", "Chapter Two"), yet in "Max Dugan Returns" she really gets to shine with excellent material. She has often played mothers, but Mason's relationship here with screen-son Matthew Broderick is extremely warm and real--it lives beyond the wisecracks--and as a daughter to Jason Robards she's funny and occasionally maternal. Plot about an L.A.-area teacher struggling to keep ahead of the bill collector has a jaunty, lively rhythm and a vitality that puts it above most family comedies. When the teacher gets a visit from her long-lost father, carrying a satchel of stolen money, the story thickens but doesn't bubble over. Director Herbert Ross does a good job at keeping the situation grounded. Donald Sutherland is perhaps an odd casting choice as the detective/love-interest investigating Pop (Sutherland has played so many heavies, he still has an evil glint in his eyes and an edge in his voice), however he makes the character right for him. Credit Neil Simon with one of his best scripts; he has no agenda here except to make us laugh, though that presents a problem when reality sinks in and daughter and dad have to deal with the moral (and legal) ramifications of the money. There are some quick lines at the finale designed to make the ending a happy one, but I'm not so sure Mason would be in the clear after the police become involved--nor would her romance with Sutherland be quite so rosy once he has to choose the law over his feelings for her. And why does Mason say "he's going to drive" at the finale when the car turns into an animated plane? Would Pop ditch the car at the airport? And what about that lunch date at Pizza Hut? When Mason and Broderick show up in a taxi, wouldn't detective Sutherland be a little bit suspicious? *** from ****

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Max Dugan Returns

Filming Locations:

Pius X High School - 7851 Gardendale St. - Downey, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,791,002, 27 March 1983

Gross USA:

$17,613,720

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$17,613,720

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1