Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersIndependent Spirit AwardsWomen's History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Couch Trip

  • 1988
  • R
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
5.3K
YOUR RATING
Dan Aykroyd, Walter Matthau, and Donna Dixon in The Couch Trip (1988)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer1:41
1 Video
33 Photos
Comedy

A burnt-out shrink needs a temp. A charming escaped convict takes over his practice and radio show.A burnt-out shrink needs a temp. A charming escaped convict takes over his practice and radio show.A burnt-out shrink needs a temp. A charming escaped convict takes over his practice and radio show.

  • Director
    • Michael Ritchie
  • Writers
    • Ken Kolb
    • Steven Kampmann
    • William Porter
  • Stars
    • Dan Aykroyd
    • Walter Matthau
    • Charles Grodin
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    5.8/10
    5.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Michael Ritchie
    • Writers
      • Ken Kolb
      • Steven Kampmann
      • William Porter
    • Stars
      • Dan Aykroyd
      • Walter Matthau
      • Charles Grodin
    • 29User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:41
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos33

    Dan Aykroyd, Walter Matthau, and Donna Dixon in The Couch Trip (1988)
    Dan Aykroyd, Walter Matthau, and Donna Dixon in The Couch Trip (1988)
    Dan Aykroyd, Walter Matthau, and Donna Dixon in The Couch Trip (1988)
    Dan Aykroyd, Walter Matthau, and Donna Dixon in The Couch Trip (1988)
    Charles Grodin in The Couch Trip (1988)
    Charles Grodin in The Couch Trip (1988)
    Dan Aykroyd and Walter Matthau in The Couch Trip (1988)
    Dan Aykroyd, Walter Matthau, and Donna Dixon in The Couch Trip (1988)
    Dan Aykroyd and Walter Matthau in The Couch Trip (1988)
    Dan Aykroyd in The Couch Trip (1988)
    David Clennon in The Couch Trip (1988)
    Walter Matthau in The Couch Trip (1988)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dan Aykroyd
    Dan Aykroyd
    • John W. Burns, Jr.
    Walter Matthau
    Walter Matthau
    • Donald Becker
    Charles Grodin
    Charles Grodin
    • George Maitlin
    Donna Dixon
    Donna Dixon
    • Laura Rollins
    Richard Romanus
    Richard Romanus
    • Harvey Michaels
    Mary Gross
    Mary Gross
    • Vera Maitlin
    David Clennon
    David Clennon
    • Lawrence Baird
    Arye Gross
    Arye Gross
    • Perry Kovin
    Victoria Jackson
    Victoria Jackson
    • Robin
    Michael DeLorenzo
    Michael DeLorenzo
    • Lopez
    Mickey Jones
    Mickey Jones
    • Watkins
    J.E. Freeman
    J.E. Freeman
    • Unger
    David Wohl
    David Wohl
    • Dr. Smet
    Michael Ensign
    Michael Ensign
    • Hendricks
    Carol Mansell
    Carol Mansell
    • Mrs. Blair
    Robert Hirschfeld
    • Night Watchman
    Charles Levin
    Charles Levin
    • TV Reporter
    Kevin Rooney
    • Cop at Hollywood Sign
    • Director
      • Michael Ritchie
    • Writers
      • Ken Kolb(novel)
      • Steven Kampmann(screenplay)
      • William Porter(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Seems Like Old Times
    6.7
    Seems Like Old Times
    The Survivors
    5.8
    The Survivors
    Cops and Robbersons
    5.2
    Cops and Robbersons
    Funny Farm
    6.2
    Funny Farm
    Dragnet
    6.0
    Dragnet
    Micki + Maude
    6.0
    Micki + Maude
    Spies Like Us
    6.4
    Spies Like Us
    The Boys Next Door
    6.4
    The Boys Next Door
    Fletch Lives
    6.1
    Fletch Lives
    Oh Heavenly Dog
    5.4
    Oh Heavenly Dog
    After Midnight
    5.5
    After Midnight
    Movers & Shakers
    4.2
    Movers & Shakers

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      John Williams Burns, Jr. (Dan Aykroyd) has the same prison number, 7474505B, that his earlier characters Jake Blues and Louis Winthorpe III had in "The Blues Brothers (1980)" and "Trading Places (1983)" respectively.
    • Goofs
      When Burns jumps from the building, his stunt man is easy to detect despite the angle in which the scene was shot.
    • Quotes

      Female announcer: An important message from Mentor condoms.

      Condom Father: Dear son. The other day I was rummaging through your room. There was an odor coming out and I wanted to see if your hamster had died. Turned out to be just your old gym socks. Then I ran across a box of your favorite mementos. A four leaf clover. A vending machine photo of you and Sally. And a partially used box of Mentor condoms. It made me proud to think that my son is one of those people who can have his cake and eat it too. Son, I'm proud of you and I'm proud of your choice of condoms. Love, Dad.

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Couch Trip/For Keeps/Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam/Rent-a-Cop/The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearn (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Fever
      by Otis Blackwell (as John Davenport) and Eddie Cooley

      Hudson Bay Music, Inc. on behalf of Fort Knox Music, Inc. / Trio Music Company, Inc.

    User reviews29

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    AKYROYD'S BEST MOVIE!
    Michael Ritchie's "The Couch Trip" is a wonderfully anarchic comedy about what makes a good psychiatrist. It is so subtle and wicked that you start to realize what a stinging satire it really is. It is also Dan Akyroyd's best movie, made in a particularly great film year (1988)for him. First, "The Great Outdoors" and now this.

    Akyroyd stars as John Burns, a career crook who fakes insanity to escape prison. Now, a dumb comedy would just be about this. But "The Couch Trip" uses this as a springboard for everything else. Beverly Hills psychiatrist George Maitlin (Charles Grodin, subtly hilarious here)has a nervous breakdown and a replacement is selected: Lawrence Baird, who happens to be Akyroyd's psychiatrist! You can pretty much guess what's going to happen, but the great thing about "The Couch Trip" is not what happens, but how it is done.

    "The Couch Trip" gives Dan Akyroyd the best role he has ever had. His John Burns is one of the truly original comic creations in movie history. Wicked one liners and physical humor are a part of it, but what makes it special is that Akyroyd makes Burns a lovable character. We root for him and grow to like him a whole lot during the 98 minute running time.

    But Akyroyd isn't alone here. He gets strong support from other great comic actors. Walter Matthau joins the hilarity as a con artist minister who catches on to Burns' secret and commits genteel blackmail. Charles Grodin "slow burns" his way to another great comic role as the burned out psychiatrist. Grodin has been one of the most underappreciated actors in Hollywood. It's criminal they haven't used him more often. Richard Romanus plays Grodin's slimeball lawyer to perfection.

    "The Couch Trip" is one of many films made by the now-defunct Orion Pictures Corporation that are currently unseen. MGM spent a fortune buying the Orion library but have yet to truly cash in on their acquisition. "The Couch Trip" joins "Dressed to Kill", "Blow Out" and countless others in gathering dust rotting in the vault. Shame on MGM for their inaction. Hopefully, with new management, "The Couch Trip" will find the audience and respect it deserves.

    **** out of 4 stars
    helpful•29
    6
    • KatMiss
    • May 29, 2001

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 15, 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Der Couch-Trip
    • Filming locations
      • Century City Towers, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Orion Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $19,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $11,005,304
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,351,891
      • Jan 17, 1988
    • Gross worldwide
      • $11,005,304
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Dan Aykroyd, Walter Matthau, and Donna Dixon in The Couch Trip (1988)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Couch Trip (1988) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.