The Couch Trip (1988)

The escaped delinquent John W. Burns, Jr. replaces Dr. Maitlin on a radio show, saying he's the psychiatrist Lawrence Baird. His tactless radio show is a hit, and he becomes very popular. ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Ritchie

Writers:

Ken Kolb (novel), Steven Kampmann (screenplay)

Stars:

Dan Aykroyd, Walter Matthau, Charles Grodin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Aykroyd	...	John W. Burns, Jr.
Walter Matthau	...	Donald Becker
Charles Grodin	...	George Maitlin
Donna Dixon	...	Laura Rollins
Richard Romanus	...	Harvey Michaels
Mary Gross	...	Vera Maitlin
David Clennon	...	Lawrence Baird
Arye Gross	...	Perry Kovin
Victoria Jackson	...	Robin
Michael DeLorenzo	...	Lopez
Mickey Jones	...	Watkins
J.E. Freeman	...	Unger
David Wohl	...	Dr. Smet
Michael Ensign	...	Hendricks
Carol Mansell	...	Mrs. Blair

Storyline

The escaped delinquent John W. Burns, Jr. replaces Dr. Maitlin on a radio show, saying he's the psychiatrist Lawrence Baird. His tactless radio show is a hit, and he becomes very popular. But then Dr. Maitlin meets the real Dr. Lawrence Baird at a congress in London...

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Plot Keywords:

psychiatrist | impersonation | mental patient | radio | pantyhose | 

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Taglines:

A comedy of truly loony proportions.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Couch-Trip

Filming Locations:

Hotel Bel-Air - 701 Stone Canyon Rd, Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,351,891, 17 January 1988

Gross USA:

$11,005,304

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,005,304

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film ends with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" which is the same piece of music that opened Dan Aykroyd earlier comedy Trading Places (1983).

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Goofs

When Burns jumps from the building, his stunt man is easy to detect despite the angle in which the scene was shot.

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Quotes

John W. Burns, Jr.: Ok, I can handle this.
Lawrence Baird: What makes you think you're qualified? This time he's jumping, next time he might be pushing others. He is a menace to society!
John W. Burns, Jr.: Only if he falls on somebody.

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Connections

Referenced in Freak Out (2004)

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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 Reviews

Amusing, but nothing special

A patient in a chicago physcriatric hospital is in a war with Doctor Baird. When he intercepts a call for Dr Baird to replace LA shrink Dr Maitlin in his practice and his radio show. Baird had been selected because he was inept enough not to put Maitlin in the shade. Burns escapes from the hospital, travels to LA and assumes Baird's identity to get the job. Issues are complicated when drifter Becker recognises Burns as a conman and tries to get in on the act.

This is an earlier version of Dolly Parton's `Straight Talk' - a straight talker gets mistaken for a radio host, gives mad advise but the public love it. This is complicated by Matthau's conman getting involved and other little subplots. The plot doesn't always convince or hold the interest but it is quite amusing at points. The ending is pure laziness as it attempts to milk a happy ending out of unlikely circumstances.

Aykroyd is well suited to his character and provides all the jokes here. Grodin and Matthau are both good but Matthau is certainly greatly underused. Really it's Aykroyd's show and everything slows down when he's not onscreen or when he's having to move the story on.

Overall this is a very standard film. It's only amusing when Aykroyd is allowed free reign, for the rest of the film it's dull at times, aimless and meandering at others. Of the famous cast, this is nobody's finest hour.