Funded by supersecret government grants, the brilliant but goofy scientists of the Institute for Advanced Concepts in Hanover, Maine, have been responsible for all sorts of odd world developments (e.g., the penicillin-resistant strain of gonorrhea, and the different Nixon that came back from China!). Their latest scheme is to brainwash an orphan into thinking he is an alien, and their guinea pig is Simon Mendelssohn (Arkin), a Columbia psych professor. Seduced by money and the comely Dr. Cynthia Malloy (Kahn), and already experimenting with sensory deprivation, Mendelssohn falls for it. Of course, his girlfriend Lisa (Graubert) has some objections. Eventually, the National Guard gets called out, headed by gruff Major General Korey (Gwynne). Longtime Woody Allen collaborator Marshall Brickman co-wrote and directed this 1980 satire, which has some great moments but is terribly uneven. As always, Arkin is terrific, though.
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The review of this Movie prepared by David Loftus
