Milos Forman's funny and cringe-inducing TAKING OFF is a satire of America in the late 60s/early 70s. In a way, it's a darker version of THE GRADUATE...with Forman tipping his hat to that film by casting Buck Henry as a father reluctantly looking for his daughter and getting caught up in some really goofy situations like attending a convention of parents who've lost their kids...not through murder or kidnapping, but through running away. Given the complete inappropriateness of the parents presented here, it's no wonder the younger generation has taken off! Forman has the parents get hysterical about the loss of their children only to have their tirades morph into bouts of self pity and recklessness...at one point Henry, wife Lynn Carlin and another couple end up in a round of strip poker. While the parents TRY to be more understanding of what their kids are up to, they inevitably end up seeming even more square! There's a very funny scene in which the always creepy Vincent Schiavelli demonstrates how to smoke a joint.
Review of Taking Off
