Wacky college professor scientist Peter O'Toole has the graduate students eating out of his hands with the way he runs the laboratory and his experiments which often requires the assistance paid students. He manipulates it so student Vincent Spano, originally assigned to David Ogden Stiers, ends up working for him. Stiers has headed out for a school for a long time and this sets him over the edge as he tries to get information out of Spano in regards to O'Toole's off campus activities. It turns out that O'Toole is trying to reincarnate his wife and has Spano working with him at home on experiments to accomplish his goal. He also takes an interest in Mariel Hemingway, a troubled girl who thinks she's pregnant (but isn't), while Spano, a nice guy looking for real love, awkwardly pursues another paid student, Virginia Madsen, who barely acknowledges him.
This film is trying desperately to please, making O'Toole the cool guy oh, and he certainly amusing to watch, with Stiers ridiculously crude in his efforts to undermine him. The scene with Stiers harassing Spano out is uncomfortable to say the least, especially when they are together naked in the men's shower as Stiers badgers him. This tries too hard and its efforts to be wacky and edgy and cool, and obviously failed in its efforts as it seems to be unappealing to the college age audience it sought out, probably gaining enough mature audiences because of O'Toole's presence. Something just doesn't work here, and it ends up falling pretty flat even though there are some funny lines and amusing moments. A missed opportunity gone haywire.
This film is trying desperately to please, making O'Toole the cool guy oh, and he certainly amusing to watch, with Stiers ridiculously crude in his efforts to undermine him. The scene with Stiers harassing Spano out is uncomfortable to say the least, especially when they are together naked in the men's shower as Stiers badgers him. This tries too hard and its efforts to be wacky and edgy and cool, and obviously failed in its efforts as it seems to be unappealing to the college age audience it sought out, probably gaining enough mature audiences because of O'Toole's presence. Something just doesn't work here, and it ends up falling pretty flat even though there are some funny lines and amusing moments. A missed opportunity gone haywire.