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Simon (1980 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Simon' is a 1980 American comedy film written and directed by Marshall Brickman and starring Alan Arkin.
Plot summary
The Institute for Advanced Concepts, a group of scientists with an unlimited budget and a propensity for elaborate pranks, brainwash a psychology professor named Simon Mendelssohn who was abandoned at birth and manage to convince him, and the rest of the world, that he is of extraterrestrial origin. Simon escapes and attempts to reform American culture by overriding TV signals with a high-powered TV transmitter, becoming a national celebrity in the process.
Cast
In addition, Fred Gwynne plays Korey, while David Susskind and Dick Cavett both appear in cameos as themselves.
Reception
'Simon' received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 60% from 20 reviews.
Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, saying that the film is "neither a funny nor insightful film. In fact, "Simon" is a scattershot mess." Both he and Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two "no" votes on their show Sneak Previews. Nathan Rabin, in a 2012 review for 'The A.V. Club', rated 'Simon' a B-, stating that the film "is riddled with moments of genius, yet shows only an intermittent interest in harnessing all that brainy inspiration into a satisfying narrative... [i]ts too scattered".
Awards
At the 8th Saturn Awards, Alan Arkin was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actor.Home video availability
In 1981 and 1990, the film was released on VHS format by Warner Home Video and is now out of print. A remastered copy of the film was released via Warner Archives' Made To Order DVD-R service in 2011 in its original full-frame 16x9 (1.85:1) format.
Notes
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