Modern Problems

An air-traffic controller (Chevy Chase) is having the worst luck: first his girlfriend leaves him, and then he experiences a nuclear disaster. His life begins to pick up after he realizes that the radiation fallout has given him magical telekinetic powers. He decides to settle a few scores with his ...more

This Chevy Chase vehicle is hardly his finest moment but is interesting despite its flaws. Modern Problems is an odd proposition: it offers a clever premise and some surprisingly trenchant commentary on the attitudes of the early '80s but undercuts those attributes with some strange artistic choices. The biggest mistake is casting Chevy Chase -- a comedic actor known at the time for his effortless cool -- as a depressed, antisocial schlub. The intense mood swings of his character make him tough ...more