Simon

Dueling Banjos. Woody Allen. The Muppet Show. Johnny Carson. Jersey Boys. If you don't know what they have in common, it's time you made the acquaintance of Marshall Brickman. Fresh from his successful series of screenplay collaborations with Woody Allen (Sleeper, Annie Hall, Manhattan) musician and comedy scribe Brickman moved into the director's chair with Simon. The tale of a brainwashed psychologist (played by the great Alan Arkin) who gets boondoggled by a group of geniuses in a think tank who would rather amuse themselves than solve global problems. They manage to convince Simon that he is really a space alien, but Simon gets away from them, taking refuge in a commune led by a former television executive (Adolph Green) who worships TV Guide. And soon the Army is after the escaped "alien" with orders to shoot on sight. Featuring Wallace Shawn, Fred Gwynne, and Madeline Kahn.

• comedy