Themes: Nothing Goes Right, Assumed Identities, Doctors and Patients
Main Cast: Dan Aykroyd, Walter Matthau, Charles Grodin, David Clennon, Donna Dixon
Release Year: 1988
Country: US
Run Time: 98 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Michael Ritchie's The Couch Trip follows a long line of Hollywood films (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Disorderly Orderly) in which the psychos are seen as saner than the psychiatrists. Charles Grodin plays Dr. George Maitlin, a pompous radio self-help guru, who is having his own personal mental breakdown. Maitlin's lawyer puts in a call to a Cicero, IL, mental facility and the telephone is answered by schizophrenic mental patient John Burns (Dan Aykroyd). Thinking Burns is a crony of Maitlin, Burns is offered the job of replacing Maitlin during his recovery. Of course, Burns accepts the job. Immediately jetted to Los Angeles, Burns meets panhandler Donald Becker (Walter Matthau) at the airport. While wearing the garb of a priest, Becker sounds off against the madness of societal conventions; Burns takes to him immediately and they become fast friends. When Burns assumes command of the airwaves in Maitlin's place, his words of wisdom are so obvious and commonsensical that he is an overnight sensation. Meanwhile, in London, where Maitlin is convalescing, he gets wind of Burns' success. With renewed vigor and outrage, Maitlin leaves his recovery room and hops on a plane back to Los Angeles in an effort to recover his radio show. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Mary Gross - Vera Maitlin; Richard Romanus - Harvey Michaels; Arye Gross - Perry Kovin; Victoria Jackson - Robin; Chevy Chase - Condom Father; Jan Cobler - Woman at Party; Kenneth Danziger - Clerk in London; Michael de Lorenzo - Lopez; Gloria Dorson - Ida V.O.; Michael Ensign - Hendricks; J.E. Freeman - Unger; Rick Garcia - Bellperson; Michael Gregory - Security at Riviera; Robert Hirschfeld - Night Watchman; Mickey Jones - Watkins; John D. LeMay - Dr. Smet's Resident; Charles Levin - TV Reporter; John Mahon - Police Captain; Carol Mansell - Mrs. Blair; Donna Mitchell - Stewardess; Corey Rand - Airline Clerk; Kimmy Robertson; Johnny Sinclair - Clerk in London; Don Stark - Peterson; Scott Thomson - Klevin; David Wohl - Dr. Smet; Jerry Belson - Yuri V.O.; Jonathan Emerson - Hendrick's Assistant; Tino Insana - Jail Guard; Ralph Adano - Person at Party; Beverly Archer - Mrs. Guber; Adrian Aron - Woman at Party; Susann Benn; June Claman - Lady at Riviera; Robert M. Dawson - Person at Party; Linda Rae Favila - Maitlin's Secretary; David Grant Hayward - Waiter, Loudon; Neal Kaz - Cop in Maitlin's Office; Benbow Ritchie - Man at Baseball Game; Jack Ritchie - Man at Baseball Game; Tony Rolon - Bellperson; Kevin Rooney - Cop at Hollywood Sign; Jean Sterling - Woman at Baseball Game; Charles Sweigart - Cop; Duane Tucker - Guard in Squad Car; Scott Weintraub - Continental Agent; Myrna White - Policewoman
Credit
Tom Mack - Associate Producer, Gordon A. Webb - Co-producer, Eddie Marks - Costume Designer, Tom Mack - First Assistant Director, Michael Ritchie - Director, Richard A. Harris - Editor, Michel Colombier - Composer (Music Score), Eddie Cooley - Songwriter, John Davenport - Songwriter, Ken Chase - Makeup, Jimmie Bly - Production Designer, Donald Thorin - Cinematographer, Lawrence Gordon - Producer, Gary Fettis - Set Designer, Cliff Wenger - Special Effects, James R. Alexander - Sound/Sound Designer, Richard S. Church - Sound/Sound Designer, Charles Walters - Stunts, Gordon A. Webb - Unit Production Manager, Vern Porter - Screenwriter, Will Aldis - Screenwriter, Jerry Belson - Screenwriter, Walter Bernstein - Screenwriter, Steven Kampmann - Screenwriter, Sean Stein - Screenwriter, Ken Kolb - Screenwriter, Ken Kolb - Book Author
Mental patient John Burns (Akyroyd) gets the chance to fill in for his doctor when he intercepts a telephone call while being reprimanded in the doctor's office, asking if Dr. Baird could fill in for Dr. George Maitlin (Grodin) on his popular radio talk show. Burns jumps at the chance to escape the mental hospital, and with the help of Dr. Baird's secretary manages to break out and get to the airport to pick up a waiting ticket, assuming Dr. Baird's identity in the process.
When Burns arrives in L.A. he is met by Dr. Maitlin's radio show assistant Laura Rollins (Dixon) and escorted to the waiting limousine, where he crosses paths with Donald Becker (Matthau) a crazy priest who is collecting money to save plants, Becker recognises the trousers Burns is wearing to be asylum issue and ends up riding the gravy train with him. When the time comes to do the radio talk show Burns is a huge hit, offering people free consultations and using profanity on the air, he even arranges for everyone who comes down to the radio station to go to a ball game for free (where he also leads the singing of the national anthem).
All goes well until Dr. Maitlin meets the real Dr. Baird in London when they both attend the same seminar, they realise something is wrong and fly back to L.A. to try and find what is going on, meanwhile Burns has been given his payment for the show (in cash) and is ready to leave by aeroplane when he sees on the in-flight TV that Becker is on top of the Hollywood sign shouting Baird's name. Burns decides to go back and help to resolve the situation, where he is arrested only to be rescued on the way to the penitentiary by Becker and Maitlin's assistant Rollins.
