Maxie (1985)

0% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
29% of users liked it
(806 ratings)

In this comedy, an ordinary woman finds herself sharing both her home and her body with a ghost who has a pronounced wild streak. Jan (Glenn Close) and Nick (Mandy Patinkin) are a couple moving into an apartment in an old Victorian house in San Francisco. Jan is a straight-laced secretary working… More In this comedy, an ordinary woman finds herself sharing both her home and her body with a ghost who has a pronounced wild streak. Jan (Glenn Close) and Nick (Mandy Patinkin) are a couple moving into an apartment in an old Victorian house in San Francisco. Jan is a straight-laced secretary working for a Catholic bishop, while Nick deals in used books. While stripping some old wallpaper in their new home, they discover a message written on the wall, which their flaky landlady Mrs. Lavin (Ruth Gordon) informs them was written by Maxie, a high-spirited flapper who had a career in silent films before dying in a car wreck on her way to audition for D.W. Griffith. Out of curiosity, Jan and Nick rent a video of one of Maxie's films to see her in action, but it just so happens that Maxie's ghost still lives in the house -- and is looking for a human host. Maxie's spirit enters Jan's body and makes her presence known at the most inconvenient times; suddenly mild mannered Jan is kicking up her heels, swilling gin, starting arguements, and acting like a flaming youth straight out of the 1920s. Nick finds Maxie a good bit more exciting than Jan and even tries to launch Maxie back into a movie career by having her audition for a remake of Cleopatra opposite Harry Hamlin; Jan, however, just wants to have her body to herself again. Maxie proved to be one of the last screen appearances for veteran actress Ruth Gordon, who died several weeks before the film was released. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Paul Aaron
Genres: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy

In Theaters: Sep 27, 1985 Wide
On DVD: Feb 18, 2003
Studio: HBO Video

Critic Reviews

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Glenn Close gets a chance to strut her stuff in this dual role, but alas, the ludicrous screenplay flies off in far too many uninteresting directions.
Frank Ochieng, Movie Eye
A directionless and flaccid farce...an uncharacteristic misfire for the usually dependable Glenn Close

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Cast

            Glenn Close as Jan/Maxie

            Mandy Patinkin as Nick

            Ruth Gordon as Mrs. Lavin

            Barnard Hughes as Bishop Campbell

            Valerie Curtin as Miss Sheffer

            Googy Gress as Father Jerome

            Harry Hamlin as Himself

            Michael Ensign as "Cleopatra" Director

            Michael Laskin as Commercial Director

            Tony Amendola as Street Bum

            Glen Chin as Chinese Movie Patron

            Lou Cutell as Art Isenberg

            Leeza Gibbons as "E.T." Reporter

            Conan Lee as Chinese Movie Patron

            Hugo L. Stanger as Charity Patron

            Gayle Vance as Exercise Class Lady

            Nelson Welch as Bartender

            Evan White as Channel 4 Announcer

            Eddie Wong as Usher

            Harry Wong as Mr. Chu

            Pauline Bluestone as Exercise Class Lady

            Alan Gin as Magazine Attendant

            Nancie Kawata as Chinese Movie Patron

            Charles Douglas Laird as Policeman

            Cyril Magnin as Mr. San Francisco

            John O'Neill as Trainer

            David Sosna as Assistant Director

            Michael Jordan as Reporter
See full cast

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