Melvin and Howard (1980)

Featured Audience Ratings

• William D

  
  "Melvin and Howard" is a charming but mediocre dramedy based on fact. Melvin Dummar is a Utah man (he is still alive) who claimed in 1976 to have received a hand-written will authored by Howard Hughes, in which he, Dummar, was named one of the beneficiaries of Hughes's… More
  "Melvin and Howard" is a charming but mediocre dramedy based on fact. Melvin Dummar is a Utah man (he is still alive) who claimed in 1976 to have received a hand-written will authored by Howard Hughes, in which he, Dummar, was named one of the beneficiaries of Hughes's estate. This happened just four years after another man, Clifford Irving, claimed to be collaborating with Mr. Hughes (who died in 1976) on an authorized autobiography. Hughes, who by then was a complete recluse, eventually came out publicly and stated that Irving's story was a hoax. This triggered a wave of fascination with hoaxes and forgeries. (See Orson Welles's terrible 1973 semi-documentary "F for Fake," which contains a lot of footage of Irving.) "Melvin and Howard" presents the Dummar story as if it were true. Bo Goldman, who won an Oscar for the screenplay, imagines what Dummar's life must have been like. Mary Steenburgen, who won a Supporting Actress Oscar for her work in the film, plays Dummar's wife. Goldman and director Jonathan Demme (this was Demme's sixth film) present Dummar and his wife as semi-retarded. But somehow it comes across as an affectionate portrayal. There's a lot that's charming about the film. It captures the milieu of down-and-out Western folk as well as "Five Easy Pieces" did, but with more comedy than tragedy. But both the comedy and drama are pretty light. I just kind of sat there limply watching it. Almost everything about it is flaccid. (Just incidentally, 1980 was the year of "Raging Bull," "Coal Miner's Daughter," "The Elephant Man," and "Ordinary People," which won the Oscar for Best Picture -- four of my all-time favorite films. What a good year for film.)

• Tim S

  
  I am on a huge Robards kick here lately. He gives another amazing performance and he's not even in half the movie. Paul LeMat is great as Melvin whose life is one of the most entertaining train wrecks I have had the pleasure of watching. Mary Steenburger is outstanding as Le… More
  I am on a huge Robards kick here lately. He gives another amazing performance and he's not even in half the movie. Paul LeMat is great as Melvin whose life is one of the most entertaining train wrecks I have had the pleasure of watching. Mary Steenburger is outstanding as Le Mat's twice married and then twice divorced wife. (The scene in the strip club and on the game show are hilarious). I thought the writing and direction were really well done and I see how Demme influenced directors like PTA. It's quirky (in a good way), funny, sad, with a great anti hero at the center that you hate one minute and end up respecting at the end. A nice gem of a movie that I highly suggest everyone see.

• Byron B

  
  This movie weird-ed me out. Robards doesn't have much screen time though his character is part of the title. La Mat plays a really odd guy who I didn't understand much. And Mary Steenburgen plays a stripper!? She thinks she dances really well and supposedly everyone… More
  This movie weird-ed me out. Robards doesn't have much screen time though his character is part of the title. La Mat plays a really odd guy who I didn't understand much. And Mary Steenburgen plays a stripper!? She thinks she dances really well and supposedly everyone around her gives her positive feedback, but she doesn't. I guess it's kind of funny, but not really, to watch all these sad hopeless people.