Improper Channels

I remember viewing this movie as a kid when it first came out and thinking how hysterical it was. I recently had the opportunity to view it again (I am now the father of a 4 year-old) and I still find it amusing but in a more sinister way. The dark side of this 1980 movie..how well- intentioned but terribly misguided people can completely turn an individuals life upside-down with their lack of forethought is an interesting premonition to our paranoid and callous society of today.

I also recently (through a friend) met Alan Arkin and relayed to him this disturbing sense I had about the movie and its (although admittedly unintentional) parallel to our current society of wiretapping and "erring on the side of caution." His response, although not unexpected, was that the subject of government intruding on the lives of individuals has always been one to interest him in films. Improper Channels is certainly in that vein.

Architect Jeffrey Martley (Alan Arkin), has a small bumpy accident that also affected his daughter Nancy (Sarah Stevens.) So, to be on the safe side he takes her to the emergency room. They are unnaturally suspicious and quick to overreact; they immediately place the daughter in protective service. Now he must explain this to his wife Diana (Mariette Hartley.) He is separated so things are getting complicated. She can not even get the child back. Now the parents must get back together and form a plan to retrieve their daughter from an overbearing self-promotion caseworker Gloria Washburn (Monica Parker.)

Many comic parts that include an escape attempt by the child and her friend from the holding location and Mrs. Wharton (Ruth Springford.) Many teeth-gritting moments where you just want to slap Gloria Washburn. Problems compound.

How will it all end?

While the satire was appreciated, IMPROPER CHANNELS tends to act more like a serious drama rather than a comedy and it has its telling about the hard times people face in reality. It's a decent combination of both worlds, but I felt the mixture was too mood-changing (unlike FORREST GUMP) and I really didn't think it was totally funny. The comedy elements just seemed to be very straightforward. Mariette Hartley (the actress known for Polaroid commercials of yesteryear) is more dramatic while Alan Arkin is cornballish enough to be concerned about his missing daughter. It does have plenty of complications and a meaningful conclusion that computes, as the word "hacker" may have been defined for the first time. The title of this movie may not sound proper, and it has its ups and downs, but the use of comedic satire is the strongest aspect of all. Not too bad.

Improper Channels (1981) is a satisfactory satire about the tyranny of bureaucracy in the lives of ordinary people. Alan Arkin and Mariette Hartley have great chemistry as the separated couple whose battle for the custody of their daughter brings them back together, and even outside of this subplot, they give solid, likable performances which prove the best part of the movie. Otherwise. this film could have used a stronger script and a longer run-time to flesh out the satire and characters more. If you're a fan of any of the actors (I'm not gonna lie, I only watched for Arkin), then this film will likely interest you. While I had a good time with it and liked the climax with the computer, I wouldn't call it a lost classic.

I don't understand why this movie hasn't made it to DVD. I think people tend to take it too seriously. It's a hilarious satire aimed squarely at the nanny state attitude prevailing in much of the civilized world nowadays. Alan Arkin is masterful in a role that challenges his wonderful Sheldon Kornpet in the "In-laws" while Marriette Hartley looks cute and plays the straight role of the disbelieving wife and mother. The other characters are all wonderful caricatures put in place to harass the Martleys as their daughter is summarily taken from them by a bureaucratic boob ( Gloria ) who believes that her sole purpose in life is to help people whether they want it or not.( "Everyone in this country has the right to be helped" Her boss, the self important, sinister, amoral.ambitious and Infinitely geeky Harold Cleevish provides the other half of a social welfare system gone amok. Arkin, at first disbelieving of all the chaos erupting around him decides to take decisive action to get even and out from under a system gone mad. The ending is superb. Not to be missed!!!