source: Serial

Trailer—Serial

Serial

This movie is a unique and endearing effort featuring one of my favorite guys: Martin Mull. His character's frustrated efforts to find love and happiness are portrayed with the humorous insights of a genuine comedy pro in this well-written script. This film never bores and is well worth the occasional re-viewing.

Serial(1980) is an excellent comedy that has not gotten the credit it deserves. Its a satire of the Calfornia lifestyle of the 1970s that pokes fun at everything from everyday life to religious cults. Some areas may be dated but overall there are many aspects of the movie that are still relevant. During the hayday of Murtin Mull and Tuesday Weld. Serial(1980) is the finest hour for fading comedian, Martin Mull as he has never given a performance this good again. Its a film that's truly deserves the DVD treatment. Christopher Lee shows in Serial(1980) that he can play humorous roles as well as serious ones. The final half hour follows the anarchist style of the Marx Brothers.

This is a true cult classic that should not be missed. Martin Mull is brilliant, probably his best gig ever. Tommy Smothers is pure genius as the cosmic priest. The script is hilarious, not just in its satire but is quite brilliant as pure comedy. Favourite line: Martin Mull (Holroyd) visits the alternative, counter-culture house-family of wife Tuesday Weld (!) who has gone out on her own to find her true self, moving in with this small suburban communal group. Holroyd is introduced to one of Tuesday Weld's roommates, a woman who calls herself "Woman". Holroyd: "How do you get your mail?" Watchable again and again but for the fact that these bloody VHS tapes wear out so fast. Now into my second copy. When is the DVD coming? Please before the north pole melts!

For those that didn't live through the 1970's, this is a great film to get a handle on that particularly stupid period of American history. Cast is great. Film is funny as hell, especially for those that remember the decade. Martin Mull is the great straight man for the rest of the cast. Tuesday Weld is wonderful as the massively dingy wife, and Christopher Lee is wonderful as Mull's overbearing boss. Based on a the novel that was a send-up of Orange County, CA, this is a great film, if you can find it. I used to have it on video, and have no idea if they ever released on DVD. I doubt it, honestly. And remember- Nunca!

Satire on late 70s views of sex, relationships and marriage focusing on a bunch of couples in California. Good cast and some good acting (Martin Mull is hilarious and Christopher Lee is surprisingly good at comedy) but not a good movie. The script is only so-so...there are scattered laughs but most of the jokes are unfunny and fall with a thud. Also if you don't have a good knowledge of the late 70s or lived through it (like me), most of the jokes won't make sense. Also there's evidence of a LOT of pre-release cutting--the film is only 86 minutes, many scenes end abruptly, certain things are mentioned that we're not aware of and (for some reason) a gay motorcycle gang is thrown in...and then nothing is done with them! Plays like an R-rated sitcom. Also contains some mild homophobia. Almost worth seeing for the cast...ALMOST!

Martin Mull is the sane man in the insane society of Marin County CA. If you can find it, watch it. It may be 20+ years old but holds up well, like a good sitcom the jokes are about life not current events and that makes them timeless. Also the slightly off-center society of Marin lives on.

I've long been curious about this movie since it was released back in 1980 when I was a 12-year-old looking at the cartoonish-newspaper ad of the poster. Now that I've seen it online-I think it's hilarious! A look at the social lifestyle of the late '70s, it makes merciless fun of it through capable comic actors like Martin Mull, Peter Bonerz, Bill Macy, and Tom Smothers as a hippie reverend. And then there's horror icon Christopher Lee in a surprisingly satirical role that you just got to watch to believe! Also throw in Sally Kellerman and Tuesday Weld and, well, I'll just now say I highly recommend Serial!