Simon

The satirical and neurotic scope of the initial premise is immense: Simon (Arkin), a Columbia professor brainwashed by a mischievous government research unit into believing his mother was a spaceship, sets out to right America's evils. He starts by cutting out Hawaiian music in elevators. Unfortunately, Arkin's hysterical performance screws up the hilariously clever script of one-liners and set pieces by Brickman, Woody Allen's collaborator here making his debut as a director. The result is a rough ride indeed, and you may well be better off seeing Sleeper again in terms of laughs-per-minute. Clever, but not clever enough. DMacp.