Memoirs of an Invisible Man is a film I watched endlessly as a kid and assumed everyone loved as much as I did. It was only years later that I found out the film not only bombed — the pic earned just $14.4 million against a $40 million budget — but was also critically panned. Roger Ebert called the movie’s plot “lazy and conventional,” while the Washington Post declared the sci-fi action comedy as having “an identity crisis.”
Honestly, I was shocked, particularly since this was a John Carpenter vehicle packed with creative special effects starring a still-in-his-prime Chevy Chase. I don’t recall the advertising, but I vividly remember enjoying the film with my dad when it came to our local theater in March of 1992.
Now, watching it today, I recognize some of the issues critics saw 30 years ago, but still believe Memoirs of an Invisible Man deserves more credit than it’s given. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, let’s go over a few reasons why this loose adaptation of H.F. Saint’s novel deserves another chance.
Chevy Chase
Despite reports of Chevy Chase’s on-set difficulty, the famed comedian delivers a relatively strong and straightforward performance in Memoirs. Part Fletch, part Clark Griswold, Chase’s Nick Halloway — a stock analyst who is suddenly rendered invisible following a freak accident —lacks the charm of many of the actor’s more memorable characters and operates more as a low-key sleuth (replete with his own flat narration) than the bumbling moron audiences likely expected.
Yet, there’s still plenty to enjoy about his performance, including a few clever one-liners — “Hey George, how’s the spastic colin?” — and a couple of comical set pieces that show off the actor’s knack for physical comedy.
Evil Sam Neill
Sam Neill has played bad guys before, but here the man is comically diabolical. At one point he even threatens to cut out a man’s testicles! Naturally, his character, David Jenkins, hails from the mysterious CIA and is seemingly hell-bent on finding Nick for reasons that aren’t entirely clear.
No matter. Jenkins makes for an imposing villain, while his faceless goons (who were much cooler when I was younger) are formidable enough to keep the stakes real.
Plus, it’s fun to see Neill engage in a bit of physical comedy himself! There’s a bit where Nick presses a gun to his head and takes him hostage, and Neill sells the moment remarkably well without ever breaking character. He’s genuinely great in the role.
Crafty Special Effects
You can tell Carpenter had a lot of fun coming up with various ways to show an invisible man. Every scene features some sort of unique special effect — a floating stomach, a face shimmering in the rain, a disembodied head running through the streets, etc. — that all but makes Memoirs of an Invisible Man worth a look.
At one point, Alice (played by Daryl Hannah), uses makeup to paint Nick’s face in a scene that’s both remarkable and kinda creepy; there’s also a bit where the pair discuss the next move while Nick smokes a cigarette and we see his transparent lungs fill with smoke. Nowadays, this might not knock anyone’s socks off, but in 1992 it was actually pretty damned impressive:
Shirley Walker’s Score
Maybe the reason I’m fond of Memoirs has more to do with Shirley Walker’s electrifying score than the actual film itself. The late composer constructs a magnificent work that owes as much to her work on Batman: The Animated Series as it does the detective thrillers of the 1940s. It’s propulsive, exciting and one of the more memorable scores in my collection.
Supporting Cast
Memoirs is full of familiar faces. Daryl Hannah, for starters, is great as Nick’s love interest, while Michael McKean, ‘90’s go-to guy Stephen Tobolowsky, and a very young Patricia Heaton (four years away from Everybody Loves Raymond). This is definitely Chase’s show, but the supporting cast certainly carries some of the load.
Carpenter’s Direction
What makes Memoirs of an Invisible Man ultimately work is Carpenter’s clever directing. While the story never fully explores Nick’s plight — he was just as invisible before the accident — Carpenter has some fun showing the challenges one might face if no one could see them. There’s a brilliant montage where Nick bumbles around people who don’t know he’s there, leading to a bit where he stops a mugger from stealing a woman’s purse.
Later, we see Nick trying to enjoy life on the beach with humorous results:
You can see the film Carpenter clearly wanted to make — a loner with very few personal ties turns invisible and ironically becomes more noticeable to those around him. But the director is clearly stuck between making a high concept Chevy Chase comedy and an action thriller. As is, Memoirs still works as a slight piece of ’90’s entertainment (even if some of the comedy hasn’t aged well) with enough technical prowess and sharp direction to merit a watch or two.
I won’t call it a classic, but forgotten gem seems quite appropriate.
