''Morgan Stewart's Coming Home'' is a 1987 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

starring

Jon Cryer Jonathan Niven Cryer (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor, writer, director and producer. Born into a show business family, he made his motion picture debut as a teenage photographer in the 1984 romantic comedy ''No Small Affair''; his bre ...

Viveka Davis Viveka Davis (born August 19, 1969) is an American actress who has starred in television series and films. As a young actress, she was best known for her role in the 1983 NBC TV miniseries '' V'' as Polly Maxwell, a role she reprised in the 1984 ...

Paul Gleason Paul Xavier Gleason (May 4, 1939 – May 27, 2006) was an American film and television actor. He was known for his roles on television series such as '' All My Children'' and films such as ''The Breakfast Club'', ''Trading Places'', and ''Di ...

, Nicholas Pryor and

Lynn Redgrave Lynn Rachel Redgrave (8 March 1943 – 2 May 2010) was an English actress. She won two Golden Globe Awards throughout her career. A member of the Redgrave family of actors, Lynn trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962. B ...

. The screenplay was written by

Ken Hixon Ken Hixon is an American screenwriter, best known for films including '' Welcome to the Rileys'', '' City by the Sea'' and ''Inventing the Abbotts''. He is married to Melanie Otey and has two children: Lillian and Samuel Hixon. His son, Sam, is a ...

and David N. Titcher. The film was also released as ''Home Front'' and ''Homefront Riviera'' in some countries. The film was directed by Paul Aaron/Terry Winsor, but upon release the director was listed as " Alan Smithee", a name often used when directors ask to remove their names from a picture.

Plot

The film stars Cryer as Morgan Stewart, the son of a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

senator from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

who has spent most of his life away at boarding school. An eccentric boy who is a fan of horror films and school dances, his personality does not fit in with the carefully calculated conservative image his mother (Redgrave) has designed for their family. He is brought home to help with his father's campaign for re-election as Senator, and immediately butts heads with his parents, refusing to be the "Cardboard Cutout" they demand. Threatened with military school, Morgan discovers that his top advisors are setting the family up to take the fall for their crimes. With the help of a zany new girlfriend (Davis) he manages to save the day, and loosen up his family in the process.

Production

The film was made in 1985 under the title ''Home Front'' directed by

Terry Winsor Terry Winsor is a British film director who has worked with such stars as Richard Harris, Sean Bean and Tom Wilkinson. He has directed a number of films, TV programs and even a game, which has led to a reasonable amount of success within the world ...

. Four weeks after filming started, Winsor was fired. He was replaced by Paul Aaron but neither received credit on the film.

Film locations

* 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE * Lincoln Memorial—east side * Riggs Bank—Lafayette Park * Rock Creek Parkway *

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and th ...

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

—North Side * Charlottesville, Virginia—Downtown Mall & Fashion Square Mall * Richmond, Virginia—The University of Richmond campus * Miller School of Albemarle, Crozet Virginia

Soundtrack

The soundtrack included the opening track 'Painted Moon' by

The Silencers ''The Silencers'' is the title of a 1962 spy novel by Donald Hamilton, the fourth in a series of books featuring assassin Matt Helm. Plot summary When a female agent in Mexico is killed before Helm can complete his mission to extract her, he f ...

and music by Peter Bernstein, Timothy Duckworth,

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in composing for films. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely r ...

Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. He is widely known for his breakthrough hit and signature song " Wicked Game", as well as other songs such as "Blue Hotel", " Baby ...

, John Manikoff, and

The Surfaris The Surfaris are an American surf rock band formed in Glendora, California, United States, in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" and " Wipe Out", which ...

Critical reception

Critics generally felt the film to be poor, although the cast, especially

, was usually praised.

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

noted that "It's hard to imagine any adult sitting through this movie without dozing off or cracking up, but it's a harmless enough fantasy, and if Jon Cryer's career takes off -- he's due in at least two more films, ''Dudes'' and ''Superman IV'' -- ''Morgan Stewart'' may find a place in the archives as an early little movie in which the star wasn't nearly matched by the material." Rob Lowing of

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

wrote of the film "there are three good reasons to see it. However, these don't include the direction, storyline or soundtrack." She was particularly critical of the direction: "Director Smithee should cop most of the blame...a camera which wanders all over the place, a totally bland soundtrack, and fussy repetition of ideas..." Conversely, Lowing singled out actors

and Jon Cryer as the three central attractions of the film, noting that "there are flashes of brilliance, though, particularly when Cryer and Redgrave are left alone to strut their stuff."Lowing, Rob, "Top actors but no plot to speak of", The Sydney Morning Herald, Sunday, July 5, 1987, p. 114.

References

External links

* * * *
''New York Times'' review
{{Alan Smithee 1987 films 1987 independent films 1980s teen comedy films American independent films American political comedy films American teen comedy films Films about elections Films credited to Alan Smithee Films set in Virginia Films set in Washington, D.C. Films shot in Virginia Films shot in Washington, D.C. 1980s English-language films Films directed by Terry Winsor 1980s American films