Barrybase

I loved this movie when I saw it when it came out. It isn't available on VHS or DVD but I'm fortunate in that I taped it from TV and have it on a Beta tape. I'm lucky I have a Beta player that still works! Buck Henry and Lynn Carlin are wonderful as the parents of a runaway girl. Their efforts to locate her lead to many funny episodes, not the least of which being the fantastic auditions by amateur (aside from Carly Simon) singers. Bobo Bates (yes, Kathy Bates of future fame in "Misery," etc.) sings a touching song called "Even The Horses Had Wings." There is another song which is called "Ode To A Screw" which uses the F-word extensively and is sung by a naked girl whose hair covers her vital parts. There is one hysterical scene where the parents of many runaways, after a meeting, partake in the smoking of pot to see how their children are affected by it. Carlin and Henry eventually bring another couple home with them and play strip poker. When Carlin has to remove her bra, the other husband directs a quip to Henry, "My compliments to the chef!" I have used this line so many times! Allen Garfield, as Norman, has a small but very funny role in the movie. Norman (short and fat) and his friend Schuyler (tall and lanky) meet up with Carlin at the bar in the hotel where she is staying with Henry. After she leaves the bar, Norman follows her to her room, knocks and goes in. The room is dark and Norman says, "It's me, Schuyler," because he has no confidence in himself and thinks he has a better chance of scoring if he says he is Schuyler. Unfortunately for Norman, Henry is there in the bed in the room. Milos Forman has done an incredible job in this innovative movie and it is a shame that it has not been released on DVD.