Simon (1980 film)

The Institute for Advanced Concepts, a group of scientists with an unlimited budget and a propensity for elaborate pranks, brainwash a psychology professor named Simon Mendelssohn who was abandoned at birth and manage to convince him, and the rest of the world, that he is of extraterrestrial origin. Simon escapes and attempts to reform American culture by overriding TV signals with a high-powered TV transmitter, becoming a national celebrity in the process.

• Alan Arkin as Prof. Simon Mendelssohn
• Madeline Kahn as Dr. Cynthia Malloy
• Austin Pendleton as Dr. Carl Becker
• Judy Graubart as Lisa
• William Finley as Fichandler
• Wallace Shawn as Eric Van Dongen
• Jayant as Barundi
• Max Wright as Leon Hundertwasser
• Fred Gwynne as Maj. Gen. Korey
• Adolph Green as Commune Leader
• Keith Szarabajka as Josh
• Ann Risley as Pam
• Pierre Epstein as Military Aide at Map
• Roy Cooper as General's Aide
• Rex Robbins as Army Doctor
• David Warrilow as Blades
• Hetty Galen as Voice of Mother
• Louise Lasser as Voice of Doris
• Dick Cavett as himself

Simon received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 58% from 19 reviews.[1]

Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, saying that the film is “neither a funny nor insightful film. In fact, "Simon" is a scattershot mess.”[2] Both he and Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two “no” votes on their show Sneak Previews.

In 1981 and 1990, the film was released on VHS format by Warner Home Video and is now out of print. A remastered copy of the film was released via Warner Archives' Made To Order DVD-R service in 2011 in its original full-frame 16x9 (1.85:1) format.

• Simon at The A.V. Club
• Simon at IMDb
• Simon at the TCM Movie Database
• Simon at AllMovie
• Simon at the American Film Institute Catalog