Modern Problems

Modern Problems is a 1981 comedy about Max Fielder, an air traffic controller whose life is not going well. His jealousy has driven his girlfriend Darcy away, and he is unhappy in his work. After an encounter with nuclear waste, Max discovers he has developed telekinesis, and he sets out to use his new ability to win Darcy back and settle some scores along the way. The film was directed by Ken Shapiro, who wrote the screenplay with Tom Sherohman and Arthur Sellers, and was produced by Alan Greisman for 20th Century Fox.

Chevy Chase plays Max, with Patti D'Arbanville as Darcy, Dabney Coleman as Mark Winslow, Mary Kay Place as Lorraine, Nell Carter as Dorita and Brian Doyle-Murray as Brian Stills. Made for a budget of 8 million dollars, the film took in about 26 million dollars worldwide, a solid return on its cost. Audience response has been modest: on IMDb it holds a rating of 5 out of 10 from roughly 6,200 votes, and on TMDB it sits at 5.4 out of 10 from a much smaller number of votes. The two audience scores are close to each other and suggest a film remembered more as a curiosity of its era than as a favorite.

Shapiro had previously directed The Groove Tube, and Modern Problems followed that earlier comedy. Blending romantic comedy with science fiction, the film places its telekinetic premise within a story about a man trying to repair a relationship.