Sci-fi author Albert Brooks is a failure at marriage and, blaming his poor relationship with his mother (Debbie Reynolds), decides to go back to live with her to find out what went wrong. That's the whole deal, but the film's problem is that, like Brooks' character, it's afraid to let go. Nothing that's riotous or penetrating or perceptive happens here and Brooks' brand of urban angst is several notches below Woody Allen's in its attempts to connect with our funnybone. It's left to Reynolds' rare latter-day appearance to preserve our interest, which she does with good grace, if not much style.

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