Making Mr. Right

Released 1987
Stars John Malkovich, Ann Magnuson, Glenne Headly, Ben Masters, Laurie Metcalf
Directed by Susan Seidelman
 
"Making Mr. Right" is about a scientist who invents a remarkably lifelike android in his own image and about an ad executive who begins to like the android more than the scientist. These raw materials easily could have been turned into a fairly dreary movie, but not this time. Instead, we get a smart, quick witted, wicked and genuinely funny movie. Also around right now is "The Secret of My Success," another comedy depending on dual and mistaken identities. Seeing the two movies in the same week is instructive because they take such different approaches to the challenge of identity. "Secret" has lots of moments when characters don't realize exactly who they're talking to, and it creates those moments out of the stupidity of the characters. In "Mr. Right," there are scenes where the scientist and the android are mistaken for one another, and Seidelman uses the misunderstandings to make comic points about the personalities of her characters: They make wrong assumptions because of who they are, instead of because of how stupid they are. It makes all the difference in the world.

Summary by Roger Ebert