Serial (1980 film)

Independent Films, Film Profiles

Serial is a comedy film from 1980 produced by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay, by Rich Eustis and Michael Elias, is drawn from the novel The Serial: A Year in the Life of Marin County by Cyra McFadden, published in 1977. Produced by Sidney Beckerman and directed by Bill Persky, the film stars Martin Mull, Tuesday Weld, Sally Kellerman, Christopher Lee, Bill Macy, Peter Bonerz, and Tom Smothers. The original music score was composed by Lalo Schifrin.In trendy Marin County, California during a year in the 1970s, uptight Harvey Holroyd is losing patience, on one hand, with his wife Kate and her friends, who are thoroughly caught up in new age consciousness-raising and psychobabble, and, on the other hand, with his rebellious teenage daughter Joanie. Meanwhile, Harvey’s best friend Sam is having marital troubles as well, and Harvey is trying to land a higher-paying job with Luckman.As marital problems persist, Kate and Harvey separate, and each of them becomes sexually involved with others, albeit rather awkwardly. While trying to avoid the advances of his newly hired secretary, Stella, Harvey becomes involved with Marlene, a free-spirited, 19-year-old, strictly vegetarian supermarket cashier, who later ends up with Sam; Kate links up with Paco, a bisexual Argentinian aspiring to be an artist, who trims her dog's hair.Meanwhile, being unhappy at home, Joanie is lured by "concerned" members of a flower-peddling cult and eventually is imprisoned by them in their house in the big city. Harvey and Kate manage to patch up their differences for Joanie’s sake. By means of a little blackmail that ensues from a surprise revelation involving Luckman, Harvey joins forces with a gay motorcycle gang to rescue Joanie. Thus, the Holroyds are reunited and prepare for Harvey’s new job in Denver.