Overview
A down-on-his-luck everyman unexpectedly finds fortune in the most bizarre way.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- humanistic
- anxious
- lazy sunday
- classic cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a spirited, humane, and unusually entertaining character study of the American Dream, led by Jonathan Demme's direction and a lovable cast.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Melvin is portrayed as an unlucky, impractical lower-middle-class man rather than a conventionally heroic subject, while the film follows the consequences of his connection to Howard Hughes.
The mobile homes, odd jobs, family pressures, and failed ambitions are treated with affection, comic observation, and clear-eyed realism.
The disputed Hughes inheritance turns Melvin's fantasy of prosperity into a revealing test of money, status, and self-worth.
The film grounds its unusual inheritance story in desert roads, mobile homes, family spaces, and working-class environments across the American West.
Films like Melvin and Howard, and why
The Last Detail
shared humanist character study, offbeat comedy, and sympathetic portrait of an ordinary dreamer
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
shared new hollywood naturalism, bittersweet working-class humor, and morally complicated American lives
The King of Comedy
shared eccentric true-life premise, road movie elements, and warm but clear-eyed American comedy
Being There
shared humanistic ensemble storytelling, outsider protagonists, and comic examination of the American Dream
Movie Details
- Director
- Jonathan Demme
- Release Date
- 1980-09-19
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (80)
Cast
- Paul Le Mat
- Mary Steenburgen
- Jason Robards
- Elizabeth Cheshire
- Chip Taylor
- Melvin E. Dummar
- Michael J. Pollard
- Denise Galik
- Gene Borkan
- Lesley Margret Burton
Common questions
- What is Melvin and Howard about?
- An unlucky working-class dreamer becomes entangled in the extraordinary legacy of a mysterious stranger who may have been Howard Hughes.
- What is Melvin and Howard like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Melvin and Howard as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Melvin and Howard violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Melvin and Howard as mild.
- What did critics think of Melvin and Howard?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a spirited, humane, and unusually entertaining character study of the American Dream, led by Jonathan Demme's direction and a lovable cast.
- Which films are like Melvin and Howard?
- Films with a similar feel include The Last Detail, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, The King of Comedy, and Being There.
- How long is Melvin and Howard?
- Melvin and Howard runs 95 minutes.
