The Return of Alan Strange (2016)

 

Michael J Murphy's last film- he unexpectedly died not long after completing it- appropriately enough deals with a man reflecting on and finally coming to terms with his career. The Return of Alan Strange also displays a hitherto unknown fondness for 1960s Cult TV, and may well be Murphy's most overtly gay themed movie.

Gone to seed actor Peter Hennesey (Patrick Olliver) was once famous for playing the lead character, a time travelling psychic detective, in the 1960s TV series 'Alan Strange'. That is until Peter Wyngarde-esque revelations about his sexuality all but destroyed his career. Having long since abandoned any pretense of heterosexuality, Hennesey is now an outrageous, extremely politically incorrect gay man, whose glory days are long behind him. As the 1990s dawn, Hennesey is invited to a New Year's Eve party. Only for old wounds to reopen when he is forced to rub shoulders with his ex-wife and former co-star Gaye Delaney (Judith Holding) who has similarly grown old disgracefully, via breast implants and a tell all book about their sham marriage, entitled 'Who's Gaye'. Hennesey also crosses swords with fellow actor Alexander Beck (Phil Lyndon) who took over the Alan Strange role, and whom Hennesey blames for outing him to the press. The New Year's bash isn't without its perks though, with Hennesey getting the chance to flirt with Daniel Bradford (Daniel Bailey) the young aspiring actor who hopes to inherit the Strange role in a big budget reboot. The Return of Alan Strange adds up to a tremendous bitch fest between Murphy regulars, Olliver, Holding and Lyndon, all three clearly having a ball here. The trio are revelations in comedic, uninhibited turns that cut loose from the seriousness of their usual roles in Murphy's movies. By rights Hennesey and his fellow has beens should all register as showbiz grotesqueries, yet for all their sharp edges these are characters with unexpected warmth and humanity to them.

Murphy's own affection for Olliver, Holding and Lyndon is evident in spades, as is their longtime association with him. Clips we see of them in 'Alan Strange' episodes actually being culled from their years before appearances in Murphy films like Death Run, Moonchild and Atlantis. A meta aspect to the film, that allows Murphy's actors, as well as the director himself, the chance to look back at their shared past with a mixture of nostalgia and the occasional cringe at the low budget shortcomings of their youthful endeavors. It is an unusual touch for Murphy, by all accounts the type of filmmaker who regarded his best film as the next one, and rarely shared his fanbase's enthusiasm for revisiting his past works. In any of Murphy's other films, the venom between Hennesey and his fellow Alan Strange veterans would have boiled over into murder, bloodshed and revenge. Despite an amount of teasing that it is about to go down the horror movie route though, The Return of Alan Strange breaks rank by emerging as a moving little drama about reconciling with estranged friends and putting your house in order before saying goodbye. A coda made even more poignant given Murphy's own death soon after. It's not the ideal place to start when it comes to Murphy's career, but it is a fitting end.