Serial

Not to be confused with the addictive podcast of the same name, Bill Persky's 1980 comedy Serial is ostensibly a social satire of late 1970s culture centered on affluent suburbanites who are getting in touch with their feelings, turning vegetarian, and espousing pop therapy clichés. Set in the thoroughly white suburbs of Marin County, it stars Martin Mull as a white-collar executive with a red meat sensibility, with Tuesday Weld costarring as his vegetarian wife, who becomes increasingly frustrated with her husband's sneering attitude toward her consciousness-raising interests. They separate and try out different lifestyles while their teenage daughter runs away to join a cult. The film takes swipes at therapy, environmentalism, free love, rampant divorce, and the hypocrisy of being more concerned with appearances than meaningful action, but it is more broadside spoof than satire and Mull's ostensible voice of reason is as much a hypocrite as any of the figures of ridicule, among them Tom Smothers as a new-age guru and Peter Bonerz as a clueless therapist. Serial has dated badly, although it does feature the late cult horror actor Christopher Lee in one of the most unusual roles of his career as a high-powered executive who spends his weekends as a gay biker gang leader. Not recommended. (S. Axmaker)