Stay Tuned

A pointless 'satire' which attempts to ridicule American television by revelling in the conventions of game shows, commercials and mini-series. Roy (Ritter) is your average TV junkie: he watches over seven hours a day and is blind to the needs of his wife (Dawber) and two children (Tom and McComb). Enter devilish Spike (Jones), the supremo of an other-worldly entertainment channel who sells Roy a 600-channel satellite system, thereby luring him into a Faustian pact that will test his devotion to the box. The question is: does this human sponge possess a soul? The film boasts the emotional depth of a 30-second soap commercial, and Hyams' direction fails to sustain humour or tension. A dismal affair which goes down the tube.