The Dream Team

The Dream Team is a collection of fruitcakes, locked away because they're just too annoying for polite society. Only Billy (Keaton), with his violent temper, poses any threat, but even this is a symptom of his being too in tune with his emotions. Of the others, Albert (Furst), after 12 years of institutionalised TV viewing, can communicate only in telespeak; Jack (Boyle) thinks he's Christ; and Henry (Lloyd) thinks he's a doctor. These open-hearted innocents are misunderstood but not mistreated: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is acknowledged and dismissed in an inspired opening scene. Caring psychiatrist Dr. Weitzman (Boutsikaris) escorts the Team on a day out to the Yankee Stadium, and is separated from his charges in the heart of Manhattan. Abandoned in the madness of the urban jungle, they are forced to overcome their mental handicaps in order to trace the missing doctor and foil a murder plot. Halfway through, the plot settles into an obvious stride, but by then we're hooked into each character's personal voyage of self-discovery. Despite the barrage of one-liners and almost farcial plot twists, Zieff's light touch and some unselfish ensemble acting make this team genuinely endearing.