RECOMMENDED
Not a remake of Leon de la Mothe’s 1915 short, “Man In The Chair” is a showcase for the ruminant rumbles of the great Christopher Plummer, not yet in his dotage at the fine age of 78. Plummer plays a lonesome retiree and drunk named Madden who was given the nickname “Flash” by a very, very young when he was on the crew of “Citizen Kane.” A callow film student (Michael Angarano) sups at his stories after a chance meeting and seeks his help to make a movie. Without Plummer, this pile of Hollywood old-and-new clichés would be pretty much unwatchable; with him, it’s compelling in its charismatic fury (perhaps excepting the dog-killing scene). With M. Emmet Walsh, Robert Wagner. 107m. Anamorphic widescreen. (Ray Pride)