In the early nineties, Chevy Chase was at a crossroads. He’d headlined a series of comedy hits in the eighties, including the National Lampoon’s Vacation films, two Fletch movies, and a few others, but he had some brutal flops, too. Funny Farm (underrated) and Caddyshack 2 did poorly, but Nothing But Trouble in 1991 was a nearly career-ending disaster for all involved. Suddenly, Chase’s future as a leading man looked bleak. Rather than double down on another comedy, he opted to stretch, signing on to star in a comic thriller in the vein of one of his first big hits, Foul Play, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, which was to feature cutting-edge special effects, and sports direction by one of the biggest genre directors of the time, John Carpenter.

Memoirs of an Invisible Man is based on a book by H.F Saint – his only novel in fact – which became a hot property in Hollywood in the late eighties. This was the era of high concept, and an effects-driven action comedy about the invisible man seemed like a no-brainer in the wake of hit movies like Ghostbusters. The film was initially to be directed by Ivan Reitman, with a screenplay by no less than The Sting’s William Goldman. Goldman wrote at length about his miserable time writing the script in his book “Which Lie Did I Tell”, with him saying Reitman clashed with Chase over the film’s tone and left the project. Goldman himself did not have an easy time of it, as he assumed he was writing a comedy based on Chase’s talents, but the star did not see it that way, with him hoping the film would push him into new territory.

In Goldman’s book, Chase is slammed for this, and while Chase has never been the most popular guy offscreen, you do have to feel for him a little bit, as he likely saw this as the movie that could pave the way toward a more varied career. In his early days, Chase was often compared to Cary Grant, and this was very much in that mould, being a light, romantic thriller. Those types of movies did well at the box office, with Gene Wilder, in particular, having a huge hit in that vein with Silver Streak.

Eventually, Richard Donner, who would have likely been perfect for the film, became involved, only to quit the production. His replacement was a highly unusual choice—John Carpenter. The horror director had been out of work for a few years, having been embroiled in a lawsuit with the company behind They Live: Alive Films. Carpenter no doubt saw this as a solid opportunity to try working with a major studio again, with it having the potential to be his most mainstream movie since Starman.

In the end, Carpenter said he had a miserable time making the movie, slamming Chase for being uncooperative and unwilling to follow the instructions set by ILM to get the VFX work done. He often refused to wear the bodysuit needed to render him invisible on camera or removed his VFX makeup prematurely.

Carpenter has since said that he wanted to quit making movies after this due to his nightmare experiences with “he shall not be named who needs to be killed,” likely meaning Chevy Chase. However, he praised working with Sam Neill, who plays the film’s antagonist and would go on to star in another Carpenter film, In the Mouth of Madness.

But what about the film itself? I vividly remember watching Memoirs of an Invisible Man at my eleventh birthday party and being somewhat blown away by the special effects. One of the coolest was a scene early on where Chase’s character proves his invisibility by chewing a piece of gum.

Watching it now, I understand why it may put audiences off. Chase tended to get smarmy in many of his movies, and while that was something audiences and critics didn’t mind in the seventies, and even in his Fletch movies, it wore thin as he got older. But Chase dials it down after the first act, which plays out like a regular Chevy Chase comedy. Once he becomes invisible it’s a solid little thriller, although he doesn’t have great chemistry with his leading lady, Daryl Hannah.

In it, Chase’s businessman inadvertently becomes invisible when he takes a nap at a lab where he’s supposed to be attending a lecture, where an experiment goes awry. Now invisible, he finds himself on the run from the CIA, who want to use Nick as an invisible agent – something he’s not keen on.

Running a lean 99 minutes, Memoirs of an Invisible Man isn’t perfect, but it’s a solid, high-concept thriller that does something original – it makes the Invisible Man a good guy. While it does show him struggling with the notion of being invisible, it also shows how Nick can use makeup and clothing to at least give himself a form. Look, as much as people may not like him now, Chase was popular for a reason, as he was likeable and funny for a long time. Whatever issues he may have had with Carpenter behind the scenes, they aren’t present on camera.

memoirs of an invisible man chevy chase, sam Neill

However, it must be said that Memoirs feels like Carpenter is on autopilot here, with him not really bringing any of his trademark energy to the film – not that he was likely allowed to by his producers and star. The only aspect of the movie that has Carpenter’s seal of approval is Sam Neill’s performance as the movie’s villain, an overzealous CIA agent named Jenkins, with him so relaxed and charming you almost wish it were him playing the invisible man instead.

The movie also kicked off a solid scoring career for Shirley Walker, a replacement composer who contributed such a nice score that shortly after, she became a mainstay of Batman: The Animated Series and would work again with Carpenter a few years later on Escape from LA.

Despite a hefty budget and solid VFX, Memoirs of an Invisible Man was a big flop. It only made $14 or so million domestically, and its failure probably led to Chase’s disastrous decision to host his own late-night talk show the next year, with his career never recovering. As it is, Memoirs of an Invisible Man has a reputation as a disaster, but I still appreciate it, and as an effects-driven action comedy, it ain’t half bad.