Max Dugan Returns

Year: 1983

Runtime: 98 mins

Language: English

Director: Herbert Ross

ComedyFamilyDrama

She’s an English teacher and single mother whose daily life is a series of mishaps—rising prices, a car that won’t start, a heartless boss, leaky roof, squeaky doors, and a stereo that’s gone mono. When the estranged father who abandoned her as a child returns, Max Dugan’s unexpected presence forces her to confront the past and reshapes her chaotic world.

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Timeline & Setting – Max Dugan Returns (1983)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Max Dugan Returns (1983). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Location

Venice, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Brazil

Venice, California serves as the film's primary setting—a working-class, beachfront neighborhood with Nora's ramshackle house, Venice High School, and a close-knit community. The coastal urban environment frames the family drama, from school life to local gossip, while the sea breeze mirrors the volatility of sudden wealth. The plot also references Las Vegas as the source of Max's fortune and Brazil as the destination for his final days, grounding the story in a web of distant, enticing locales.

🌊 Coastal 🏙️ Urban 🎰 Gambling 🏖️ Beach

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:10

Main Characters – Max Dugan Returns (1983)

Meet the key characters of Max Dugan Returns (1983), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:10

Major Themes – Max Dugan Returns (1983)

Explore the central themes of Max Dugan Returns (1983), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:10

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Movies about bittersweet family reunions like Max Dugan Returns

Stories where old family wounds reopen, bringing both joy and difficult moral choices.If you liked the complex emotions of reconnecting with a lost parent in Max Dugan Returns, you'll find similar stories here. These movies explore family reconciliation, moral dilemmas, and the bittersweet blend of joy and pain that comes with mending broken bonds.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative typically follows a character whose stable, if difficult, life is disrupted by the return of a estranged family member. This return brings material or emotional benefits that are tainted by a secret or moral compromise, forcing a central character to weigh forgiveness against principles, often leading to a bittersweet resolution that offers hope without erasing the past.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their shared focus on the emotional complexity of family dynamics, a steady pacing that allows characters to breathe, and a consistent bittersweet tone that balances heartfelt moments with ethical tension.

Movies about ethical dilemmas and financial struggle like Max Dugan Returns

Characters facing daily hardships receive a life-changing sum with strings attached.Find movies similar to Max Dugan Returns where characters grappling with everyday problems face a moral quandary after an unexpected windfall. If you liked the tension between financial relief and ethical conflict, these stories explore the price of easy solutions.

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Narrative Summary

The plot hinges on a protagonist enduring mundane but stressful struggles when an opportunity arises that could solve everything. However, this opportunity is ethically ambiguous or outright wrong, creating a sustained internal conflict. The story explores whether the ends justify the means, often leaving the character—and the audience—with a complex, unresolved feeling about the choices made.

Why These Movies?

This thread connects movies through a shared narrative structure of 'problematic providence,' a medium emotional weight derived from moral anxiety, and a steady pacing that focuses on character decision-making rather than action.

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Max Dugan Returns Summary

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Max Dugan Returns Timeline

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Max Dugan Returns Spoiler-Free Summary

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More About Max Dugan Returns

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Discover movies like Max Dugan Returns that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.