Role Reversal Nothing in Common

By RICHARD SCHICKEL

From parody to paradigm in less than two hours: it is a journey few movie heroes ever make. But then, few movies attempt to shift moods as radically as Nothing in Common does. Start with David Basner (Tom Hanks), prince of the yuppies, a man whose smooth rise in an ad agency is not allowed to interfere with his commitment to the uncommitted singles life. Then watch as his aged parents (Jackie Gleason and Eva Marie Saint) separate. The father loses his job and health just as the son is about to land a prize account. Now David must face the last, most painful transition that children have to make with their parents: role reversal. As they enter second childhood, he must become the responsible adult.

It is a brave theme for a movie to take up these days, especially for one that might like to be mistaken for a summer comedy. Nothing in Common never settles into a self-confident stride, but it does dislocate, discomfit. You might remember it after a lot of less edgy films have been forgotten.