Bored with his job as an assistant linguistics professor at a California university--and equally disenchanted with the indifferent woman in his bed--young Adam hears of a relative's funeral in Missouri and hits the highway in his Porsche, in search of the Meaning of Life. The political and socioeconomic issues raised by screenwriters Stephen and Elinor Karpf seem to flare up out of nowhere, while brooding-but-sincere Michael Douglas seems unsure how to respond to the hubbub. The Karpf's main concern, as it turns out, is in finding Adam an understanding woman to love, which makes this 'unconventional' movie just as formulaic as all the other coming-of-age dramas released in the wake of "The Graduate". Professionally done, and with a finale not unlike that of "Five Easy Pieces", released the same year. ** from ****