Carpenter has admitted that this was a problematical film from the start. Chevy Chase intended this to be his serious acting debut, but he still manages to turn in a comic performance, intentional or not.
Chase is a stockbroker, single, middle aged and very successful. After a serious bender the night before, he goes to a presentation by an research company. While trying to find a toilet he accidentally starts a chain reaction in the building which leaves him, and the entire building, invisible.
The special effects are pretty excellent, especially the gum chewing scene at the beginning. This version of the invisible man character is very intent on making sure everything is logical. The upshot of this is that Chase cannot even see his own invisible clothes and hands. When he eats food you can see it in his mouth, and digesting. Again, the speciall effects are top class.
Sam Neill enters the scene as a sadistic CIA assassin who realises the potential of having an invisible man. He intends to use Chase with or without his consent. So the film is basically Neill chasing across half the country after Chase. Plenty of advantage is taken of the comic possibilities but the film seems to have a schizophrenic nature, not quite sure whether to make us laugh or thrill us. A superflous love interest is supplied by Daryl Hannah.
Memoirs is not an unwatchable film, it is quite enjoyable as a piece of fluff. It is a low point in Carpenters career. It has none of the stress or tension that should be present in a chase movie, which is criminal considering it comes from the master of suspense. Still, it is proof that even when Carpenter makes a bad movie it is still ok.