Men are from Mars, women are from Venus, and movie critics are from Pluto.
"My Favorite Martian"
Overall Rating: ****
"The Fugitive" and "Star Trek," followed by "My Favorite Martian," with "The Mod Squad" coming up: it reads like a TV Guide from the 1960's, but it could just as well be a movie list from the 90's. Some years ago, Hollywood decided that tapping into old television show ideas was a better source for unoriginal movies than making a 23rd installment of "Friday the 13th." (Though before we breathe a sigh of relief, one of this summer's movies is "Freddy Meets Jason"--so they really haven't stopped with the sequels, either.) Fortunately, while "My Favorite Martian" may be an old idea, the new treatment works well.
The opening shot of "My Favorite Martian" really sets the tone: as we watch a Pathfinder-like probe break down while focusing in on a rock, we hear a voice-over saying how well spent three trillion dollars were as we see the city skyline just beyond the rock. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Tim O'Hara (Jeff Daniels) is a news producer who has just upset the anchorwoman, Brace Channing (Elizabeth Hurley)--who is also his boss's daughter. His job in jeopardy, he sees the chance to redeem himself when he witnesses a spaceship crash on a beach, but when the ship's occupant, "Uncle Martin" (Christopher Lloyd) shrinks his ship, Brace thinks it's a toy, and that the trip to the beach was only a ploy to get a date--which insures that Tim will be fired. Of course, Martin will want his ship back from Tim, Tim will want his job back, and the government will want Martin.
The whole movie is pure silliness. I doubt there are five minutes in the film where you're not laughing. Martin has all sorts of advanced technology and abilities besides the ship and the device that shrinks it; of course, these things will cause all sorts of trouble. Then, there are the "not from around here" jokes. Even numerous subtle references to Mars (such as camera shots of a Mars Bar wrapper and the book "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus") become jokes.
What makes most of these jokes work are the actors. Wallace Shawn, who plays a S.E.T.I. scientist who wouldn't know an alien if he saw one, is a delightful comic villain. Elizabeth Hurley is also wonderful playing a reporter who is so egocentric she doesn't realize that she's completely incompetent (think Ted Baxter from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show")--yet she is determined to break the story that Martians are on Earth. Though both of them are wonderful, Christopher Lloyd really makes the movie come alive. As in "Back to the Future" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" he plays an eccentric character, but this time, he is the central character. This only allows him to shine.
The truth is that if you think about it, most of "My Favorite Martian" doesn't make sense. How could NASA mistake a car-sized spaceship for a comet, or miss obvious signs of life on Mars? The ending also resorts to Deus ex machina, which was disappointing (though it's made up when we see the villains get their just desserts). And let's face it, it's based on an old TV show, so it isn't exactly original. Except for the good acting, good special effects, and the fact that it makes you laugh almost for it's entire length, "My Favorite Martian" doesn't have much going for it.
There is some innuendo, a little partial nudity, some violence (including a bad guy getting killed by an alien), and a fair amount of bad language. The PG rating for "My Favorite Martian" is accurate; young children may find it too scary in places or may pick up inappropriate language, but it should be OK for older children; indeed, kids seem to be the target audience, with the cartoon at the beginning being the main indication.
Though it may be intended for kids, "My Favorite Martian" is still clever and funny. In short, so far for 1999, "My Favorite Martian" is my favorite movie.
Title: "My Favorite Martian"
Release date: February 12, 1999
Overall Rating: ****
"The Fugitive" and "Star Trek," followed by "My Favorite Martian," with "The Mod Squad" coming up: it reads like a TV Guide from the 1960's, but it could just as well be a movie list from the 90's. Some years ago, Hollywood decided that tapping into old television show ideas was a better source for unoriginal movies than making a 23rd installment of "Friday the 13th." (Though before we breathe a sigh of relief, one of this summer's movies is "Freddy Meets Jason"--so they really haven't stopped with the sequels, either.) Fortunately, while "My Favorite Martian" may be an old idea, the new treatment works well.
The opening shot of "My Favorite Martian" really sets the tone: as we watch a Pathfinder-like probe break down while focusing in on a rock, we hear a voice-over saying how well spent three trillion dollars were as we see the city skyline just beyond the rock. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Tim O'Hara (Jeff Daniels) is a news producer who has just upset the anchorwoman, Brace Channing (Elizabeth Hurley)--who is also his boss's daughter. His job in jeopardy, he sees the chance to redeem himself when he witnesses a spaceship crash on a beach, but when the ship's occupant, "Uncle Martin" (Christopher Lloyd) shrinks his ship, Brace thinks it's a toy, and that the trip to the beach was only a ploy to get a date--which insures that Tim will be fired. Of course, Martin will want his ship back from Tim, Tim will want his job back, and the government will want Martin.
The whole movie is pure silliness. I doubt there are five minutes in the film where you're not laughing. Martin has all sorts of advanced technology and abilities besides the ship and the device that shrinks it; of course, these things will cause all sorts of trouble. Then, there are the "not from around here" jokes. Even numerous subtle references to Mars (such as camera shots of a Mars Bar wrapper and the book "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus") become jokes.
What makes most of these jokes work are the actors. Wallace Shawn, who plays a S.E.T.I. scientist who wouldn't know an alien if he saw one, is a delightful comic villain. Elizabeth Hurley is also wonderful playing a reporter who is so egocentric she doesn't realize that she's completely incompetent (think Ted Baxter from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show")--yet she is determined to break the story that Martians are on Earth. Though both of them are wonderful, Christopher Lloyd really makes the movie come alive. As in "Back to the Future" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" he plays an eccentric character, but this time, he is the central character. This only allows him to shine.
The truth is that if you think about it, most of "My Favorite Martian" doesn't make sense. How could NASA mistake a car-sized spaceship for a comet, or miss obvious signs of life on Mars? The ending also resorts to Deus ex machina, which was disappointing (though it's made up when we see the villains get their just desserts). And let's face it, it's based on an old TV show, so it isn't exactly original. Except for the good acting, good special effects, and the fact that it makes you laugh almost for it's entire length, "My Favorite Martian" doesn't have much going for it.
There is some innuendo, a little partial nudity, some violence (including a bad guy getting killed by an alien), and a fair amount of bad language. The PG rating for "My Favorite Martian" is accurate; young children may find it too scary in places or may pick up inappropriate language, but it should be OK for older children; indeed, kids seem to be the target audience, with the cartoon at the beginning being the main indication.
Though it may be intended for kids, "My Favorite Martian" is still clever and funny. In short, so far for 1999, "My Favorite Martian" is my favorite movie.
Title: "My Favorite Martian"
Release date: February 12, 1999
MPAA rating: PG
Overall rating: ****
Overall rating: ****
Aprox. run time: 95 min.
Director: Donald Petrie
Writers: Sherri Stoner, Deanna Oliver
Stars: Jeff Daniels, Christopher Lloyd
Director: Donald Petrie
Writers: Sherri Stoner, Deanna Oliver
Stars: Jeff Daniels, Christopher Lloyd
Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/reviewsbyjohn/MARTIAN.HTM
Added to blog site: 7/30/09 (with minor editing)
Labels: Movie review, ReviewsbyJohn
posted by John at 2/14/1999 03:00:00 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home