Coneheads

Day 141 - 5/21/09 - Movie #140

BEFORE: The warm weather's here, so today I changed to my summer routine, and instead of my Wednesday post-comic-shop Cafe Mocha, I enjoyed my Wed. post-comic-shop shake. Good to see my usual Mr. Softee back on his regular corner. I tried going to the Shake Shack for a while, and the shakes are clearly superior quality, but last summer they shrunk the size of the cups and kept the prices the same. Not exactly how you keep my business...

Alien Invasion week continues, this time with a comic twist. This movie was made in 1993, and is filled with former (and current, at the time) SNL cast members - it makes sense to use them as a great comic ensemble.

THE PLOT: An alien couple with cone-shaped heads from the planet "Remulak" is mistakingly ditched on earth. While waiting to be recalled to their mother planet, they start a family and have a little daughter.

AFTER: With all the great SNL all-stars in this movie - 16, by my count, including Dan Akyroyd, Jane Curtin, David Spade, Chris Farley, and Michael McKean, plus Jason Alexander, Sinbad, Drew Carey, Dave Thomas, and Ellen Degeneres in bit parts, it's a shame that the movie's not, you know, all that funny. Is it just because the characters are 30 years old, and completely played out? Someone clearly put a lot of thought into Conehead culture and history, but some more jokes wouldn't have hurt as well. The action livens up a bit late in the film when the Coneheads visit their home planet, but it's too little, too late.

Once again, I learn that aliens are whizzes at fixing household appliances. Good to know.

RATING: 4 out of 10 INS agents