EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY
A film review by Jeff Meyer
Copyright 1989 Jeff Meyer
[Seen at the Seattle International Film Festival]
EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY (USA, 1988) Director: Julian Temple Screenwriters: Julie Brown, Charlie Coffey, Terrance E. McNally Cast: Gena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Julie Brown, Jim Carrey, Damon Waylans, Michael McKean, Charles Rocket
As Dennis Miller might say, "Hey, what can I tell ya?" You got your horny aliens from outer space, who (once they've had the Nair treatment) look just like humans. You got your attractive, pleasant, somewhat naive hairdresser who's looking for Mr. Right. You've got that mythical plastic Southern California Suburban World of beaches, bimbos and blondes to let the cast play around with. And you've got 45 minutes of the old "gotta keep the nice aliens from being discovered" theme, which was getting stale back when Bill Bixby hadn't even thought about having a weekly green steroid treatment. What do YOU think is going to happen?
Well, you're right. Outside of some of Julie Brown's bouncy pop tunes, there isn't much here to entertain. There's certainly no surprises; I found about two jokes funny (and a nice shot which is FLY-inspired), and the scenes with Goldblum (head alien and romantic love interest of Davis' character (and, I guess, Davis)) and company learning Earth customs is a pale retread of other pale retreads. (I can remember the one part I enjoyed -- the prosthetic tongue scene -- simply because it stood out among such a completely familiar background.) Goldblum looks a little uncomfortable, even for a space alien in California. Davis holds up well, and you end up hoping that she and Goldblum had a good time working together again. Charles Rocket plays his usual role as the yuppie rotter; he must be sorry that MOONLIGHTING is gone, as it appears to be the only place he ever got to stretch his talents some. The only thing I really enjoyed about the film were the opening credits (you'd think they were done by Pee-wee Herman), the art direction, and the old SF props/masks/suits that they got out for Davis' dream sequence. Other than that, *yawn*.
I have the feeling that the director and screenwriters saw HAIRSPRAY and thought they were working at something similar here. They aren't; HAIRSPRAY is an immensely well-crafted film that balances its elements with exceptional precision, and comes out with a film that is parody, satire AND an actual "teen" film at the same time. This film just reminds you of how many comic alien films you've seen before, and that while you might like Julie Brown's songs, at least they're over in five minutes.
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
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