MY FAVORITE MARTIAN
A movie review by Joe Barlow
(c) Copyright 1999
STARRING: Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Daniels, Darryl Hannah,
Ray Walston
DIRECTOR: Donald Petrie
WRITERS: Sherri Stoner and Deanna Oliver
RATED: PG
RELEASED: 1999
RATING: ** 1/2 (out of a possible ****)
Whoever thought to cast Christopher Lloyd as the alien in Disney's new remake of "My Favorite Martian" is to be commended, as he tends to look like he's just visiting this planet to begin with. Lloyd's unusual face and voice make him perfect for the role of "Uncle Martin," a friendly extraterrestrial who finds himself stranded on Earth after a spaceship crash.
Donald Petrie's remake of the '60s television series is agreeable enough, I suppose: it's bright, zany, and smart enough to reinvent the characters for the 1990s, rather than locking them into a 1960s mentality (as in the recent "Brady Bunch" films). There's a lot of action and humor which borders on the surreal (watch as Jeff Daniels and Daryl Hannah try Martian gum for the first time), but unfortunately that doesn't stop the movie from following a routine storyline which culminates in an unnecessary (and distracting) romance.
Tim O'Hara (Jeff Daniels) is an unsuccessful TV producer who works for a local news program. Although Tim rarely gets to cover the big stories, he finds one when he observes a crashing spaceship. Tim eventually befriends the alien inside, an excitable but friendly creature he christens Uncle Martin.
Martin is quite a character. Able to control gravity and change his shape, the curious alien enjoys learning about Earth culture from his new friend. One of his favorite Earth delicacies is ice cream, which for Martin has an effect similar to alcohol. (You'd think the first ice cream hangover would teach him a lesson, but no.) Martin and Tim also debate whether Earth or Martian culture is superior:
MARTIN: "Human astronauts pee in their space suits!
Case closed!"
You know you're watching a Disney film when an article of clothing becomes one of the most memorable characters. Martin's spacesuit, Zoot, is animate, loves to talk, and has a personality more concretely defined than any of the human characters. This is a good idea in theory, but Zoot is so unique that everyone else seems much less interesting by comparison, including Martin himself.
Daryl Hannah, for example, is basically wasted in the role of Lizzie, Tim's friend and co-worker. She's here only to be the requisite love interest, and to help Tim and Martin escape from one particularly nasty situation they later find themselves in (a trick she accomplishes with the help of the aforementioned Martian gum). Although she gets a lot of screen time, Lizzie is unfortunately never allowed to be anything more than a plot point. (Why is it that no one is ever in a happy relationship at the *beginning* of a movie?)
Ray Walston, who played the original Uncle Martin in the television series, gets an extended cameo here as a SETI official hot on the trail of the alien. The role is thoroughly unnecessary, and appears to have been inserted for no other reason than to give Walston a reason to appear in the film. He plays up to the camera big time: as we know, Martians get "drunk" on ice cream. Witness how Walston turns right to the camera at one point and takes a big bite of vanilla. I guess it's supposed to be ironic that the former Martian is now eating ice cream, but it comes across as nothing more than camera-hogging. Yeah, hi Ray. We see you.
Perhaps most disappointing is the film's willingness to follow its characters down irrelevant tangents, even when urgency is required. Martin appears frantic when he discovers that an explosion will result if he doesn't take off within 12 hours, but nonetheless, he and Tim go about their business in a leisurely manner. And I was most surprised to discover that an alternator from an American car will interface with a Martian spacecraft engine with no rewiring whatsoever. Neato.
I know, I know, I'm missing the point. As a kids' movie, there's nothing wrong with "My Favorite Martian"; parts of it are fun, and Lloyd in particular goes above and beyond the call of duty to keep the audience laughing. But like most science-fiction films, the movie relies more on effects than story. Kids will probably enjoy it, and so will adults (if they have a love for wacky physical comedy), but I was hoping for a little less formula and a little more science.
E-Mail: jbarlow@earthling.net Joe Barlow on Film: http://www.ipass.net/~jbarlow/film.htm
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