MOM AND DAD SAVE THE WORLD
A film review by Ken Johnson
Copyright 1993 Ken Johnson
1:26, PG, Comedy, 1992 Director: Greg Beeman Cast: Teri Garr, Jeffrey Jones, Jon Lovitz, Dwier Brown, Kathy Ireland, Thalmus Rasulala, Wallace Shawn, Eric Idle
Jon Lovitz, the ruler of a planet of idiots, is going to destroy Earth. He sees Teri Garr, an Earth woman, and has Garr and her husband Jeffrey Jones brought up to his planet. Lovitz has Jones imprisoned and tries to marry Garr. Jones escapes from prison and has to save Garr and the Earth.
Given the comic talent in MOM AND DAD SAVE THE WORLD, it could have been a lot better than it turned out. However, that doesn't mean that this film is a waste of time because it is far from that. This film will only be liked by those who enjoy "stupid" comedies. On a scale of zero to five, I give MOM AND DAD SAVE THE WORLD a four with reservations (a 3.5). MOM AND DAD SAVE THE WORLD is rated PG for adult situations and violence.
Jon Lovitz (A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, MR. DESTINY) is not at his best in this film. He was better in almost any of his appearances in the old episodes of "Saturday Night Live". Jeffrey Jones (STAY TUNED, BEETLEJUICE) carries most of this film. He does a great job. Teri Garr (TOOTSIE, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND) gives a reasonably good performance. Kathy Ireland (NATIONAL LAMPOON'S LOADED WEAPON 1, MR. DESTINY) is great. Wallace Shawn (THE PRINCESS BRIDE, SHADOWS AND FOG) is disappointing. I expected much better from him. Eric Idle (NATIONAL LAMPOON'S EUROPEAN VACATION, MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE) is the best actor in this film. This film is worth seeing just for him. The various creatures in this film are also great, especially the ones that live in the sewers.
As I mentioned earlier, MOM AND DAD SAVE THE WORLD is a "stupid" comedy. It starts out slowly, but about one-fourth of the way through the film starts to pick up and doesn't slow back down. This film is basically well written. It is not in the league of such films as HOT SHOTS!, NATIONAL LAMPOON'S LOADED WEAPON 1, or THE NAKED GUN 2 1/2: THE SMELL OF FEAR. If any children are around, they will love this film.
-------- Ken Johnson blj@mithrandir.cs.unh.edu
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