My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Richard Benjamin

Writers (WGA):

Jerico (written by) and
Herschel Weingrod (written by) ...

Release Date:

9 December 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A million lightyears from home, she's found a husband, a stepdaughter and a dog. When she finds out about sex, she may just stay for weekend.

Plot:

An alien is sent on a secret mission to Earth, where she appears as a gorgeous, attractive, and single lady...

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Space | Secret | Scientist | Breakfast

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Dan Aykroyd	...	Steven Mills
Kim Basinger	...	Celeste Martin
Jon Lovitz	...	Ron Mills
Alyson Hannigan	...	Jessie Mills
Joseph Maher	...	Lucas Budlong
Seth Green	...	Fred Glass
Ann Prentiss	...	The Voice of Bag (voice)
Wesley Mann	...	Grady
Tony Jay	...	Council Chief
Peter Bromilow	...	Second in Command
Nina Henderson	...	Cashier
Harry Shearer	...	Carl Sagan (voice)
Adrian Sparks	...	Dr. Morosini
Juliette Lewis	...	Lexie
Tanya Fenmore	...	Ellen

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Thousand Oaks, California, USA

Company:

Weintraub Entertainment Group

Trivia:

Shelley Long was originally cast as Celeste.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the scene where the videos appear from the bag, a crew member can be seen pushing up one of the videos by movement under the material in one side of the base where the bag is positioned.

Quotes:

[on Ron's braces]
Celeste Martin: Ooh, mouth jewelry!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: Spies Reminiscent of Us (#8.3)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Not Just Another Girl

"Oh, Dr. Steve, that was sooo good."

This movie definitely falls under the "so bad it's funny" category. It is easily one of the most absurd Hollywood movies ever. Some of it almost feels like a Bugs Bunny cartoon starring SNL alums. The writer and director were either in the middle of a massive hallucinogen binge or had just gotten done watching like forty billion bad 1950s movies in a row.

Akroyd is mostly boring, but the look on his face when the ultra sexy Basinger puts the moves on him is priceless -- you can tell he's been in that situation before. The best acting in the movie probably comes from the dog, but as far as human actors go, Alyson Hannigan (the daughter) is an entertaining and refreshing break from the pouty, "my parents are so lame" cardboard cutouts found in most 80s and 90s comedies.

One of the funniest things I've ever seen comes at the party after the wedding. It lasts about a split second, but the band's keyboard player does the goofiest, most ridiculous 'pretending to make music' acting job ever.

Bottom line: the story and dialogue are so completely ludicrous that depending on how goofy a sense of humor you have, this will either be the worst or the funniest movie you'll ever see.