Let me say this right upfront – if you don't like goofy humor, a la Saturday Night Live style, you'll hate, detest, and loathe this flick. As for myself, I rather enjoyed it, even all these years after it's 1993 release.

The Basic Plot
The film opens with Beldar and Prymaat, aliens from the planet Remulak, crash-landing on earth during a pre-invasion mission. Forced to abandon their mission, they must live as Earthlings in the good old USA until they can be rescued by their fellow aliens. Though they try very hard to "blend in with the bluntskull" humans (aren't we all?), two persistent INS agents suspect that something is not quite right!

During their stay on Earth, a wee Conehead is conceived and their daughter Connie turns out to be a rather All-American girl while her "parental units" chase the American dream. Despite all their goofiness, we see that these aliens are really not so different from us...

I can't really say more because it's something you just have to watch. However, I will say that, although predictable, the movie does have a satisfying conclusion.

The Background
The Coneheads is based on a series of comedy skits aired on Saturday Night Live (SNL) decades ago. Most movies based on short skits have a distinct choppy feel, like a bunch of skits glued together. This movie surprised me by actually feeling seamless, like a real show and not an overly long drawn-out skit.

The Cast
The cast is full of big names... BEFORE they were really big names, that is. Besides Jane Curtin (of 3rd Rock from the Sun fame) and Dan Aykroyd, the cast includes Chris Farley, David Spade, Sinbad, Adam Sandler, Phil Hartman, Drew Carey, Tom Arnold, Jon Lovitz, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander, Ellen DeGeneres, and many others you are sure to recognize.

Although this acting certainly won't win any major awards, it's perfect for this type of film. Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin do a fabulous job with facial expressions in particular and Chris Farley is his usual over-the-top, spaz-on-speed self.

Content
Rated PG, this is a movie you can watch with the whole family, though very young children won't get the humor and will probably be bored. There is no nudity, and a small amount of bad language. There is a small bit of violence, particularly near the end of the movie when a very fearsome monster must be battled. However, I've seen much worse on regular Saturday morning cartoons.

The Nitty Gritty
Though a movie of this type could easily fall flat, the director does a good job of keeping it moving. It seems to flow pretty well, and the humor is interspersed throughout the whole movie. No deep belly-laughs, perhaps, but several laugh-out-loud moments for sure.

As far as plot goes... it's a fun, relaxing, laugh-at-ourselves type of flick. (If you want a deep drama, don't rent this one.) But the humor is great – life on earth is a rather funny thing, isn't it? The Coneheads take the everyday things we use in life and show us how weird they can actually be. (Who says you have to sleep on your bed horizontally?)

One of the gags that kept my husband and I laughing all the way through the film was the "politically correct" sort of speech the Coneheads used. For example, a lawnmower is referred to as a "chlorophyll stalk cutter", and a mall is an "enclosed retail compound".

A moment that I found funny (but my husband didn't) was when Prymaat went into labor and her water broke... any woman who has felt this personally can tell you that it really feels like a flood. Well, let's just say that's pretty much what happened here! Actually, most of the labor gags were very funny.

In Summary
This film gets 4 stars because, though it's no deep soul-wrenching, thought-provoking show, it's worth watching and there are some great one-liners you may find yourself quoting. It's fun, humorous, and though not a totally fresh concept, it's not a stale one either. The conclusion feels just that – concluded. Not too brief, not too drawn out, and one that makes as much sense as a plot of this sort can.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS