Subject: Review: What Planet Are You From (2000)

From: "Mac VerStandig" <[email-masked]>
Date: 27 Feb 2000 19:08:37 GMT

What Planet Are You From
2 and 1/2 Stars (Out of 4)
Reviewed by Mac VerStandig
[email-masked]
http://www.moviereviews.org
February 27, 2000
USA Release Date - March 3, 2000

---A copy of this review can be found at 
http://www.moviereviews.org/what_planet_are_you_from.htm ---

The ordinarily conservative Ben Kingsley, while playing an intergalactic 
leader, says "penis." Gary Shandling's character makes a humming noise 
when sexually aroused, courtesy of an artificial sex organ. A sleazy 
banker has intercourse with his supervisor in the vault. Find this 
funny? So do I.

But not for two hours.

Some planet, "way the hell out there," is attempting a universal 
domination bid by knocking off one celestial body at a time and earth's 
number has come up. (Now there's a new one!) Agent 1449-6 (Gary 
Shandling) is selected to lead the takeover mission by going to earth, 
assuming the name Harold Anderson and successfully inseminating a human 
female. (Another new one!) Blending in won't be difficult, however, as 
our out-of-town guest already has a human appearance - minus a penis 
that is. Yes, one of the keys to the all-male planet's domination is 
that none of its species can think with any head other than that lying 
firmly between their shoulders.

Anderson ultimately settles on Susan Hart, (Annette Bening hot off of 
her Academy Award nominated portrayal of Carolyn Burnham in American 
Beauty) a reformed alcoholic whom he picks up at an A. A. meeting. There 
is little shock when Susan finally becomes pregnant and breaks the news 
to Harold with a lame yet surprisingly memorable show stopping "High 
Hopes."

Because Anderson has neither pride to lose nor humiliation to fear, he 
makes passes at woman after woman from the minute he lands until he 
settles on Hart. This allows the film to use numerous hilarious pickup 
lines that put this summer's memorable "Suck me, Beautiful!" (care of 
American Pie) to shame. But the oftentimes offensive and always lurid 
cracks are overshadowed by the aforementioned reoccurring vibrating 
penis joke that stops being funny very quickly but continues throughout 
the entire piece. 

Like most alien-come-to-earth movies, the villain here is represented by 
a disgruntled government employee with a rocky marriage. (EDITOR'S NOTE: 
you can delete the "alien-come-to-earth.") Here the bad guy is Roland 
Jones (John Goodman), but he never achieves full evil status since you 
simply can't help but feel badly for the overworked government servant.  

When dealing with a movie of this nature, some reality must be 
suspended. Fine, aliens who travel quickly through space and blend in on 
earth can be bought. But some concepts aren't as easy to swallow. Isn't 
it odd that Hart is willing to repeatedly engage in sexual congress with 
Anderson even though his reproductive organ hums? What about the fact 
that very few people think twice about her ability to deliver a baby 
after only the first trimester? And if Anderson took some poor guy's 
job, where is the poor guy?

So, to recap, Gandhi says a naughty word, Larry Sanders can't control 
himself and Carolyn Burnham sings. Don't let your hopes be as high as 
hers.