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

From: "Berge Garabedian" <[email-masked]>
Date: 27 Feb 2000 19:04:33 GMT

WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM?
RATING: 6.5 /10 --> So-so

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Am I the only one who still has dozens of "Larry Sanders" shows stashed in
all my video drawers? I hope not, cause that was one of the funniest and
best-written shows to ever hit the airwaves. It starred Garry Shandling as
Larry, and featured much of his signature dry, sarcastic and biting humor.
Easily one of the best asshole characters ever put to the small screen. With
that in mind, I was looking mighty forward to Garry's first big screen
credit as a writer and leading role.

PLOT:
A male life form from another planet populated entirely of highly evolved
males is sent down to Earth in order to impregnate a woman and consequently
save his own planet.

CRITIQUE:
Despite its one-track mentality and overall tame nature, this fun-premised
film features a decent helping of chuckles, a couple of big laughs,
interesting characters interpreted by good actors and enough penis jokes to
satisfy...well, all penis joke lovers! Being a proud lifetime member of the
penis joke lovers club, I was  amused by most of what I saw in this film but
still managed to leave the theater with an uneasy sense of fulfillment. Sure
I smiled, laughed and giggled...uhm, well okay I don't giggle, but chuckled
my way through one humming penis joke after the next, and you bet I enjoyed
John Goodman's nutjob FAA dude performance, as well as Kinnear's king of
sleaze character, but ultimately it just felt like the film was missing a
certain je ne sais quoi...bite, perhaps! I guess I was expecting a darker,
grittier and much funnier interpretation of this creative premise, but in
the end, it felt more like a safe trolley ride through the sanitized lanes
of Hollywood studio-land. Shandling...with restraints on tight.

Don't get me wrong, the film isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, in
fact, I sort of appreciated some of its smaller, more emotional moments
between Shandling and Bening, and its cute ending. But if you're like me,
expecting to see an edgy, darker point of view in this film, you will be
hard-pressed to find it among its grab-bag of penis humming jokes. In fact,
the penis humming gag is the film's main running feature (i.e. alien gets
horny, penis starts humming loudly...alien gets turned off, the humming
subsides), which I personally enjoyed (see previous lifetime membership
acknowledgment earlier on in this review), but which I certainly can see
getting "old" to others out there. Overall, I would say that the film does
provide for some light, enjoyable, quick and easy entertainment with an
original story, but I would recommend that you go into it with minimal
expectations and a certified predilection towards penis and male
chauvinistic humor. Guilty on both counts :)

Little Known Facts about this film and its stars:
Garry Shandling is not an easy person to break up with, as proven by the end
of his 7-year relationship with actress Linda Doucett (who played the
blonde, bimbo secretary on "The Larry Sanders" show), which resulted in her
filing charges against him for sex discrimination and sexual harassment, as
well as his breakup with long-time agent and friend, Brad Grey, which
resulted in Shandling suing Grey for millions of dollars.
Annette Bening currently has three children with actor Warren Beatty, also
known as the "Man with the golden dick", with another one baking in the
oven.
John Goodman calls New Orleans, Louisiana home for him, his wife of eleven
years and their one daughter.
Interesting to note that actress Annette Bening once again portrays a
real-estate agent in this film, as she did in her Oscar-nominated role from
AMERICAN BEAUTY (7.5/10), as well as getting pinned in bed by her lover.
Director Mike Nichols was born in Berlin, Germany to a Russian father and a
German mother. His real name is Michael Igor Peschkowsky. His family
immigrated to the United States when he was only seven years old, and he was
brought up in New York City. He also co-founded the Chicago comedy group The
Compass, later renamed Second City. He has been calling TV anchor Diane
Sawyer his wife since 1988.

Review Date: February 26, 2000
Director: Mike Nichols
Writers: Garry Shandling, Michael Leeson, Ed Solomon and Peter Tolan
Producers: Mike Nichols, Garry Shandling and Neil A. Machlis
Actors: Garry Shandling as Harold Anderson
Annette Bening as Susan Hart
John Goodman as Roland Jones
Greg Kinnear as Perry Gordon
Genre: Comedy
Year of Release: 2000
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(c) 2000 Berge Garabedian