Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) / Comedy-Sci Fi

MPAA Rated: PG-13 for partial nudity and innuendo
Running time: 126 min.

Cast: Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, Julie Brown, Michael McKean, Charles Rocket
Director: Julien Temple
Screenplay: Julie Brown, Charlie Coffey, Terrence E. McNally
Review published May 7, 2008

Three lusty (and furry) aliens make the discovery of hot babes on Earth to procreate with and decide to land their spaceship, ending up in the backyard pool of So-Cal "valley girl" Valerie Gail (Davis, Beetlejuice).  Gail is engaged to a philandering doctor, Ted (Rocket, Dumb & Dumber), who has eyes for every woman but her these days.  Ted's caught and tossed out, the aliens befriend her, and they hit the local hotspots in search of new mates.  Hilarity ensues.

I remember thinking this film a decent escapist musical back in my younger days, but upon a recent re-viewing, it was just a shade better than intolerable.  The best thing about the film is the cast it boasts, including early roles for future "In Living Color" comedians Jim Carrey (The Dead Pool, Ace Ventura) and Damon Wayans (Blankman, The Great White Hype).  The rest is pretty much a waste of time, as the script, co-written by supporting player Julie Brown (Police Academy 2, Clueless), based on her song of the same name, is too insubstantial to support a full-length feature.  Even the superfluous injection of less than a handful of music videos can do little but pad things out so that the 5-minute skit can make it all the way to its 90-minute finish line.  

The title of the film would suggest a cheesy b-movie throwback to the kinds of exploitative sci-fi that they churned out in the 1950s.  There is certainly that element to the movie, but most of the mileage anyone would get nowadays comes from its association with the worst hairstyles, clothing, music, and lingo of the 1980s.  Looking at the movie today, it's hard on the eyes and ears, with its bright neon color schemes and synthesized scoring, it's the kind of movie that could only be made, and only be popularly enjoyed, in the mid-to-late 1980s.

I will admit that Earth Girls are Easy has a zany, innocuous appeal that makes it easy to watch so long as you're not looking to be captured by a story, plot or interesting developments.  There are lively performances (particularly by Carrey), an energetic music video tempo (director Temple began his career documenting the punk scene, followed by a lengthy career in music videos), and enough beefcake and cheesecake shots of the cast to satisfy fans of such things.  

 Qwipster's rating:

©2008 Vince Leo