Coneheads

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_**Fun shenanigans with the Coneheads on Earth and Remulak**_ RELEASED IN 1993 and directed by Steve Barron, "Coneheads" chronicles events when a couple from the planet Remulak, Beldar (Dan Aykroyd) and Prymatt (Jane Curtin), are mistakenly ditched on Earth, during a reconnaissance mission for planet takeover. Their misadventures include: Dodging the INS (Michael McKean & David Spade), moving to suburbia and having a kid (Michelle Burke) and meeting all kinds of colorful people (Sinbad, Jason Alexander, Chris Farley, etc.). In other words, there’s a constant string of guest stars that were popular at the time, mostly comedians. I had my doubts about this movie because I didn’t think they could take an amusing 9-minute SNL skit and effectively make it into a film ten times longer. But the flick’s funny from the get-go and the writers wisely change settings & peripheral characters so regularly that the story never gets dull. The third act features a well-done sequence on the Conehead homeworld, Remulak. On the female front there’s Lisa Jane Persky as a voluptuously winsome neighbor and the mind-blowing Michelle Burke as the Conehead daughter, Connie (a role that Laraine Newman fulfilled on TV, but she was considered too old for the role in the film at 40). The creators wisely showcase Burke’s beauty without resorting to tasteless sleaze. Critics may have hated it, but “Coneheads” competently entertains and amuses on several levels. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 28 minutes and was shot in New York City; Paramus, New Jersey; and Cerritos, California. GRADE: B

Though this isn't the very best movie made from Saturday Night Live skits and characters (that would be a tossup between 'The Blues Brothers' and the two 'Wayne's World' entries), this is definitely top-tier and in the best five ever made. Laraine Newman and Jane Curtin were very underrated as comediennes, and the unsung heroes that held the cast together during its excellent run of the early days. What's hardly ever talked about, when it comes to movies based on SNL skits, is how important the supporting players are. 'Coneheads' undoubtedly has the strongest supporting cast of any of them, and while director Barron has hardly become a household name in terms of movies (only this and 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' really hit the radar), his prowess on some of the greatest music videos of all time (ie., Dire Straits' 'Money for Nothing', Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' and A-Ha's 'Take On Me') was picture-perfect for the comedic set-pieces here. Definitely worth at least a watch, here in the 21st-century.

Coneheads, yeah, it's one of the FEW SNL movies that turned out right, especially since it came so long after the Conehead sketches stopped airing. But then it was back before SNL made it's downward spiral to the dust bin. It has an all star cast, and in even the small roles. It has a cast that was, more or less, the who is who of comedy in the early 90s, and is executed in way that actually tells a story... and that is what sets it apart from a lot of SNL movies (more modern movies in general), it actually tells a coherent story and takes the time to develop the characters. Because of that, you have a sense of real family and their plights have a meaningful resonance that only comes with the well developed mind of a skilled writer and director.