Mike Nichols; Gary Shandling; Annette Bening; Ben Kingsley; John Goodman; Greg Kinnear...
Some may look at this list of utterly-undeniably talented people and expect great achievement, while others may anticipate a too-many-cooks effect. Whatever *you* expect from What Planet Are You From? I can tell you one thing; Let this be the only review you read!!
I have read countless reviews of this film, such as Roger Ebert's One-Star one-note write up (in which he sounds as if he wishes he wrote the film), The SF Examiner's feeble complaint and Time Magazine's bile explosion in paragraph form, and they all nitpicked the film to death while ignoring the beauty of it all. Some focused on the 'buzzing penis' gag which leads me to believe they only screened previews and slept through the actual film. Yet others complained that Gary Shandling isn't sexy and shouldn't have starred in the title role. Uhhh... OK, lets cast Fabio, for his looks and great comedic timing.
I've seen plenty of movies, many of them comedies, and this one ranks with some of the best. I feel the casting was inspired across the board and features one of Greg Kinnear's best performances as a slimy womanizing cretin. Shandling is stellar as always, seeming to have an endless supply of one-liners and expressions for any situation. Annette Bening is possibly the best actress of her generation, and this performance clinches it.
I'll bring it into focus for you: it's a comedy of manners featuring a procreation-obsessed alien and a sex/relationship-disfunctional planet. The script is a Shandlingesque miracle and the performances are perfect. The film mixes universal truths about the human condition and truly funny situations which could have been clichés but were saved by the sly screenplay.
I don't know what the negative reviewers were expecting, but I got exactly what I thought I would: gifted actors and a fantastic director making what should have been a huge hit. Unfortunately, it seems that the prejudices and laziness of reviewers have sent this great movie to the bargain bin. See it today.
Some may look at this list of utterly-undeniably talented people and expect great achievement, while others may anticipate a too-many-cooks effect. Whatever *you* expect from What Planet Are You From? I can tell you one thing; Let this be the only review you read!!
I have read countless reviews of this film, such as Roger Ebert's One-Star one-note write up (in which he sounds as if he wishes he wrote the film), The SF Examiner's feeble complaint and Time Magazine's bile explosion in paragraph form, and they all nitpicked the film to death while ignoring the beauty of it all. Some focused on the 'buzzing penis' gag which leads me to believe they only screened previews and slept through the actual film. Yet others complained that Gary Shandling isn't sexy and shouldn't have starred in the title role. Uhhh... OK, lets cast Fabio, for his looks and great comedic timing.
I've seen plenty of movies, many of them comedies, and this one ranks with some of the best. I feel the casting was inspired across the board and features one of Greg Kinnear's best performances as a slimy womanizing cretin. Shandling is stellar as always, seeming to have an endless supply of one-liners and expressions for any situation. Annette Bening is possibly the best actress of her generation, and this performance clinches it.
I'll bring it into focus for you: it's a comedy of manners featuring a procreation-obsessed alien and a sex/relationship-disfunctional planet. The script is a Shandlingesque miracle and the performances are perfect. The film mixes universal truths about the human condition and truly funny situations which could have been clichés but were saved by the sly screenplay.
I don't know what the negative reviewers were expecting, but I got exactly what I thought I would: gifted actors and a fantastic director making what should have been a huge hit. Unfortunately, it seems that the prejudices and laziness of reviewers have sent this great movie to the bargain bin. See it today.