This weekend sees the release of The Judge, the very Oscar-y RDJ and Robert Duvall movie. Last weekend was Gone Girl - and it's only going to get more drama-y as we get closer to the end of the year. I found myself wishing there was some sort of zany comedy to watch. Then, Tim and Eric (if you're not familiar with their work - they are insane comedians who have had several shows on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network - Tom Goes To The Mayor being my favorite) released a commercial they
shot for GE lightbulbs starring Jeff Goldblum –who has worked with them on many
occasions, and it reminded me that I am a huge Jeff Goldblum fan.
There are so many things he has done that I have loved – he
was brilliant as Dr. Ian Malcom in the Jurassic Park movies and felt exactly as
he was described in the book. He is
fantastic in the multiple Wes Anderson movies he is in, particularly The Life
Aquatic with Steve Zissou. He was
absolutely the best part of the Hugh Grant rom-com Nine Months. Independence Day goes almost without saying
and then of course, there is the Fly. In general - he's just a pretty cool dude.
I’m sure you have your own favorite Jeff Goldblum movie, but
I was suddenly reminded of Earth Girls are Easy – one of my all time favorite
silly 80s comedies, and one that was semi-responsible for some of the best
parts of In Living Color. Earth Girls
Are Easy is classified as a “musical romantic comedy” and was written by
comedienne and MTV VJ (back when they had VJs because they played only music
videos) Julie Brown – not to be confused with MTV VJ Downtown Julie Brown
(wubba wubba wubba). It was directed by
Julien Temple, who really has only directed musical documentaries since and
before. The story came from a song on
Brown’s album at the time, and was developed into a movie.
In what is surely one of the most ridiculous plots you’ve
ever heard, Valerie Gail is a valley girl (get it?) manicurist working in the
fantastically named “Curl Up and Dye” hair salon. She catches her fiancé Dr. Ted cheating on
her with his nurse, and kicks him out of the house, spending the next day
sunbathing. Meanwhile, three fuzzy
aliens (Mac, Zeebo, and Wiploc) who are on a long mission through the galaxy
are bemoaning the fact that they have had no female contact in a very long
time. They check out earth and see
Valerie sunbathing – as a result, they crash in her swimming pool. Valerie handles this pretty well, and brings
them into the house. She calls her
friend Woody to come drain the pool so that they can get the spaceship
out. There is a bit of a language
barrier, but then the aliens begin watching TV, and swiftly learn our language
and customs (of course they do). In
order to help them blend in, Valerie takes them to the salon, where her friend
Candy helps shave them.
Turns out – they look
human, hot, and exactly like a young Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, and Damon
Wayans. Hijinks ensue, and in the end, Valerie realizes that Dr. Ted is a loser, and that she wants to travel the galaxy with Mac.
Yes, completely and totally ridiculous, but trust me, that’s
the point. Madonna and some other big
time 80s pop stars were approached for the lead, but lucky for us, that didn’t
happen.
- Geena Davis got the lead and plays Valarie as a complete
stereotypical SoCal Valley Girl. It’s
hard to believe from someone who auditioned for Sarah Connor, and would go on
to be extra awesome in Long Kiss Goodnight.
She was married to Jeff Goldblum from 1987 to 1990, and they made three movies together: This, Transylvania 6-5000, and the Fly. Their chemistry is crazy obvious, especially in this silly movie, and they are really entertaining to watch together.
- Jeff Goldblum plays Mac, and once the blue hair comes off, he has never looked as sexy as he looks in this movie (just my opinion). He plays Mac with a very simple, straightforward, almost elegant quality. He’s so good in everything, and this movie is so fluffy that he really stands out as the best part.
- Jim Carrey plays Wiploc, and this is where he met Damon
Wayans, which would eventually land him on In Living Color (1990-2001), and
that is where the world found him. This movie really allows him to take advantage of his comically rubber face, and spend most of the movie bouncing around with Damon Wayans, being silly.
- Damon Wayans plays Zeebo, and is equally silly to Carrey. The two of them clearly establish Goldblum as the leader, which allows them to go for the straight slapstick comedy. Honestly, it’s over-the-top and completely insane, but it works for this movie.
- Julie Brown plays Candy Pink (yes, Candy Pink), the salon owner,
who helps shave down the aliens. She
doesn’t really act in this so much as just is the exact same personality that
she was on MTV. Also – we do get entire music breakdown of the song, “Cuz I’m A Blonde”, which I definitely remember being played on the radio around that time.
- Charles Rocket plays Dr. Ted, who is mostly useless in the movie, and just serves to drive Valerie into Mac’s arms. He’s a tool, but in a really entertaining way.
- Michael McKean plays Woody, who is hilarious in the small role as he completely distracts the two aliens to take them to the beach.
Overall, it’s completely insane, silly and ridiculous. I also find it completely hilarious. Chances are you forgot about it, or maybe
never saw it. Do yourself a favor and
rent it now!
8 out of 10. Gained
points for Zeebo stating that he is black once he’s shaved down, cracks me
up. Lost points for Dr. Ted and his
nurse. Gained points for Jeff Goldblum
and Geena Davis’s chemistry. How much
better would Cutthroat Island have been if it had been Goldblum instead of
Modine? Nevermind, I can’t picture
Goldblum as a pirate, besides, I like that movie as it is.
Bonus Video 1:
Cutthroat Island - the best Frank Langella has ever been - oh, no wait - that would be Masters of the Universe.
Bonus Video 2: My absolute favorite recurring Jim
Carrey bit on In Living Color
Bonus Video 3: Damon
Wayans and Jim Carrey in the Wrath of Farrakhan.
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