Widowed astronomer Steve Mills (Dan Aykroyd) one night
screwing around at work inadvertently sends a signal into deep space that
causes a gravitational disruption, forcing a race of an advanced
extraterrestrial race of beings to send over one of their own to
investigate.Donning the enticing human
form of Celeste (Kim Basinger), the alien proceeds to seduce and swindle the astronomer
who is immediately smitten by her beauty.Over time spent with him and his young daughter Jessie (Alyson Hannigan
from American Pie), she comes to care for the family she was sent out to
bamboozle.Soon Jessie begins noticing
strange behaviors like Celeste talking to her purse which actually contains a
deadly alien supercomputer inside it, drinking car battery acid and making a
breakfast bigger than the decadent feast thrown in La Grande Bouffe.All the while, unbeknownst to Celeste, her
race of super beings intends to destroy the Earth in retaliation for the
gravitational disruption, if only she and her clueless new beau Steve can
intercept them in time.
An effects-laden screwball comedy co-starring John Lovitz,
Harry Shearer and then-unknown introductions from young actors Seth Green and
Juliette Lewis, My Stepmother is an Alien is crass and dumb but
ultimately cute and charming with inspired comic performances from Lovitz and
Basinger.Dan Aykroyd does his usual
technobabble comic schtick though the setup between him and Basinger over her otherworldliness
will remind some viewers of the more artistically successful John Carpenter
film Starman.The real child
wonder of the film is Alyson Hannigan who is tasked with portraying a young
girl who is the only one first aware of her new stepmother’s real identity.In between scenes of tears, fear, joy and
excitement, Hannigan makes this little girl believable and the only one in the
film really aware of the whole big picture. Visually speaking the film is taut and handsomely rendered
by recurring Robert Wise cinematographer Richard H. Kline who himself is no
stranger to science fiction fantasy having lensed both The Andromeda Strain and
Star Trek: The Motion Picture.Furthering the science fiction lore is Star Wars and Lifeforce
visual effects artist John Dykstra who is still active on producing effects
for major Hollywood films to this day.Last but not least to the concoction is composer Alan Silvestri of the Back
to the Future films, Predator, The Abyss and Ready Player
One, a man who lives and breathes all things science fiction and his serviceable
score here adds an additional layer of comic excitement that gives the film a Ghostbusters
patina of fantasy horror comedy.
Despite tanking with audiences and particularly with critics
who took umbrage with Aykroyd as a romantic lead, the film found fans of
Basinger and Lovitz’s performances who both understand the nuances of physical
comedy and comic timing. Basinger makes
this advanced superhuman being into a giggly, awkward beauty who seems to wow
everyone in her path while also possessing unforeseen metaphysical abilities. A surprisingly touching venture that feels
somewhere between Coneheads and Weird Science, My Stepmother
is an Alien is a feel-good dose of fantastical escapism laden with snarky
pop cultural references, countless needle drops and just enough bawdiness on
display to make the whole endeavor positively rib tickling. If nothing else it remains for most Aykroyd
fans a largely unchecked chapter of the comedian’s prolific and checkered
career.
