What Planet Are You From

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So just what planet was he from, then?

FILM REVIEW: What Planet Are You From?

PLOT: A male life form from another planet populated entirely of highly evolved males is sent down to Earth in order to impregnate a woman and save his own planet.

Despite its one-track mentality and overall tame nature, this fun-premised film features a decent helping of chuckles, a couple of big laughs, interesting characters interpreted by good actors and enough penis jokes to satisfy...well, all penis joke lovers!

Being a proud lifetime member of the penis joke lovers club, I was amused by most of what I saw in this film but still managed to leave the theater with an uneasy sense of fulfillment.

Sure I smiled, laughed and giggled...uhm, well okay I don't giggle, but chuckled my way through one humming penis joke after the next, and you bet I enjoyed John Goodman's nutjob FAA dude performance, as well as Kinnear's king of sleaze character, but ultimately it just felt like the film was missing a certain je ne sais quoi...bite, perhaps!

I guess I was expecting a darker, grittier and much funnier interpretation of this creative premise, but in the end, it felt more like a safe trolley ride through the sanitized lanes of Hollywood studio-land.

Shandling...with restraints on tight. Don't get me wrong, the film isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, in fact, I sort of appreciated some of its smaller, more emotional moments between Shandling and Bening, and its cute ending.

But if you're like me, expecting to see an edgy, darker point of view in this film, you will be hard-pressed to find it among its grab-bag of penis humming jokes.

In fact, the penis humming gag is the film's main running feature (i.e. alien gets horny, penis starts humming loudly...alien gets turned off, the humming subsides), which I personally enjoyed (see previous lifetime membership acknowledgment earlier on in this review), but which I certainly can see getting "old" to others out there.

Overall, I would say that the film does provide for some light, enjoyable, quick and easy entertainment with an original story, but I would recommend that you go into it with minimal expectations and a certified predilection towards penis and male chauvinistic humor.

Guilty on both counts :)

Little Known Facts about this film and its stars:

Garry Shandling is not an easy person to break up with, as proven by the end of his 7-year relationship with actress Linda Doucett (who played the blonde, bimbo secretary on "The Larry Sanders" show), which resulted in her filing charges against him for sex discrimination and sexual harassment, as well as his breakup with long-time agent and friend, Brad Grey, which resulted in Shandling suing Grey for millions of dollars.

Annette Bening currently has three children with actor Warren Beatty, also known as the "Man with the golden dick", with another one baking in the oven.

Interesting to note that actress Annette Bening once again portrays a real-estate agent in this film, as she did in her Oscar-nominated role from AMERICAN BEAUTY (7.5/10), as well as getting pinned in bed by her lover.

John Goodman calls New Orleans, Louisiana home for him, his wife of eleven years and their one daughter. Director Mike Nichols was born in Berlin, Germany to a Russian father and a German mother.

His real name is Michael Igor Peschkowsky. His family immigrated to the United States when he was only seven years old, and he was brought up in New York City. He also co-founded the Chicago comedy group The Compass, later renamed Second City.

He has been calling TV anchor Diane Sawyer his wife since 1988.

Director: Mike Nichols Writers: Garry Shandling, Michael Leeson, Ed Solomon and Peter Tolan

Producers: Mike Nichols, Garry Shandling and Neil A. Machlis

Actors: Garry Shandling as Harold Anderson Annette Bening as Susan Hart John Goodman as Roland Jones Greg Kinnear as Perry Gordon Linda Fiorentino as Helen Gordon

Year of Release: 2000

This article was kindly contributed by Berge over at Jo Blo's Movie Emporium. Copyright remains with Berge's site.

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