Amazon Women on the Moon

Greetings, one and all! "Amazon Women on the Moon" is one of my all-time favorite movies, not because it is perfect, but because it effectively yet respectfully lampoons so many genres, including 50s movies, late-night television of all sorts, and even different styles of literature available throughout a good portion of the 20th century. Find a trend in literature of the 40s and 50s, movies of the 50s and 60s, or television of the 50s through the 70s, and it is somehow made fun of in this movie.

Another reason that I like this film is the fact that everyone involved, and there are many, many recognizable names involved with this project, seems to be having so much fun doing it. Several of the best moments for me are those when actors are playing, tongue-in-cheek, the same types of roles for which they were famous in other "serious" movies.

The movie is incredibly funny if you are in the right mood, and with the right crowd. Even if not, however, there are enough funny moments to make this worth watching. The pacing and style are sometimes uneven, which I found worked toward a purpose, but that may make it hard for some to watch the movie straight through. If that is the case, watch it in two sittings; it's worth the extra effort.

One game you can play, if you know the times or are old enough to remember first-hand, is to find how many books, TV shows/icons, and movies are good-naturedly ridiculed throughout the movie.

It's really hard to give a score to this movie, as I have seen two or three different versions of the film. The original version appears to have been re-edited to remove some of the dirtier skits (and there were quite a few). Then, less funny skits that were apparently left on the editing room floor were substituted--with less than glowing results.

When the movie is funny, it is side-splittingly funny (especially the teenager buying condoms, the funeral, and Lou Jacobi re-appearing throughout the movie after he is sucked into the television set) but it also tends to fall flat from time to time. This unevenness is probably due to the fact that this movie had MANY different directors--each directing their own skits and then the movie was pieced back together. The end result is highly reminiscent of a better version of Kentucky Fried Movie.

My advice is, see the original un-edited version--but WITHOUT the kids! The edited version just isn't all that funny.

This is not a great film by any means, but there are some really hilarious, unforgettable sketches in this movie. There's the Playboy bunny who goes grocery shopping naked, goes to church naked and everyone else acts like its normal. The Amazon Women on the Moon sketch is a scream. David Alan Grier is fantastic as the man without soul. There's the Siskel and Ebert-style critique of a man's life. There's also Andrew Dice Clay's finest moment (not like he's had any others) as he screams from a TV set at someone watching his girlfriend's porn video. A very silly movie, but with lots of great moments.

There's no subtlety with "Amazon Women on the Moon"; a lot of the gags are on-the-nose and sometimes I actually wanted to shake my head for laughing. But I think the key here is the execution.

For starters, just look at the cast on this thing. It's one name actor after another, and I don't think there's a weakness among them. Also, the subject matter (late-night TV) seems ripe for parody; it lends itself to the movie's shameless mix of ribald and farcical. But more important than all of this is the ability to surprise. My favorite segment (aside from Arsenio Hall's being systematically attacked by his own apartment) is Don "No Soul" Simmons:

"Did you know that every seven minutes, a black person is born in this country without soul?"

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that David Alan Grier walks away with this movie.

There's just something about this that works; it's consistently funny, the bits are largely memorable, and it's got John Landis' fingerprints all over it. Sold!

8/10

The movie is funny in general. Several segments are good, and they are smart enough to know when their welcome is worn out.

The highlight for me is Don "No Soul" Simmons, the unhippest black guy ever born, and poster boy for the charitable campaign to aid black people born without soul.

David Greer singing "Blame it on the Bossa Nova" over the closing credits is worth the price of the rental.