Coneheads

The fact that this is a good film AND it was done by ex-SNL actors help this movie to really stand out for me. Dan Aykroyd is terrific as Beldar and it shows that he CAN do a decent film (and he's done some stinkers--Neighbors, 1941, Nothing But Trouble, Dr. Detroit).

As I said above, I haven't been that impressed by many of the films by ex-SNL cast members--especially when they are movie-length versions of SNL skits. However, this movie expands on the characters and has great heart. In other words, despite the humor, the lead characters come off as sympathetic and decent. If the characters had been just like they were in the skits, the movie would have fallen flat on its face. Instead, we are treated to many instances when the Coneheads try so hard to fit in and be the average American family. It's also quite amusing that almost no one seems to notice that they AREN'T! There are many SNL-related cameos and supporting players throughout the movie and they are pretty well integrated (i.e., they usually don't seem like tacked on cameos but fit within the plot). Also, although I generally hate David Spade, his annoying personality fits in perfectly with the character he plays.

This is a good film for the whole family. It's cute, funny and actually has amazingly good family values!

Remember the "Coneheads" on SNL(Saturday Night Live)? Well, they are back! This time on the big screen. Beldar(Dan Ackroyd) and Prymatt(Jane Curtain) are on Earth planning to commit world conquest. But, when they settle on the planet they decided to live their lives there instead. They have such strange diets, and they claim themselves they are from "France". The government however don't think so. They later give birth to a daughter named Connie(Michelle Burke). She has a little trouble fitting in, until she meets Ronnie(Chris Farley, 1964-97). I liked the Subway scene where Connie puts away a sub which made Ronnie's mother look like an amateur. Looks like he found his dream girl there. When they go back to there planet, Beldar used his talents from Earth to stop a monster, while singing Soft Cell's "Tained Love". Great cast, silly plot, this movie is good for all SNL fans. Some say it was rather late, I would say, "Who Cares?" 2.5 out of 5 Stars!

"Coneheads" is the perfect kind of movie to have on killing time late at night, or when you just want to veg and not think about anything. The humor in the movie is simple to understand and easy to laugh at. Adam Sandler's cameo in the movie was great. Sinbad has a cameo too that he turns into many laughs. This movie was fun to watch. Of course there are many jokes about how these people have cones for heads, but that is the title of the movie, so no complaints warranted there. Dan Aykroyd really loves his Beldar character, and it shows here as much as it does in the many Saturday Night Live skits about the Coneheads.

The Coneheads did not open to overly positive ratings, and it's not surprising it didn't. The plot is contrived...in fact there barely even is a plot. The whole point of the movie seems to be to make an old sketch funny and hip again, and bring together 18 years of Saturday Night Live members under one roof, and actually it succeeds at both. Beldar and Pyrmatt Conehead were funnier here than they ever were on the SNL sketches, and cast members from all the years appear including all the surviving original cast members (minus Chevy Chase).

Beldar (Dan Aykroyd) and Pyrmatt (Jane Curtain) are coneheaded aliens accidentally stranded on Earth. This movie goes through their everyday lives, the birth of their daughter, Connie (Not played by Larraine Newman this time), and their trying to avoid being deported by the INS. Though this film is plot less, that's not actually a bad thing. Because of it's plot less-ness, every ex-SNL member that could be found seemed to have a role in this playing random characters. The jokes are coming at a rapid pace, so even if some don't work, a minute later another one will come to make up for it. Aykroyd and Curtain were actually great together and had quite a bit of chemistry.

This is a fun movie, and for any Saturday Night Live fan, this will be great. For anyone else, this may be a mixed bag.

My rating: *** out of ****. 88 mins. PG for language, nudity and sexual humor.

I've never watched a microsecond of SNL so I watched this as just another film. It's not Gone with the Wind, but it doesn't pretend to be. It's a small scale comedy. It isn't 90 minutes of side splitting belly laughs, but it's mildly amusing throughout and there are a number of pretty good jokes. Flicking through the twenty or so movies my cable channel is offering me this evening, I'd prefer Coneheads to any of them. That doesn't make it a masterpiece, it just makes it a solid little comedy that will leave you more cheerful at the end than you were at the beginning. For those who like their comedy to be cutting edge with constant sarcastic political barbs, you should look elsewhere. (Is this why some reviewers don't like it - maybe they were expecting political satire ?) This isn't satire, it's mild smiley humour a la Ghostbusters, and none the worse for that.