My Stepmother Is An Alien

Directed by Richard Benjamin, My Stepmother Is An Alien follows widowed scientist Steven Mills (Dan Aykroyd) as he finds himself falling for a mysterious woman named Celeste Martin (Kim Basinger) – with complications stemming from the minor detail that Celeste is, in fact, from outer space. Filmmaker Benjamin, armed with Herschel Weingrod, Timothy Harris, and Jonathan Reynolds’ screenplay, delivers an exceedingly hit-and-miss comedy that fares best in its affable and easygoing opening stretch, as the movie benefits from its initial emphasis on the rather irresistible fish-out-of-water exploits of Basinger’s clueless character (eg Celeste watches a series of movie clips to learn how to kiss) – with the watchable vibe heightened by the charming efforts of its various performers. (Aykroyd and Basinger are good together, certainly, and yet it’s Jon Lovitz, cast as a lecherous friend of Steven’s, that ultimately walks away with the title of M.V.P.) It’s equally clear, however, that My Stepmother Is An Alien does begin to palpably fizzle out as it progresses into its increasingly tedious second half, with the aggressively frenetic (and thoroughly tedious) bent of the picture’s climax ensuring that the whole thing closes on as underwhelming a note as one could’ve envisioned – which does, in the end, cement its place as a fairly forgettable misfire that squanders its appealing setup and agreeable stars.

** out of ****