Main Cast: Seth Green, Juliette Lewis, Dan Aykroyd, Kim Basinger, Jon Lovitz, Alyson Hannigan, Joseph Maher
Release Year: 1988
Country: US
Run Time: 107 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
An astrophysicist falls in love with a beautiful woman who is actually a disguised extraterrestrial in this high-concept comedy. Dan Aykroyd plays Steven Mills, a dedicated and harmlessly odd scientist researching ways to send radio signals to deep space. Unbeknownst to him, one of his experiments works better than expected, attracting the attention of an alien in need of help. She travels to Earth and poses as a human, assuming the name Celeste and the body of Kim Basinger. Celeste's lack of knowledge about humanity causes her to act bizarrely at times, but her odd behavior unexpectedly causes Mills to fall in love with her. The confused Celeste decides to play along for her planet's sake, but she finds her plan threatened by Mills' teenage daughter Jessie (Alyson Hannigan), who has become suspicious of Celeste after witnessing some odd behavior. The culture clash between Celeste's planet and Earth serves as an excuse for broad slapstick and sitcom-style humor, such as Celeste's fumbling efforts to enact the human ritual of "kissing." ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Ann Prentiss - Bag; Earl Boen - Reverend; Peter Bromilow - Second in Command; James L. Edwards - Porn Actor; Tanya Fenmore - Ellen; Seth Green - Fred Glass; Karen Haber - Kristy; Tony Jay - Council Chief; Amy Kirkpatrick - Kimberly; Juliette Lewis - Lexie; Wesley Mann - Grady; Maxine - Porn Actress; Kevin McDermott - Olaf; Suzie Plakson - Tenley; Barbara Sharma - Mrs. Glass; Adrian Sparks - Dr. Morosini; Harry Shearer - Carl Sagan; Robert Benedetti - Drill Sergeant; Sophia Bowen - 12th Navigational Command; Susan Carlsberg - 12th Navigational Command; Lisa Croisette - Comdr. Winnek Wolfet; Dave the Dog - Peanut; Jim Doughan - Party Guest; Gabi - 12th Navigational Command; Nina Henderson - Cashier; Jim Jackman - Party Guest; Jay McCaslin - Party Guest; Robyn Mundell - Kat; Chere Rae - Station Wagon Driver; Gina Raymond - 12th Navigational Command; Michele Rogers - Skippy Budlong
Credit
Donald J. Remacle - Art Director, Nancy Foy - Casting, Don Correia - Choreography, Franklin R. Levy - Co-producer, Ronald Parker - Co-producer, Aggie Guerard Rodgers - Costume Designer, Alan B. Curtiss - First Assistant Director, Richard Benjamin - Director, Jacqueline Cambas - Editor, Art Levinson - Executive Producer, Laurence Mark - Executive Producer, Alan Silvestri - Composer (Music Score), Timothy R. Sexton - Musical Direction/Supervision, Dan Striepeke - Makeup, Brad Wilder - Makeup, Charles Rosen - Production Designer, Richard H. Kline - Cinematographer, Harold L. Fuhrman - Set Designer, Donald J. Remacle - Set Designer, Apogee Productions - Special Effects, Philip C. Cory - Special Effects, John Dykstra - Special Effects, Grant McCune - Special Effects, Jerry Jost - Sound/Sound Designer, Dick Ziker - Stunts, Richard Benner - Screenwriter, Leslie Bricusse - Screenwriter, Timothy Harris - Screenwriter, Jonathan Reynolds - Screenwriter, Susan Rice - Screenwriter, Herschel Weingrod - Screenwriter, Jerico Weingrod - Screenwriter, Jericho Stone - Screenwriter, Moe DiSesso - Animal Trainer/Wrangler
Celeste (Kim Basinger) is an alien sent on a secret mission to Earth; Steven Mills (Dan Aykroyd) is a widowed scientist who is working on experimental ways to send radio waves into deep space. An accident during one of his experiments inadvertently caused gravity to be ruined on Celeste's home world. Celeste is then sent to Earth to find out who has discovered a way to change gravity and how they did it. She is aided by an alien or alien device, resembling a large phallus with an eye, who hides himself in a designer purse to aid Celeste by indoctrinating her on Earth ways. The Bag is able to do amazing things like create diamonds and designer dresses almost instantaneously.
Celeste's newness on earth leads to some humorous situations where Celeste nearly exposes herself as alien due to her strange behavior, like trying to kiss someone for the first time or trying to cook. Jessie Mills (Alyson Hannigan) is Steven's daughter, who notices Celeste's strange habits, such as snacking on cigarette butts and flashlight batteries, pulling hard boiled eggs out of boiling water, and handling an extremely hot oven rack without being burned. However, she cannot convince her father that there is something strange about Celeste, since her father is too smitten with Celeste to care.
Celeste encounters many things on Earth that she would otherwise never have experienced, such as sneezing, sexual intercourse, and love. In the end Celeste falls in love with Steven, and comes to understand and care for his daughter. Celeste attempts to convince her home world that the whole thing was an accident and that Earth shouldn't be destroyed because of all of the wonderful things it offers.
Child co-stars Alyson Hannigan and Seth Green would later reunite on the television series Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.
Production
The original writer of My Stepmother Is an Alien, Jerico Stone, saw the story as a dark allegory about child abuse, which is how he pitched the film to Paramount Pictures in 1981.[2]
The film went into principal photography on 29 February, 1988, and wrapped in May of that year.[2][4] Some location shooting took place in Thousand Oaks, California.[5] The film was released in the United States on 9 December, 1988,[6] and was marketed with the tagline: "A million lightyears from home, she's found a husband, a stepdaughter and a dog."
Reception
The film was released on December 9, 1988 and opened at #7, grossing $2,066,980 in the opening weekend. It went on to gross $13,854,000 in the USA.[1]
