My Favorite Martian
USA 1999
Reviewed by Kim Newman
Synopsis
Our synopses give away the plot in full, including surprise twists.
Television-news producer Tim O'Hara, fired for embarrassing newsreader Brace Channing, notices a crash-landing spaceship which shrinks to toy size. Tim takes the ship home, and its pilot - a Martian who can assume human form by chewing special gum, and is bonded to his sentient spacesuit Zoot - hides in his car. Disguised as Tim, the Martian picks up on Tim's attraction to co-worker Lizzie and kisses her.
The Martian then adopts the identity of Tim's Uncle Martin, and enlists Tim's help in repairing his spaceship. Hoping to win his job back with a big scoop, Tim videotapes the Martian in alien form, but, growing fond of him, decides against exposing him. Brace - contacted by Dr Coleye, a scientist with the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence programme - steals the tapes and plans to broadcast them. Attempting to get them back, Martin and Tim are captured by Coleye. Martin seems to die under dissection. Lizzie chews some of the alien's gum and briefly becomes a giant monster, enabling Tim to resuscitate Martin. Coleye's boss Armitan turns out to be a Martian stranded on earth since 1964 and hitches a ride back with Martin. Coleye is transformed into an alien and captured for study. Tim and Lizzie begin to have a relationship, whereupon Martin returns and announces that he is moving in with Tim.
Review
Thirty-five years on, the 1963-65 television sitcom My Favorite Martian, which starred Bill Bixby and Ray Walston as Tim and Martin, stands out among similarly plotted couple-with-a-secret domestic fantasy shows (Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, My Mother the Car) for its thinly disguised gay subtext. Each week, the harried Tim, desperate to blend in, would try to conceal the truth about his flamboyant, epicene, antennae-sprouting 'uncle' from his regulation suburban neighbours. This late 90s Disney remake is clearly designed to haul in parents who remember the old show and their pre-teen kids. (However, parents of children young enough to get anything out of this frenetic mess are more likely to remember a brief 1973 cartoon reprise, which effectively outed Martin by casting camp icon Jonathan Harris from Lost in Space in the role.)
Because it needs to dilute any lavender flavour, there is a great deal of heterosexual faffing about: Jeff Daniels is torn between Daryl Hannah and a nasty-but-dim Elizabeth Hurley while Christopher Lloyd gets to make time with Christine Ebersole's glamorous widow. Admittedly, it's not quite as obnoxious in its romantic attitudes as The Mask - in which the glamorous but shallow girl rather than the sensitive but mousy one turns out to be right for the hero - but the non-stop up-and-down relationships of characters do add to the generally overwrought feel of the film.
As usual, the score samples the original theme tune, and the surviving star (Walston, who played the Martian in the series) gets a cameo appearance which establishes the film as a combination of sequel to and remake of the old television show, though there's a sense that everyone wants to get it over with quickly. (Walston doesn't even sprout his trademark antennae.) There's also an attempt, as with DC Comics' revamp of the 50s Martian Manhunter character, to square the show's silly premise with what is now generally known about Mars. In an opening snippet that is wittier than the rest of the film a terrestrial probe conks out after "exploring nine new rocks", while just over the rim lies a vast Martian civilisation.
Apart from a few references (not even jokes) that evoke Men in Black, E.T. and The X Files, My Favorite Martian largely comprises special-effects slapstick set-pieces that manage to be resolutely unfunny and faintly ugly: a shrinking car escaping through the sewers and enlarging itself in a toilet bowl, for instance, or Martin 'drunk' on ice-cream producing a messy telekinetic food hurricane.
Amid such energetic charmlessness, Jeff Daniels is prodded into one of his rare misjudged performances as the harassed human, while Christopher Lloyd cuts loose in search of laughs that aren't in the script. The CGI living spacesuit Zoot ranks as one of the most irritating miracles of special effects ever to make it into a film, and its non-stop incoherent patter is weighed down with earth references that render its alien origin meaningless. ("Are you one of the Spice Girls?" it asks a hulking guard.)
A decade ago, the legacy of fantasy sitcoms was evoked by such films as Splash and Earth Girls Are Easy, which at least tried to adapt to the different social milieu of their time. Now, the old stuff is served straight, filtered through those 80s movies. That mad-scientist subplot, which didn't work in Splash but has unaccountably become its most imitated aspect, is trotted out again here - with more hideous effects and loud noises than the mind can stand ladled in. Only the total collapse of Hollywood can save us from a reprise of My Mother the Car.
Credits
- Producers
- Robert Shapiro
- Jerry Leider
- Marc Toberoff
- Screenplay
- Deanna Oliver
- Sherri Stoner
- Based on the TV series created by
- John L. Greene
- produced by
- Jack Chertok
- Director of Photography
- Thomas Ackerman
- Editor
- Malcolm Campbell
- Production Designer
- Sandy Veneziano
- Music
- John Debney
- ©Disney Enterprises, Inc
- Production Companies
- Walt Disney Pictures presents a Jerry Leider/Robert Shapiro production
- Executive Producer
- Barry Bernardi
- Co-producer
- Daryl Kass
- Production Co-ordinator
- Tracy Kettler
- Unit Production Manager
- Daryl Kass
- Location Managers
- Karlene Gallegly
- Phillips Wylly Jr
- Assistant Directors
- Martha Elcan
- Tony Schwartz
- Julia Sconyers Gissel
- Script Supervisor
- Susan Bierbaum
- Casting
- Janet Hirshenson
- Jane Jenkins
- Camera Operator
- Douglas Ryan
- Visual Effects
- Supervisors:
- Phil Tippett
- John T. Van Vliet
- Producer:
- Susan MacLeod
- Co-ordinator:
- David W. Allen
- Editor:
- April Lawrence
- Zoot/Lizzie Monster Character Animation
- Tippett Studio
- Visual Effects Supervisors:
- Phil Tippett
- Craig Hayes
- Visual Effects Producer:
- Jules Roman
- Animation Supervisors:
- Trey Stokes
- Thomas Schelesny
- Compositing Supervisor:
- Brennan Doyle
- CG Supervisor:
- Doug Epps
- Digital Lighting Supervisor:
- Greg Butler
- Animation Department Head:
- Jeremy Canton
- Senior Character Animators:
- Blair Clark
- Pete Konig
- Character Animators:
- Bobby Beck
- Tom Gibbons
- Bart Goldman
- Eric Levin
- Randy Link
- Joseph Littlejohn
- Mark Schreiber
- Tanya Spence
- Jesse Sugarman
- Robin Watts
- Art Department Supervisor:
- Paula Lucchesi
- Lead Digital Painter:
- Belinda Van Valkenburg
- Digital Painters:
- Helen Verhoven
- Sabrina Riegel
- Grace Murphy
- Merrick Cheney
- Ease Owyeung
- Digital Lighting Department Head:
- Julie Newdoll
- Senior Digital Lighting:
- Steve Reding
- Allison Tores
- Digital Lighting:
- Desirée Mourad
- Frank Petzold
- Jeff Raymond
- Saba Rofchaei
- Suzanne Smith
- Matthew Welker
- Lead Digital Effects Animator:
- Darby Johnston
- Digital Effects Animator:
- Al Arthur
- Digital Compositors:
- Alan Boucek
- Colin Epstein
- Bill Eyler
- Charles Granich
- Peter Juneau
- Jim McVay
- Alfred Murrie
- Zoe Peck
- Jeff Sargent
- Russ Sueyoshi
- Guerdon Trueblood
- Visual Effects Production Manager:
- Alonzo Ruvalcaba
- Lead Visual Effects Co-ordinator:
- Suzanne Lowe
- Visual Effects Co-ordinators:
- Molly Lynch
- Eve Sakellariou
- Assistant Co-ordinator:
- Eva Sollberger
- Operations Manager:
- Jeff Stringer
- Match Movers:
- Aaron Kohr
- Betsy McClung
- Chris Paizis
- Charles Rose
- Digital Post Camera:
- Mike Palmiari
- Digital Roto Supervisor:
- Joanne Ladoicetta
- Digital Roto:
- John Dunlap
- Matt Jacobs
- Matt Logue
- Stephanie Modestowicz
- Ann Rockwell
- Cathy Waterman
- Film I/O Supervisor:
- David Rosenthal
- Digital Scanner Operator:
- Stephen Stanton
- Colour Correction:
- Page Frakes
- Haunt Rama
- Digital Camera Operator:
- Darren Jones
- Film I/O Co-ordinator:
- Vicki Wong
- Visual Effects Editor:
- Maia Veres
- Systems Manager:
- Xian Rice
- Special Visual Effects/Animation
- Available Light Ltd
- Visual Effects Design/Supervision:
- John T. Van Vliet
- Post-production Supervisor:
- Gretchen Wieland
- Visual Effects Producer:
- Katherine Kean
- 3D Modelling/Animation:
- W.L. Arance
- 3D Animation:
- Ajoy Mani
- Scott Coulter
- Kevin Van Hook
- Chadd Cole
- Marco Mire
- 2D Animation:
- Martin Hilke
- Laurel Klick
- Martine Tomczyk
- Tony Venezia
- Donna Tracy
- Warren Fuller
- Paper Animation:
- Jeff Howard
- Colour Timing:
- Betzy Bromberg
- Opening Mars Sequence
- Dream Quest Images
- Visual Effects Supervisor:
- Tim Landry
- Visual Effects Producer:
- David McCullough
- Director of Photography:
- Scott Beattie
- Model Shop Supervisor:
- Tony Meininger
- Rover Model Builders:
- Eric Krogh
- John Grimley
- Set Builder:
- Michael Stuart
- Matte Painter:
- Michael Meaker
- Compositor:
- Jeff Olm
- Digital Artist:
- Michael Jackson
- Additional Visual Effects
- Syd Dutton
- Bill Taylor
- Illusion Arts Inc
- Additional Visual Effects
- Rainmaker Digital Pictures
- Digital Compositor:
- Brian Battles
- Digital Film Supervisor:
- Chris Kutcka
- Executive Producer:
- Mark Franco
- Production Manager:
- Karen Kutcka
- Additional Visual Effects
- Station X Studios, LLC
- Visual Effects Supervisor:
- Meni Tsirbas
- Digital Artists:
- Danny Braet
- Andy Lesniak
- Visual Effects Producer:
- Eileen O'Connor
- Additional Visual Effects
- Hammerhead Productions Inc
- Buena Vista Imaging
- Roto Rooter Miniature
- 4-Ward Productions
- Animatronic Martian Effects Design/Creation
- Alec Gillis
- Tom Woodruff Jr
- Martian Creature Design
- Jim Henson's Creature Shop
- Animatronic Martian Effects
- Amalgamated Dynamics Inc
- Project Co-ordinators:
- Yuri Everson
- Steve Frakes
- Concept Artists:
- Jordu Schell
- Mark Page
- Sculptors:
- Steve Koch
- Jeffrey P. Buccacio Jr
- Ken Brilliant
- Linda Frobos
- Mechanical Crew:
- Jimmy Hirahara
- Mark Johnson
- Jason Ryan
- Motion Control:
- Mark Mullins
- Previsualization
- Pixel Liberation Front
- Team Works
- Motion Control
- General Lift
- Image G
- Effects Camera
- Cineflex
- Projection FX
- Bill Hansard
- H.E.I.
- Rear Projection
- Hansard Entertainment
- Special Effects
- Co-ordinator:
- Rich Ratliff
- On-set Supervisor:
- Greg C. Jensen Sr
- Supervisor:
- Peter Albiez
- Technicians:
- Roy Augenstein
- Richard M. Bisetti
- Mark A. Bodine
- Stephen A. Gindorf
- Tim Holcombe
- Thomas Love
- Patrick Ratliff
- David Rohrer
- Karen Rumbarger
- John Sica
- Robert Sturgis
- Floyd Van Wey
- Martian Puppeteers
- George Bernota
- Evan Brainard
- Steve Buscaino
- Yuri Everson
- Steve Frakes
- Hiroshi Ikeuichi
- Luke Khanlian
- Len Levitt
- John Lundberg
- Greg Manion
- Tony Matijevich
- Christine Papalexis
- Dave Penikas
- Anton Ruprecht
- Shannon Shea
- N. Brock Winkless IV
- Additional Editing
- Donn Cambern
- Art Director
- Christopher Burian-Mohr
- Set Designer
- Nancy Mickleberry
- Set Decorator
- Michael J. Taylor
- Storyboard Illustrator
- Leonard Morganti
- Costume Designer
- Hope Hanafin
- Costume Supervisor
- Nancy McArdle
- Make-up
- Department Head:
- Kenny Myers
- Key Artist:
- Kathryn Miles Kelly
- Hair
- Department Head:
- Karen Asano-Myers
- Key Stylist:
- D.J. Plumb
- Title Design
- Intralink
- Titles
- Pacific Title/Mirage
- Opticals
- Buena Vista Imaging
- Cinema Research Corporation
- Orchestrations
- Brad Dechter
- Executive in Charge of Music for The Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group
- Kathy Nelson
- Music Editor
- Andrew Silver
- Score Recordist/Mixer
- Dennis Sands
- Auricle
- Michael Mason
- Soundtrack
- "Uncle Martin Theme" by Danny Elfman; "My Favorite Martian Theme Song" by George Greeley; "Blues Come Walkin' In" by/performed by Tab Benoit; "The Perfect Wave" by Sandro Carruba, Mel Waldorf, performed by Los Mel-tones; "Hot Hot Hot" by Alphonsus Cassell, performed by Buster Poindexter; "Give a Little Love" by Diane Warren, Albert Hammond, performed by Native; "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by/performed by James Brown; "La donna è mobile" by Giuseppe Verdi, performed by Czechoslovak Radio Symphony Orchestra; "Get Ready 4 This" by Filip DeWilde, Jean Paul DeCoster, Simon Harris, performed by 2 Unlimited; "Let's Fall in Love" by Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler, performed by Louis Armstrong; "Dateline the World" by/performed by John Hobbs; "Also sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss; "Rawhide Theme" by Dimitri Tiomkin, Ned Washington
- Production Sound
- Robert J. Anderson Jr
- Re-recording Mixers
- Robert Litt
- Elliot Tyson
- Rick Hart
- Recordists
- Marsha Sorce
- Kevin Webb
- Supervising Sound Editor
- Michael Hilkene
- Co-supervising Sound Editors
- Odin Benitez
- Elliott Koretz
- C.T. Welch
- Sound Editing
- Dimension Sound
- Dialogue Editors
- Gaston Biraben
- Avram Gold
- Sound Effects Design
- Ken J. Johnson
- Electronic Sound Effects Editors
- Alexandra Gonzales
- Randall R. Guth
- Michael Jonascu
- ADR
- Supervisor:
- Michele Perrone
- Editors:
- Laura Graham
- Linda Folk
- Foley
- Supervisor:
- John O. Wilde
- Artists:
- Dan O'Connell
- John Cucci
- Recordist:
- Linda Lew
- Mixer:
- Nerses Gezalyan
- Editors:
- Paul N.J. Ottosson
- Solange S. Schwalbe
- Stunt Co-ordinators
- Ernie Orsatti
- Noon Orsatti
- Helicopter Pilot
- Peter McKernan
- Cast
- Jeff Daniels
- Tim O'Hara
- Christopher Lloyd
- 'Uncle Martin'
- Elizabeth Hurley
- Brace Channing
- Daryl Hannah
- Lizzie
- Christine Ebersole
- Mrs Lorelei Brown
- Wallace Shawn
- Dr Elliott Coleye
- Michael Lerner
- Ben Channing, newspaper editor
- Jeremy Hotz
- Billy
- T.K. Carter
- Lenny
- Shelley Malil
- Felix
- Ray Walston
- Armitan, 'Neenerd'
- Zoot
- himself
- Dawn Maxey
- salesgirl
- Steven Anthony Lawrence
- Nurplex kid
- Michael Chieffo
- Earl Metz
- Troy Evans
- Captain Dalton
- Arthur Senzy
- Commander Murdoch
- Charles Chun
- radar controller
- Michael Dempsey
- Van Gundy
- David St. James
- Prescott
- Dee Ann Helsel
- dressing room woman
- Joe Garrett
- hardware store employee
- Lorin McRaley
- cool dude
- Ken Thorley
- KTSC floor manager
- Tom Hallick
- Howard Greenly
- Barry Pearl
- news director
- Buck Kartalian
- senior citizen muscle man
- Steve Bond
- the SETI group driver
- Sylvester 'Bear' Terkay
- huge guard
- Michael Bailey Smith
- big guard
- Jean-Luc Martin
- guard at gate
- Christian Keiber
- guard at clearing
- Richard Kleber
- Mr Butz
- Debra Christofferson
- Mrs Butz
- Howard H. Ross
- newspaper man
- Allan Kolman
- Pamela Gordon
- Robert Rigamonti
- Beau Billingslea
- Michael Adler
- scientists
- Frank Cavestani
- tanning contest emcee
- [uncredited]
- Wayne Knight
- voice of Zoot
- Certificate
- PG
- Distributor
- Buena Vista International (UK)
- 8,418 feet
- 93 minutes 32 seconds
- SDDS/Dolby digital/ Digital DTS sound
- Prints by
- Technicolor