Coneheads (film)

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Coneheads

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Steve Barron
Produced by Lorne Michaels
Written by Tom Davis
Dan Aykroyd
Bonnie Turner
Terry Turner
Based on Coneheads sketches from Saturday Night Live 
by Lorne Michaels
Starring Dan Aykroyd
Jane Curtin
Music by David Newman
Cinematography Francis Kenny
Editing by Paul Trejo
Studio Lorne Michaels Productions
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release dates July 23, 1993
Running time 88 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $33 million
Box office $21,274,717[1]

Coneheads is a 1993 film based on the Saturday Night Live sketches about the Coneheads. The film was directed by Steve Barron and produced by Lorne Michaels. It starred Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin as Beldar and Prymaat Clorhone (who later Anglicize their Remulakian surname to "Conehead"), parents of Connie (Michelle Burke, taking over the role played by Laraine Newman on SNL). The film also featured roles and cameos from a number of actors and comedians from shows such as SNL and Seinfeld.

While there are some differences, the film mostly follows the same plot as an animated special that was created ten years earlier. Similarities include the Coneheads being stranded on Earth, Beldar working as an appliance repair man, and Connie dating an earthling named Ronnie.

Plot

The film follows the adventures of Fuel Survey Underlord Beldar Clorhone (Aykroyd) and his wife Prymaat (Curtin) (they later anglicize their Remulakian surname to "Conehead") as they try to adapt into American society and pursue the immigrant's American dream. Their spacecraft was part of an advance scouting mission for an invasion, but was shot down by an F-16 fighter-interceptor of the New Jersey Air National Guard, stranding them on Earth. They live with secret identities while INS agent Gorman Seedling (McKean) tracks them incessantly over the years.

The Conehead family moves to Paramus, New Jersey, and blends in, taking up activities that represent the American Dream. They also raise their teenage daughter, Connie (Burke), who has recently started dating.

At the end of the movie, Beldar, who has grown fond of Earth, tricks his people into thinking that humans are armed with dangerous weapons that have killed him and so the Conehead space fleet retreats, leaving Earth unscathed. Beldar finally negotiates a Green Card from Seedling.

Cast

Production

The movie mostly took place in Paramus, New Jersey. Some scenes were filmed in New York City and the New Jersey towns of Jersey City and Wrightstown.

The design of the coneheads prosthetic was revolutionary for the time. In Star Wars prequel trilogy, the Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi is a homage to the Coneheads design.[citation needed]

Reception

The film debuted at No. 6 in its opening weekend at the box office.[2]

Coneheads received mostly negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 36% based on 28 reviews.[3] Roger Ebert gives the film 1 and 1/2 stars out of 4, describing the film as "dismal, dreary and fairly desperate" and that the actors are unable to overcome an uninspired screenplay.[4] Janet Maslin of The New York Times says the film "has its dopey charms," and that it is suitable for people who found Wayne's World too demanding.[5] The Los Angeles Times called it "an unusually companionable jape; in this world it makes perfect sense that the Coneheads' friends and neighbors never really register that there's anything terribly different about them. They're all-American eccentrics--even if they happen to come from the planet Remulak."[6]

Soundtrack

Coneheads: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released July 20, 1993
Genre Soundtrack
Length 43:27
Label Warner Bros. Records

The soundtrack for Coneheads was released July 20, 1993.

  1. "Magic Carpet Ride" by Michael Monroe & Slash
  2. "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell
  3. "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" by Andy Bell & k.d. lang
  4. "Kodachrome" by Paul Simon
  5. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Morten Harket
  6. "It's a Free World, Baby" by R.E.M.
  7. "Soul to Squeeze" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
  8. "Fight the Power" by Barenaked Ladies
  9. "Little Renee" by Digable Planets
  10. "Chale Jao" by Babble
  11. "Conehead Love" by Nan Schaefer

References

  1. ↑ "Box office / business for Coneheads (1993)". IMDb. 
  2. ↑ David J. Fox (27 July 1993). "Weekend Box Office : 'Poetic' Finds Its Place in Line". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-03. 
  3. ↑ "Coneheads (1993)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 November 2013. 
  4. ↑ Roger Ebert (July 23, 1993). "Coneheads". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 2012-12-01. 
  5. ↑ Janet Maslin (July 23, 1993). "Review/Film; They're From Another Planet (Another Medium, Actually)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-06-03. 
  6. ↑ Peter Rainer (July 23, 1993). "Movie Reviews : 'Coneheads': 1-Note Joke With Legs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-03. 

External links

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Films directed by Steve Barron
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