Today I am going to do a Rewind Review of the 1988 musical comedy, Earth Girls Are Easy. I forgot this was a musical… how is that possible! Anyway, back to the review.
Back in like 1989, my sister and I found this gem at our local video store, Mt Branson Video. Remember video stores… going in and spinning the New release rack around to see what was new that you could pay $1.99 to watch for 2 days on VHS!
The cover art was fun and bright and was very attractive to a teenager. My mom didn’t necessarily think it was appropriate for our viewing based on the title. Looking back I am actually surprised she allowed us to rent it and watch it without supervision. But she did. I remember really enjoying it and thinking that Jeff Goldblum was really cute!
So since we are in lockdown and I literally don’t have anything else to do, I decided to rewatch movies I haven’t watched for YEARS!
If you haven’t seen Earth Girls Are Easy or forgot the premise of the movie let me give you a quick overview of this film. Written by Terrence McNally, Charlie Coffey and Julie Brown. Yes the quintessential 80s Valley Girl Julie Brown, who also plays Candy Pink in the movie.
This romantic comedy/ B-52 style musical stars Geena Davis as Valerie a manicurist who lives in (you guessed it).. the Valley. Valerie is dealing with her philandering fiancé, Ted played by Charles Rocket.
After a huge fight with her fiancé Valerie is swimming in her backyard pool when a spaceship crash lands in the water… inside she finds that a trio of colorful furry aliens (Jeff Goldblum as Mac, Jim Carrey as Wiploc, Damon Wayans as Zeebo).
Of course she does what any single bikini babe would do.. she tries to teach her new furry friends about our food and then takes them to the salon where she works so her friend/boss can give them makeovers. Cause that is totally normal right?
Once the furry beings are shaved at her girlfriend’s (Julie Brown) salon, the women discover three handsome men underneath.
After absorbing the native culture via television and with their newly made over looks.. the aliens are ready to hit the club scene in 1980s Los Angeles. The movie then follows them for a few days as they use love touches… have to get the pool drained so the can fix the spaceship, Valerie and Mac make out and Valerie’s fiancés Ted (did I mention he was a doctor… oh yeah he is a doctor) trying to dissect them. Lots of mini comedy sub plots to fill in between the musical scenes and love story between Mac and Valerie. Btw, rewatching this I was actually shocked that this movie was something I was allowed to watch due to all the sexual innuendos, side boobs, Magic touch love scene, dream nude exercising woman that is barely on screen. Not that this is anything more than we see on television nowadays but being a kid I was not allowed to watch such things.
So what I liked:
The 80s cheese factor… it is fun, bubbly and doesn’t take itself too seriously as many movies do. It’s like the actors knew that this movie wasn’t a masterpiece of cinema but a cute fun movie.
The chemistry between Davis and Goldblum.. both are super attractive and at the height of their hotness during this time frame. Plus it helps that they were actually a couple!
The colorful makeup, wardrobe, costumes all bringing me back to those days when ValleyGirls were all the rage! (Like totally!)
Some of the comedy.. let me break this down a little. Yes some of the comedy is cheesy (okay most of it is.) And you have the comedy brilliance of Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans at the beginning of their careers. But some of it is hit and miss to be perfectly honest. I only caught myself having laugh out loud moments a few times during this film. One scene when they are freshly shaven and (Damon) Zeebo : [imitating Candy] says “Oh, my God. You’re like totally black!” I also enjoyed Michael McKean as Woody the surfer pool boy. Michael is always a hidden comedy gem in roles that help the movies he is in.
What I didn’t like:
I mentioned in the beginning of this article saying I forgot this was a musical. And I think there was a reason I forgot this. Yes the music is upbeat, and very 80s! But it sometimes distracts from the comedy, the romance and the little storyline that is going on.
Some of the comedy… okay so I enjoyed some of it but found that at times it tried to hard to be funny.
So is it worth a rewind rewatch.. yes it is. A entertaining nostalgic look at the 80s.
Thanks for reading this GeekyGirlNess and until next time be safe!
