How I Met My Alien Stepmother
There is nothing essentially wrong with "My Stepmother Is an Alien" it is an entertaining distraction, but at the same time there is nothing which makes it stand out because it is a typical fish out of water comedy which trades on two jokes and a lot of predictability. The two jokes are firstly an alien visitor being not use to human ways and gets plenty wrong but secondly she discovers that she loves sex. The trouble is that there is nothing else to "My Stepmother Is an Alien" and so it becomes repetitive and obvious especially the storyline which sees the alien having to plea with the Over Lord Council to not only spare mankind but also for her to be allowed to stay. That is why "My Stepmother Is an Alien" ends up just an average fish out of water alien movie.
When eccentric scientist Steven Mills (Dan Aykroyd - The Great Outdoors) manages to tap the power of lightening to fire a laser deep into space he finds himself being sacked. What he doesn't realise is that he has caused Celeste (Kim Basinger - No Mercy), an attractive alien, to come to earth to try and find him too tap his knowledge of the laser as her planet is in danger. But the only way she can get Steve's help is to kiss him, have sex with him and marry him all of which she finds surprisingly enjoyable. The only trouble is Steve's daughter Jessie (Alyson Hannigan - American Reunion) becomes suspicious of her new stepmother when she sees her drinking battery acid.
To be blunt the actual storyline to "My Stepmother Is an Alien" is unimportant, I say this because for one it is predictable but also is only there as a vehicle for the humour. So whilst we have Celeste coming to earth to get Steven to recreate the laser he deployed the night before in order to save her planet it's nothing more than a slim frame for jokes. And it is also predictable because you can guess come the end of the movie Celeste will have to plea with the Council to spare mankind and allow her to stay having fallen in love with both being a human and Steven's wife. The fact that Steven's daughter Jessie discovers that Celeste is an alien only adds up to a minor distraction.
What this really means is that "My Stepmother Is an Alien" is purely about the humour of Celeste finding human ways alien leading to a plethora of dumb and obvious gags such as mistaking a cigarette for a Hors d'oeuvre. Add to this set pieces such as Celeste pulling eggs out of a pan of boiling water with her bare hands and it is all very obvious. But there is something which isn't so obvious and that is the fact that when Celeste experiences kissing and sex for the first time she loves it. It's a funny gag the first time but it gets played upon so much as does the fact that Kim Basinger is very sexy in see through tops that it ironically becomes dull.
Aside from Kim Basinger almost being exploited for being sexy her various Marilyn Monroe moments as she acts ditzy are quite good fun. Unfortunately it's hard to say the same for Dan Aykroyd who as Steve Mills is left for the most to play it straight and it is a waste of his talents. In the end "My Stepmother Is an Alien" ends up fun for two performances a very small part for a young Seth Green and then Alyson Hannigan as Jessie, Steven's daughter. It is actually funny watching Hannigan in this now, some 20 plus years later, because all of those mannerisms which Hannigan has now are there way back in 1988.
What this all boils down to is that there is nothing wrong with "My Stepmother Is an Alien" but it is only an average fish out of water comedy about an alien. In the end watching it now it is more fun because it features a young Alyson Hannigan more than anything else.
