Film: 
DVD: 
Written & Directed by Jeff Abugov
Starring Mackenzie Astin, Carmen Electra, David Hyde Pierce, Lucy Liu, Markus Redmond
Features:
- Running audio commentary by writer/director Abugov
Released by: Columbia Tristar.
Region: 1
Rating: R
Anamorphic: Yes.
My Advice: Rent it to see it at least once.
Have you ever wondered about how there got to be so many human beings on such a tiny little planet? Well, wonder no more! This documentary by an alien anthropologist (Pierce), takes a look at just what makes these simple creatures tick, and more importantly, what makes them tick so often. He follows one human female, known among other of her species as Jenny (Electra), and one human male, also known as Billy (Astin) and follows their relationship from courting to sexual intercourse to marriage to the birth of their resulting offspring. As you will see, there is much more to a human relationship than meets the ocular nerve endings.
[ad#longpost]Okay, that plot synopsis really does nothing to scratch the surface of the clever sci-fi comedy that this film is. Writer/Director Abugov has really put together a nice little movie. It takes a humorous look at male/female relationships, but does so from the eyes of an alien looking down from another planet trying to figure us out. Pierce is absolute perfection as the narrator of the piece. His deadpan delivery of the detailed, scientifically analytical descriptions of the various human rituals are just hilarious. Not only that, but he was given some amazing writing to work with. As a kind of odd counterpoint, Electra and Astin are equally funny in their roles as the subject matter. Their timing and chemistry together are just fun to watch. What makes the film even funnier is the random shots of other Earthbound species in their own mating rituals in an odd comparison to our own and the personification of the various journeys that the sperm makes between man and woman must not be missed.
The DVD is quaint but elegant. The menu system takes the alien motif and really runs with it. The only bonus feature is a commentary from director Abugov. It’s a bit dry, but it’s pretty good as far as commentaries go. The most interesting parts of this audio track are the ones where he talks about working on his first feature film under a very limited independent moviemaker budget and how that was both freeing and inhibiting at the same time. That’s all the disc has to offer. There are no behind-the-scenes featurettes or deleted scenes, which I’m really missing on this DVD. I would have loved to have heard some interviews with the cast and crew. They seemed to have such a great time making the movie, it would be nice to hear them talk about it…as long as it didn’t turn into a major butt-smooching free for all.
Make sure you see this one at least once. The average American male will not have to look to hard to find a reason to own this one, but it can be a good date movie. Ladies, don’t overlook it as a purely “male” movie. Pick it up as a rental.
