“Mars Attacks!” (1996) [PG-13]

     This is positively one of the best campy comedies ever made. It’s full of purposefully awkward acting even by some of the best actors of the time. There are many very odd moments of actions or dialogue where the characters sort of know that they’re in a movie. Comedy fills this film in different forms, and proves to be very hilarious.

     Some movies really do have bad acting from those who play in them, however this is an exception. The acting performances in it aren’t necessarily bad, but they are in a way awkward. The cast features a great deal of incredible actors of that time, including Jack Nicholson, Michael J. Fox, Martin Short, and Glenn Close. Their performances are more than entertaining, and they demonstrate that they are flexible with their abilities in cinema.

     It is also full of scenes that are odd in a funny way. They have things like when an actor or actress says something that’s sort of to an audience that isn’t there, or makes a comment only for the purpose of making a bad joke. This is abundant in scenes when the aliens are trying to figure out the human’s technology, and they break the machine or something of the sort.

     The comedy in this movie is one of a kind, and is arguably the most entertaining of that decade. It’s very campy style comedy, and in a way is surprising its makers were able to get such famous actors for it, however it works out in the end because of the amazing abilities of those actors. With any other cast this film probably would have been a flop, but instead it is one of the funniest movies of the time. There is a chance taken when trying to make campy comedies and it just works with this one.

          My overall rating: 3.5 out of 5

“Airheads” (1994) [PG-13]

     This movie is one of many that some people call a “hidden treasure.” It’s not an extremely well-known movie, but it deserves more credit than it receives. The actors did very commendable jobs, the movie personifies most musicians of that time, and this is simply put the best comedy of its kind since “Wayne’s World” (1992). The only drawback to this movie is that the story is barely believable even for a comedy.

     Actors for “Airheads” gave commendable performances through the whole movie. The main cast members were both funny and convincing; they didn’t stop the greatness of their characters even once. Even the secondary cast, who played the less important characters, gave noteworthy performances. Viewers can find themselves liking the less important characters just as much as they like the lead roles.

     In addition to the actors’ performances, the movie itself easily personifies most musicians of that time and musical genre. The performances and script shows character traits and dialects that are true to that time and style. The story epitomizes the rebellious scene of the eighties and nineties Californian musicians’ life, and heavily coats it with wacky comedy.

     As far as the comedy of this film goes, it is amazingly entertaining. This is definitely the best “goofy buddy” comedy since “Wayne’s World.” It’s full of wacky, hilarious moments and almost slapstick humor. However many good things there are to this movie, there is one very bad factor. The story is barely believable even for a comedy; there is no way that most of the stuff in the movie could actually happen in real life.

          My overall rating: 3.5 out of 5