Amazon Women on the Moon Reviews

Director John Landis returns to the style of what many consider his funniest film, KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE, presenting 20 comedy sketches directed by himself and four others (Joe Dante, Carl Gottlieb, Peter Horton, and Robert K. Weiss). Basically a swipe at late-night TV programming, AMAZON WOMEN ON THE MOON is from the hit-or-miss school, and it's mostly wide of the mark. Among the skits that do work are a parody of the INVISIBLE MAN starring Ed Begley, Jr., and the title sketch, a flawless, straight-faced parody of bad 1950s science fiction films, starring Steve Forrest and Joey Travolta (directed by Weiss). Not-so-successful sketches include a running gag commercial featuring David Alan Grier as a black pop singer, and a spoof of REEFER MADNESS with Carrie Fisher and Paul Bartel. The basic problem is that most of the humor is based on things that are beyond parody. Bad television commercials and lame low-budget films are funny enough as they are; exaggerating their ridiculousness is unnecessary. What is successful is the painstakingly accurate recreation of everything from the commercials to the title skit. The talented filmmakers demonstrate that they can handle a multitude of directing chores, and, although the scripting may lack imagination, the visuals are handled quite well.