Film Review: Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)

John Landis had mixed record with anthology films. 1977 sketch comedy collection The Kentucky Fried Movie, his second film, was modest hit that paved his way into Hollywood mainstream. Another anthology film,Twilight Zone: The Movie, nearly ended his career because of the tragic accident on the set. His next anthology film, sometimes seen as some sort of spiritual sequel to The Kentucky Fried Movie, is 1987 sketch comedy Amazon Women on the Moon. Where he shared directorial credits with four more film makers – Carl Gottlieb, Peter Horton, Robert K. Weiss and Joe Dante.

Like The Kentucky Fried Movie, there isn’t any firm plot and the only connection between the segments is provided by few recurring gags that suggest viewer sharing experiences of someone channel surfs while watching 1980s late night television in America. The biggest segment, although constantly interrupted by other segments, is fictional 1950s science fiction B-film about first expedition on Moon where crew of three men and a monkey discover strange civilisation of tall and scantily clad women (one of them being played by Lana Clarkson who would years later reach tragic fame by being murdered by Phil Spector). Another recurring gag is Murray (played by Lou Jacobi), an old man who gets transported into television where he becomes unwilling participants of various programs.

Like many other sketch comedies, especially those with segments directed by other directors and written by different writers (unlike The Kentucky Fried Movie, which was authored by David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams), sketches vary in quality. Film starts slowly with overlong opening credits and relatively weak sketch featuring Arsenio Hall, which is followed by parody of Playboy vidoes in which Monique Gabrielle nevertheless delivers the goods to all viewers who want female nudity. Segment featuring Michelle Pfeiffer and Griffin Dune is the weakest in the film because the joke is overlong, just like the one in which memorial for one man turns into show featuring old, respected but ultimately not too inspired comedians. The better gags are those in which Henry Silva plays himself as host of Unsolved Mysteries-like show and in which Marc McClure gets more what he bargained for while renting personalised video cassette that serves as “date”. David Alan Grier is very good in the role of black man “born without soul” who finds a way to take that affliction in lucrative career- The most brilliant segment is, however, Son of the Invisible Man featuring Ed Begley Jr. in role that spoofs Classic Hollywood horror film. Segment in which a woman, played by Rosanna Arquette, surveys her date, played by Steve Guttenberg, with the help of credit card and similar information isn’t particularly funny, mostly because it shows some of today’s realities in the world of social media. There is however, enough jokes that are as funny today as they were in 1980s, and Amazon Women in the Moon with its short running tme can be recommended to undemanding audience.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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