My Favorite Martian (PG, 1999)

Based on the 1960s sitcom, MY FAVORITE MARTIAN gets rolling when TV producer Tim (Jeff Daniels) comes upon a tiny spaceship. He takes the "toy" home, unaware that it's a real spaceship that had crash landed and was shrunken down by its Martian occupant (Christopher Lloyd). The Martian follows Tim home, and when Tim learns his story, he decides this might be his ticket to a higher-profile job. Meanwhile, government agents are searching for the Martian.

The commercial for this movie features our heroes (the visiting Martian and his earthling friend) in the midst of a car chase. The Martian (Christopher Lloyd) shrinks the car, which goes into the sewer system and comes up in a toilet. We get the toilet-eye view just as a hugely overweight man is pulling down his pants to sit. This is a good indication of the movie's subject matter and humor level.

It is also a good indication of the failures of the rating system. It is hard to imagine an appropriate age group for this movie, but because the language is euphemistic, it gets only a PG rating. As with Flubber, Disney has remade a familiar story with souped-up special effects, but with a poor script. Not recommended.

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Donald Petrie
Cast: Christopher Lloyd, Elizabeth Hurley, Jeff Daniels
Genre: Comedy
Theatrical release: February 12, 1999
DVD release: April 8, 2003
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: language and references