My Favorite Martian
By Nell Minow,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
A terrible movie -- beware.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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My Favorite Martian
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Based on 3 parent reviews
You need to consider supervising young kids.
Correction
What's the Story?
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.
Is It Any Good?
This dismal comedy is hard to recommend. 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.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why there are so many Hollywood movies that are based on television series.
Movie Details
- In theaters: February 12, 1999
- On DVD or streaming: April 8, 2003
- Cast: Christopher Lloyd , Elizabeth Hurley , Jeff Daniels
- Director: Donald Petrie
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Space and Aliens
- Run time: 94 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: language and references
- Last updated: February 18, 2023
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