Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)

It’s a shocking admission to have to make but I had never seen Earth Girls Are Easy. I know, one of the most culturally significant motion pictures of the 80s has somehow passed me by. Until now.

Valerie (Geena Davis) is a manicurist. She lives in the Valley. She is facing a huge personal crisis. She and her doctor boyfriend Ted haven’t had sex for two weeks. Two whole weeks. Two long long weeks. Valerie is frantic. Especially given that they’re about to get married.

Her friend Candy (Julie Brown) has the answer - a makeover. To Candy a makeover is the answer to every problem. Valerie goes blonde, she looks absolutely gorgeous and she pus on some very sexy lingerie. If this doesn’t break her sex drought nothing will. Unfortunately it all goes horribly wrong. Valerie is all set for some steamy times with Ted but Ted (who doesn’t know she’s home) arrives home with another woman. Will all the silliness in this movie the most implausible thing is that a man who has Geena Davis ready to rip his trousers off would chase other women.

Valerie is devastated but the following day something happens that gives her something else to think about. Three furry aliens crash-land their spaceship in her swimming pool. The three aliens had been heading to Earth in search of women. They’ve been in space a long time. They’re suffering as much as Valerie from a sex drought.

Valerie handles the situation pretty well. Compared to finding Ted with another woman having aliens land in her pool seems to her like a minor crisis. And they’re very friendly aliens. They’re kinda sweet.

But there is one thing she’s going to have to do. She’s going to have to make them look human. She’ll need Candy’s help. These aliens are going to need heavy-duty makeovers but fortunately Candy is equal to the task. The aliens now look quite human so Candy figures it would be cool to take them nightclubbing. The trouble is that the aliens look human but they don’t behave like humans. They’re also incredibly horny so once they catch sight of a nightclub full of girls they won’t be easy to control.

They get more and more out of control and much craziness ensues. Valerie finally breaks her sex drought. OK, it was with an alien, but when a girl needs some loving what can she do? And she certainly enjoys it.

She can’t quite get Ted out of her mind. Maybe she should forgive him? A weird romantic triangle is developing between Valerie, Ted and the alien leader Mac (Jeff Goldblum). Meanwhile the other two aliens, Wiploc and Zeebo, head off to the beach with the zonked-out surfer dude pool guy Woody (Valerie has to have her swimming pool drained because there’s a spaceship in it). Woody has told them that there are lots of girls at the beach. They naturally cause mayhem.

This is not just a science fiction comedy, it’s a science fiction comedy romance musical. The music is of course very 80s but if you love 80s music you’ll be totally blissed out. I certainly enjoyed the music.

This is an 80s movie on steroids. I suppose you could see it as a gentle satire on the shallowness of American culture but it’s all done in a very light and good-natured way. It might be send up 80s pop culture but it’s doing it with love. Mostly it’s just a movie that wants to have fun.

The musical interludes are fun, with the ’Cause I’m a Blonde number being a highlight.

Geena Davis is gorgeous and bubbly and adorable, and she’s very funny. Jeff Goldblum is good if rather restrained as the alien spaceship commander Mac. He’s the only member of the alien trio who has any sense of responsibility. Goldblum and Geena Davis have to do at least a little bit of serious acting as well as being funny and they manage it extremely well.

I find that a little bit of Jim Carrey goes a long way but his comedic style is well suited to the material here. Add Damon Wayams and you’ve got three likeable if troublesome aliens. Michael McKean almost steals the picture as the surfer pool guy Woody.

Earth Girls Are Easy was a box office flop at the time. I guess it was just too relentlessly quirky. Since then it’s built up a definite cult following. Apart from its other attractions it offers 80s nostalgia overload. Surprisingly it hasn’t had a Blu-Ry release. This needs to happen. It does however look quite OK on DVD, in a perfectly acceptable 16:9 enhanced transfer. There’s not a lot in the way of extras.

This is a very very silly very goofy movie but it’s genuinely funny and it has plenty of charm and it’s romantic in an offbeat way. Comedy is always a matter of taste and it’s a movie you’ll either love or hate. I loved it. Highly recommended.