My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988)

5.4PG-13104 minDirector: Richard Benjamin

1988 film by Richard Benjamin

My Stepmother Is an Alien is a 1988 American science fiction comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin. It stars Dan Aykroyd, Kim Basinger, Jon Lovitz, and Alyson Hannigan. The film follows the story of Celeste, an extraterrestrial woman who is sent on a secret mission to Earth, after her home planet's gravity is mistakenly disrupted by Steven Mills, a widowed scientist raising his daughter Jessie as a single father. The film was the film debut of Juliette Lewis.

The screenplay was written by Herschel Weingrod, Timothy Harris, and Jonathan Reynolds, based on an earlier script by Jericho Stone. Stone had originally pitched the film to Paramount Pictures as a drama that would serve as an allegory for child abuse. When Paramount optioned the story, they suggested that it would be more believable as a comedy. The film was unproduced for four years until Weintraub Entertainment Group put it into production in 1988.

My Stepmother Is an Alien was a box-office bomb, grossing only $13.8 million against a $19 million budget. The film also received negative reviews from critics, with most of the responses panning the film's humor and screenplay. Basinger and costar Lovitz received generally favorable reviews for their comedic performances, but in a New York Times review, Aykroyd was singled out for criticism for his performance as a romantic lead.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is My Stepmother Is an Alien about?
My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988) — An alien is sent on a secret mission to Earth, where she appears as a gorgeous, attractive, and single lady. Her mission is to make contact with a rather nerdy young scientist, who's quite overwhelmed by her attentions, and isn't aware of the connection between her arrival and hi
Is My Stepmother Is an Alien based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is My Stepmother Is an Alien scary?
Content rating: PG-13. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.