Coneheads (film)

Coneheads
Coneheads poster
Directed by	Steve Barron
Produced by	Lorne Michaels
Written by	Tom Davis Dan Aykroyd Bonnie Turner Terry Turner
Starring	Dan Aykroyd Jane Curtin Michelle Burke
Music by	David Newman
Cinematography	Francis Kenny
Editing by	Paul Trejo
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	July 23, 1993
Running time	88 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$33 million
Box office	$21,274,717

Coneheads is a 1993 film based on the Saturday Night Live sketches about the Coneheads. The film was directed by Steve Barron and produced by Lorne Michaels. As was the case with the previous SNL skit-inspired film The Blues Brothers, Coneheads has been said to have made an "accidental" or "unintentional" political statement or social commentary about the nature of the immigrant experience in the United States, the filmmakers' ostensible intent being merely to entertain.^{[citation needed]}

The film stars Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin as Beldar and Prymaat Clorhone (who later Anglicize their Remulakian surname to "Conehead"), parents of Connie (Michelle Burke, taking over the role played by Laraine Newman on SNL). Michael McKean and David Spade play INS officials; also appearing are Sinbad and SNL alumni Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Tim Meadows, Jon Lovitz, Peter Aykroyd, Tom Davis, Garrett Morris, Chris Farley, Laraine Newman, Kevin Nealon, Julia Sweeney, and Adam Sandler.

Other supporting cast members include Jason Alexander and Lisa Jane Persky. Alexander's Seinfeld co-star, Michael Richards, makes a cameo appearance, as do Eddie Griffin, Joey Lauren Adams, Parker Posey, Ellen DeGeneres, Drew Carey, Dave Thomas, and Tom Arnold.

The movie largely took place in Paramus, New Jersey, with scenes also shot in New York City and the New Jersey towns of Jersey City and Wrightstown.

While there are differences, the film largely follows the same plot as an animated special that was created ten years before. Similarities include the Coneheads being stranded on Earth, Baldar working as an appliance repair man as well as Connie dating an earthling named Ronnie.

Plot

The film follows the adventures of Fuel Survey Underlord Beldar Clorhone (Aykroyd) and his wife Prymaat (Curtin) (they later anglicize their Remulakian surname to "Conehead") as they try to assimilate into American society and pursue the immigrant's American dream. Their spacecraft was part of an advance scouting mission for an invasion, but was shot down by an F-16 fighter-interceptor of the New Jersey Air National Guard, stranding them on Earth. They live with secret identities while INS agent Gorman Seedling (McKean) tracks them incessantly over the years.

The Conehead family moves to Paramus, New Jersey and blends in, taking up activities that represent the American Dream. They also raise their teenage daughter, Connie, (Burke) who has recently begun dating. At the end of the movie, Beldar, who has grown fond of Earth, tricks his people into believing that humans are armed with dangerous weapons that have killed him and so the Conehead space fleet retreats, leaving Earth unscathed. Beldar finally negotiates a Green Card from Seedling.

Cast

• Dan Aykroyd as Beldar Conehead / Donald R. DeCicco
• Jane Curtin as Prymaat Conehead / Mary Margaret Rowney
• Michelle Burke as Connie Conehead
• Michael McKean as Gorman Seedling, INS Agent
• David Spade as Eli Turnbull, Seedling's assistant
• Chris Farley as Ronnie Bradford, Connie's boyfriend
• Sinbad as Otto
• Michael Richards as Motel Clerk
• Eddie Griffin as Customer
• Phil Hartman as Marlax
• Adam Sandler as Carmine Weiner
• Mitchell Bobrow as Garthok Combatant
• Jason Alexander as Larry Farber
• Lisa Jane Persky as Lisa Farber
• Dave Thomas as Highmaster
• Laraine Newman as Laarta
• Garrett Morris as Captain Orecruiser
• Drew Carey as Taxi Passenger
• Kevin Nealon as Senator
• Jan Hooks as Gladys Johnson
• Parker Posey as Stephanie
• Joey Lauren Adams as Christina
• Julia Sweeney as Principal
• Ellen DeGeneres as Coach
• Tim Meadows as Athletic Cone
• Peter Aykroyd as Highmaster Mentot
• Jonathan Penner as Captain Air Traffic
• Whip Hubley as F-16 Pilot
• Jon Lovitz as Dr. Rudolph, dentist (uncredited)
• Tom Arnold as Golfer (uncredited) (Tom Arnold's character is the only person, in either the film or any of the sketches, to actually question the shape of Beldar's head, while everyone else remains strangely oblivious.)

Reception

Coneheads received mostly negative reviews from critics, where it has a 36% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 28 reviews.

Soundtrack

Coneheads: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	July 20, 1993
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	43:27
Label	Warner Bros. Records

The soundtrack for Coneheads was released July 20, 1993.

1. "Magic Carpet Ride" by Michael Monroe & Slash
2. "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell
3. "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" by Andy Bell & k.d. lang
4. "Kodachrome" by Paul Simon
5. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Morten Harket
6. "It's a Free World, Baby" by R.E.M.
7. "Soul to Squeeze" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
8. "Fight the Power" by Barenaked Ladies
9. "Little Renee" by Digable Planets
10. "Chale Jao" by Babble
11. "Conehead Love" by Nan Schaefer

External links

• Coneheads at the Internet Movie Database
• Coneheads at Rotten Tomatoes
• Coneheads at Box Office Mojo