Unfortunately, by 1988, Empire Pictures was on the verge of bankruptcy after a series of box office failures. Additionally, the studio owed a substantial debt to Crédit Lyonnais, and they were threatening to buy the studio’s assets. During this period, Scott Spiegel’s Intruder and J.F. Lawton’s Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death were in production. David DeCoteau, who directed three movies for Empire, was making a new film with effects artist/writer Kenneth J. Hall. Originally titled I Was a Teenage Sex Mutant, filming commenced in LA for 19 days during the 1988 Writer’s Strike. During production, DeCoteau got word that Empire was going bankrupt but continued filming since the banks were unaware. After Empire folded, Charles Band founded Full Moon Features, using DeCoteau’s movie to strike a deal with Paramount Pictures. The agreement was made, and Paramount released DeCoteau’s film, now retitled Dr. Alien, in 1989.
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Synopsis
Wesley Littlejohn (Billy Jacoby) is your average nerdy high schooler who’s constantly picked on and can’t get a girl. His best friend, Marvin (Stuart Fratkin), pressures him to talk to his crush Leanne (Olivia Barash), but he fumbles. Little do they know that they have a new biology teacher, Ms. Xenobia (Judy Landers), who’s more than she seems. She has Wesley stay after class for an experiment that involves her assistant, Drax (Raymond O’Connor), injecting him with “vitamins.” However, it turns out the vitamins make a weird growth sprout from Wesley’s head that makes him irresistible to women. This boosts Wesley’s confidence, leading him to change his wardrobe and sing in a metal band. He even gets to go out with Leanne, but his magnetism for women makes her think he’s cheating on her. On top of it all, Ms. Xenobia is an alien trying to repopulate her homeworld!
Review
Let’s get this out of the way: Dr. Alien is a dumb, somewhat sexist movie that hasn’t aged well. That being said, this is a surprisingly funny sci-fi sex comedy that’s way more enjoyable than you’d expect. Sure, the whole “nerdy guy gains confidence, stands up to bullies, and gets the girl” story is tired and cliche. However, David DeCoteau manages to take that material and inject it with a self-aware tone that homages 50s Corman movies. While there’s plenty of nudity, foul language, and sexual innuendos, the overall film has a feel-good nature to it. It doesn’t feel mean-spirited or vile, but like you’re meant to have as much fun as the cast is having. Some of the jokes don’t quite land, but some moments had me chuckling throughout, thanks to the dry delivery. Plus, all the topless women certainly kept my attention.
Cinematographer Nicholas Von Sternberg’s stylish filming and Greg Cannom’s lo-fi makeup effects enhance the film beyond its meager budget. Billy Jacoby can get a bit whiny as the nerd, but he’s likable and has a great character arc. Stuart Fratkin is funny as Wesley’s opportunistic friend, who comes off a bit pervy, but the movie calls him out. On top of looking gorgeous, Judy Landers is fun to watch with her doe-eyed expression and soft voice. Raymond O’Connor is delightfully creepy, Olivia Barash is cute, and the rest of the cast all do a fine job. Also, cult film fans should watch for appearances from Linnea Quigley, Troy Donahue, Ginger Lynn, Michelle Bauer, and Edy Williams. At 90 minutes, the movie gets in and out fairly quickly and keeps the action going with plenty of shenanigans. Overall, Dr. Alien is stupid, but it’s an enjoyable kind of stupid.
Buy Dr. Alien from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3LmBQh4.
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