The Coneheads
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The Coneheads |
| Original title | Coneheads |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1993 |
| length | 87 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Steve Barron |
| script |
Tom Davis , Dan Aykroyd , Bonnie Turner , Terry Turner |
| production | Lorne Michaels |
| music | David Newman |
| camera | Francis Kenny |
| cut | Paul Trejo |
| occupation | |
| |
The Coneheads (Original title: Coneheads , dt. Kegelköpfe ) is a comedy film from 1993 by director Steve Barron with Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin in the lead roles. The figures are based on the Coneheads sketches from the comedy show Saturday Night Live, shown from 1977 to 1979 .
action
Beldar Conehead and his consort Prymaat are sent to Earth from the planet Remulak to subdue the planet. While entering the Earth's atmosphere, they are discovered by the US Air Force and shot down by soaring fighter planes, whereupon their spaceship falls into the East River in New York City .
They request a rescue ship from their home planet, in the meantime they want to mingle inconspicuously with the Earthlings. The Coneheads are slowly finding their way around the United States, their unusual head shape does not seem to be noticed.
Beldar finds a job in a workshop for electrical appliances, which he uses to finance his living and can also get spare parts aside. His employer Otto values his work very much, but since he does not have a social security number, he gets him and his wife a new identity under the name DeCicco. On Otto's advice, Beldar also goes to the dentist and has crowns made on his pointed teeth.
The US immigration service INS gets wind of the supposed immigrants, as the social security number of the deceased person DeCicco has already been used several times in the country. INS District Executive Gorman Seedling and his employee Eli Turnbull are now chasing the Coneheads. Access fails, but since Seedling has just been promoted to Deputy Commissioner , he no longer takes care of the DeCicco case and puts it on file.
The Coneheads move to a new area and buy a house, Beldar worked in the meantime as a taxi driver and his wife Prymaat gives birth to their daughter Connie. Beldar now runs its own driving school called Meepzor . Connie grows up to be a teenager and falls in love with a person, the auto mechanic Ronnie. Beldar learns to play golf and is recognized at the local club for the greatest progress of the year.
In the meantime, a further promotion of Seedlings from Deputy Commissioner to Commissioner has failed because he incurred expenses of 250,000 US dollars for the investigation into the DeCicco case without delivering results. Seedling and Turnbull are now visiting the family, disguised as Jehovah's Witnesses , when they have just dressed up for Halloween . They send the two of them outside again when the long-awaited radio message arrives from Remulak, in which they learn that they should be picked up from Earth tonight.
The police surround the house and the Coneheads try to escape with the help of Ronnie, who acts as a decoy to distract the police. The attempt to flee by car fails and the family is surrounded. At this moment the spaceship appears, which lifts the car with the coneheads into the spaceship. Seedling clings to the car and Turnbull clings to him, so both are taken aboard the spaceship.
When the spaceship arrives on the home planet Remulak, Beldar is accused of high treason for having human teeth. He has to fight a monster, the Garthok, because only victory can restore his honor. He wins the fight with the help of his acquired golf skills.
As a reward, he wishes to lead another invasion of the earth and to be allowed to take Seedling as a slave. After landing on earth, he feigns a strong defense of the Earthlings by sending false radio messages to his warships and sending his own spaceship back into space to make it explode, apparently from the weapons of the Earthlings. The other ships return to Remulak, frightened by the military force. Seedling agrees to issue Beldar a green card for the United States if he is given his life.
background
- Filming took place from February 1, 1993 to April 28, 1993 in Los Angeles , Cerritos and Paramus .
- The film grossed around $ 21 million in US cinemas.
- In the German dubbing, the voice of the grand master (in the original: high master) is a parody of Helmut Kohl , who was the acting chancellor when the film was released. In the original it is just an ordinary voice.
- It was released in the US on July 23, 1993 and in Germany on August 4, 1994.
- Several well-known actors and comedians have small supporting roles in the film:
- Michael Richards as a hotel employee
- Eddie Griffin as a customer
- Adam Sandler as Carmine, the forger
- Jon Lovitz as a dentist
- Drew Carey as a taxi passenger
- Tom Arnold as a golfer
- Parker Posey as Stephanie
- Ellen DeGeneres as a coach
Reviews
James Berardinelli wrote on ReelViews that it was "amazing" that extensive merchandising developed around the film . What would be good as a 10-minute sketch is “boring” as a 90-minute film. The film is "humorless", Dan Aykroyd seems "uncomfortable".
Roger Ebert noted in the Chicago Sun-Times on July 23, 1993 that the funniest thing about the Conehead sketches on Saturday Night Live was the Coneheads' appearance. That is not enough for a nearly 90-minute film. Ebert praised the special effects and the presentations, but the film was basically just a series of "strange" events that would not end in comedy.
Leonard Klady described the film in the Variety of July 23, 1993 as "cute", "funny" and "anarchic" and said that Coneheads would find widespread acceptance. Aykroyd and Curtin developed their characters into two-dimensional figures.
"Silly fantasy comedy about the bizarre characters of an ancient television skit, which gives away their current topics (immigration, xenophobia, etc.) in favor of idle and misleading jokes."
“As early as 1976, Curtin and Aykroyd appeared in skits on the Saturday Night Life show as waddling, strangely speaking coneheads. After a flopped cartoon version, the wacky anarcho humor of the film hit the mark. Conclusion: Unsuspecting Earthlings! The Milky Way laughs! "
Special features of the coneheads
In addition to their hairless, cone-shaped heads, the Coneheads differ from humans in other details.
- Apparently they lack the sexual organs, sex is practiced with the help of sensor rings, which are placed over the cone.
- They also have the ability to send out mental flashes which e.g. B. can manipulate mechanical devices, but also express affection.
- The Coneheads impress with their high technical knowledge and the ability to learn things quickly.
- They are also always honest with others (unless it is about their existence). Everyday phrases are quickly exposed as politeness.
- Food is very important to the coneheads, they consume huge amounts of food. This also applies to luxury goods such as cocktails or cigarettes.
- Even things that are poisonous or inedible for humans are delicacies for the Coneheads. B. Washer used as mouth spray or consumed mineral wool as a snack.
- You sleep in a vertical position.
The Coneheads use excessively technical terms for many things. This was also implemented well in the German dubbing. Examples:
- Decal - Decal (Rub On Tattoo)
- Browning animal carcasses - grilling
- Topped starch slice - pizza
- (Gasoline-powered 3 HP) Chlorophyll Stalk - Lawnmower
- Petrol-powered individual means of transport - car
- Blood valve chamber - heart
- Chemical Illumination Emulsification - Photography
- Twilight greetings - "Good morning!"
- Disinfection wet cell - shower
- Flat skull - people
- Genetic companion - woman
- Pressed molded meat from remains of animal carcasses - toasted ham
- Coagulated lactate from horned ungulates - cheese
- Face portal - mouth
- Chicken embryos - eggs
- Hygiene chamber (moisture-proof cell) - bathroom
- Kohlgruber - grillers
- Metallic reward pieces - coins
- Morning intake of carbohydrates - breakfast
- Optical receptors - eyes
- Pubertal ceremonial attire - tuxedo
- Pork fat strips - bacon
- Agreed time coordinates - appointment
- Beautification ritual - make-up
- Hydrogen splash - rain
- Ornamental vegetation - flowers
Individual evidence
- ↑ Filming Locations
- ↑ Box Office / business
- ↑ Release Dates
- ^ Review by James Berardinelli
- ^ Review by Roger Ebert
- ^ Critique by Leonard Klady
- ↑ The Coneheads. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ The Coneheads on cinema.de
Web links
- Coneheads in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Coneheads at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- Coneheads at Metacritic (English)
- The Coneheads in the online film database
- The coneheads in the German dubbing index