A corny science fiction comedy features a preoccupied homemaker behaving strangely. Because she eventually realizes her conduct was deeply affected to an unexplainable UFO experience. Cara Buono as Joanne Schwartzbaum gives her best Richard Dreyfuss of Close Encounters impression with an emotional female slant. Much of the other performances range from competent to over strong acting to plain awful. Maybe Buono appears bewildered because her character Joanne is unrealistically confusing and does nutty things as buying an ample supply of ice cream flying saucers. Or is it when she is configuring the variable vertical lines of black and white cookies? Those are among the examples of obvious mindlessness having audiences wondering what Director Barry Strugatz is trying to say about his feature film. The silly film score isn't helping much in clarifying its purpose. The movie is gaining a little more sense of direction when Joanne meets a friendly street hustler Abraham (Joel de la Fuente) who had his rooftop UFO experience. With such a significant common share, the two friends connect aiding each other to find answers to the occurrences affecting their lives. Soon to our disbelief, they engage a plan to save humanity. In the movie, Joanne said about her and Abraham, "we are on a mission we don't understand." If you listen carefully, that might be the Strugatz's film crew silently sounding Joanne' same questionable expression. The film contains profanity, the suspicion of a marital affair, scenes with the middle finger gestured. Joanne in a few scenes lifts up her shirt sideway non-sexually to reveal a skin marking before other people. There is an unjust statement of "dumb, Brooklyn girl" and people appearing as if they don't know the Ivory Coast of Africa. I did not finish watching the film; it is so dumbfounding it hurts to continue viewing.

I love a good schlock movie. Unfortunately this is not such a movie. They make several attempts but never quite get there. The acting however is spot-on.

Let's get the one objection to the movie out of the way: a totally disconnected, gratuitous F-bomb near the very end of the film that does nothing more than throw the film sideways. That along with a homeless man repeatedly giving someone the bird (in a not-at-all-funny manner),stabs a knife into the back of an otherwise interesting film. Both are just severely out of place in this film and makes the viewer wonder what the director was thinking.

Regarding the acting: the lead actress did very well, as did her husband and alien abductee counterpart. From the very first their roles were believable and convincing. The story line, interesting but not all that believable. It was somewhat fun romp, had some mystery, and made fun of some other movies.

In one scene she obsesses over orienting designs on cookies in a specific manner. While never really explained it was obvious they were poking fun at Close Encounters. The president of the local UFO club pulled his part off brilliantly. I don't know if his eye mannerisms were a natural defect or intentional, but they perfectly portrayed the semi-fruitcake part he presenting. He was supposed to be an oddball... and that's exactly what he was. The other characters were basically bit parts.

Yes, it's a bit slow moving, but never boring. There's enough story, mystery and oddball to keep it moving along, but it never quite achieves the threshold of being funny schlock. It could have been better, wasn't awful, thus my 5-star "mediocre" rating. Would I recommend it? Naw. Time is limited and there are better films to watch.

A lazily but fun movie about a depressed housewife who's had an alien