My Stepmother Is an Alien *** (1988, Kim Basinger, Dan Aykroyd, Jon Lovitz, Alyson Hannigan) – Classic Movie Review 13,999

Richard Benjamin’s 1988 American science fiction comedy film My Stepmother Is an Alien stars Kim Basinger, Dan Aykroyd and Jon Lovitz.

Director Richard Benjamin’s 1988 American science fiction comedy film My Stepmother Is an Alien stars Kim Basinger, Dan Aykroyd, Jon Lovitz, and Alyson Hannigan.

Alien Celeste (Kim Basinger) marries widowed scientist Steven Mills (Dan Aykroyd) to get her hands on his secret to creating a ray that has changed her home planet’s gravity.

The extra terrestrial Celeste has been sent on a secret mission to Earth after the gravity of her planet of Cosine N to the 8th has been disrupted in mistake by Steven Mills, a widower and single father to Jessie (Alyson Hannigan), working on ways to send radio waves into deep space. 

Basinger, Aykroyd and Lovitz, as the sweaty, sleazy Ron Mills, give highly appealing performances in this silly but amusing romantic farce that entertains pleasantly. It is the film debut of Juliette Lewis, as Jessie’s friend Lexie.

It is written by Herschel Weingrod, Timothy Harris, and Jonathan Reynolds, based on an earlier original screenplay by Jericho Stone, a serious work that the Paramount liked but said it would be more ‘believable’ as a comedy.

A box office disappointment, it grossed only $13,854,000 in the US against a $19 million budget. This wasn’t for want of trying with the publicity:

The film’s premiere on 3 December 1988 in Washington DC was attended by Aykroyd and Basinger, President-elect George H W Bush, future First Lady Barbara Bush and Vice President-elect Dan Quayle. Then Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley declared its release day December 9 Stepmother Day to honour the ‘importance, dedication and contribution of stepmothers everywhere’, and in appreciation of the film shooting in Los Angeles.

Also, a South Korean branch of Baskin-Robbins named an ice cream flavour called Mom is an Alien after the movie.

Aykroyd and Basinger perform impressions of Jimmy Durante singing ‘Did You Ever Have the Feeling’ from The Man Who Came to Dinner.

Cast: Dan Aykroyd as Steven Mills, Kim Basinger as Celeste Martin, Jon Lovitz as Ron Mills, Alyson Hannigan as Jessie Mills, Joseph Maher as Lucas Budlong, Seth Green as Fred Glass, Ann Prentiss as the voice of Bag, Wesley Mann as Grady, Tony Jay as council chief, Peter Bromilow as Second in command, Harry Shearer as the voice of Carl Sagan, Juliette Lewis as Lexie, Nina Henderson, Adrian Sparks, Tanya Fenmore, Karen Haber, Amy Kirkpatrick, Suzie Plakson, Robert Benedetti, Kevin McDermott, Robyn Mandell, Lisa Croisette.

© Derek Winnert 2026 – Classic Movie Review 13,999

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