melc7854 Review of Illegal Aliens

Illegal Aliens (2007)

A giggly comedy part Farrelly Brothers, part John waters UNDERRATED!!

[8/10 · 6 January 2008]

I have to say that I rented the film out of morbid curiosity after Anna Nicole Smith died. The web buzz on this film was nasty and I didn't expect much - I kind of wanted it to suck. What I got was a surprisingly funny and yes, very stupid but amazingly inventive, edgy and intelligent comedy that left me smirking for days. The film starts out letting your worst fears set in for the first seven minutes or so, looking like you have a long slog through Chyna's screams and Anna's inability to act - but it seems that is all intentional as Director David Giancola is neatly setting you up for the rest of the film which takes a complete, wayyy left turn as it parodies not only Anna's bad acting (in a bold move as she stupidly fumbles a line, starting the real laughs!) but also the "dumbing down" of major studio blockbusters in a biting and hilarious way that no studio film would dare. The film then gets funnier and funnier, outdoing not only the grossest gags of any of the Farrelly brothers films but even John Waters. While Giancola's affection for fart jokes goes a bit far, it is jaw-dropping that he gets the late Ms. Smith to be the object of most of them is stunning. The film does not so much have a third act as it basically deconstructs in a goofy and highly experimental section with an ending scene that not only brilliantly wraps up the film but also is the first of it's kind. IGNORE ANY OF THE SNARKY COMMENTS AND HYPERBOLE YOU MAY HAVE HEARD BY THE WEB-HATERS and check out this low-budget gem. Yes, Ms. Smith was no angel and we are all sick of the news coverage but I have to be totally honest, I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard, and Mr. Giancola's pacing won't waste your time. He has obviously been laboring in the low-budget realm for years, but I bet if his last name was the same as those young insider kids; Kasdan, Coppola, or Reitman, we would be seeing his next studio film soon.