Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human, The |
  • USA • 1999 • 88m •    • Directed by: Jeff Abugov. • Starring: David Hyde Pierce, Mackenzie Astin, Carmen Electra, Markus Redmond, Lucy Liu, Lisa Rotondi, Sharon Wyatt, Jack Kehler, Leo Rossi, Antonette Saftler, Marc Blucas, Anne Gee Byrd, Eric Kushnick. • Music by: Michael McCarty.      An anthropologist from an alien planet provides voice-over commentary for a documentary look at human courtship, mating, and reproduction: "complex, perverse, tragically beautiful: the earthbound human." The commentary gets some of the details comically wrong (explaining the slap on a newborn's back: "they don't like the looks of the child so they beat it"), but gets right the overall idea. We follow Billy and Jenny from their meeting at a club, initial misunderstandings, his losing her phone number, finally connecting, walks on the beach, soulful talks, meeting each other's parents, friends' advice, and the gradual taking of the relationship to new levels.
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Review:
A Richard Attenborough style narration provided by David Hyde Pierce ("Niles Crane" from TV's Frasier) gets you in the mood as we follow the hit and miss shenanigans of "boob-tastic" Carmen Electra and Mackenzie Astin. We get the fly-on-the-wall treatment, sharing the couples most intimate, as well as the moments of cringe-worthy embarrassment; the first encounter at a local nightclub, the follow-up phone call, the first date, first kiss, first bit of sack-action (with and without condom), meeting the parents... EVERYTHING!
Not a bad idea for a movie really, and whoever did the job of casting Carmen Electra's "assets" for the part certainly had their head screwed on. However, Carmen can't act. She's hopeless! You cant really expect too much though as it's obvious why she was cast in the first place. The part calls for a "Hot Babe", and Carmen certainly is that. Plenty of gratuitous tight-top and short-skirt scenes improve her overall performance, and as soon as Carmen gets naked (Yes... it's true) I'm sure you'll agree with me that she really deserves more recognition as a true performer.
The narration soon becomes annoying with its constant focus on trying to make a joke out of every-single-possible-situation. Some of the jokes are funny (ever hear someone call a penis a "Seed Shooter"?), but most are just poor imitations of jokes and sketches already performed on the one-and-only "Seinfeld". A bit like watching a cheesy wildlife documentary, only instead of being put in a coma with the antics of the Peruvian Jungle Mouse, we're bored beyond belief with the fumblings and try-hard goings-on of the Yuppie American Couple. Worth watching only if you fancy seeing a selection from Carmen's 'Spice Rack'.
Review by Joe H from the Internet Movie Database.
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