For 50 years, has been the launchpad for every aspiring comedian to leap from the stage to the big screen, from to . Some of its classic sketches, including and , evolved into cinematic comedy classics. Yet, when one of SNL’s earliest hit sketches with attempted to make big screen glory 18 years after they debuted, audiences were not consuming mass quantities.
As one of SNL’s earliest popular sketches from their inception in 1977, Coneheads featured original Not Ready for Prime Time Players and as extra-terrestrials Beldar and Prymatt alongside their daughter Connie (). Inspired by Aykroyd’s love for the ‘50s sci-fi B-movie , the sketches typically saw the Conehead family’s bizarre attempts to assimilate into the human suburban culture, claiming to be from France and consuming non-edible items. As SNL creator sought to capitalize on the box office success of Wayne’s World, the effort to bring Coneheads to theaters .
The expansive take on the Coneheads' story on film sees Beldar and Prymaat leave their home planet of Remulak only to crash-land on Earth. After being informed by Marlax () that it will take years to be rescued, they assimilate into society by having their names changed, their teeth capped, and Beldar takes odd jobs and works an ungodly number of hours. All this goes on while Prymaat is pregnant with their child. The couple’s immigration status catches the attention of overzealous INS agent Gordon Seedling () and his young partner Eli (), causing the Coneheads to move around to avoid captivity.
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For the next several years, Beldar and Prymaat settle in the suburbs of Paramus, NJ, and struggle to raise their teenage daughter Connie (recast with ), who’s beginning to find her sexual awakening through her attraction to heavyset mechanic Ronnie (). Upon word about their impending rescue, however, Connie becomes reluctant to leave home as the INS starts to close in on their whereabouts. Once back on Remulak, the Coneheads soon realize that their years fitting into society have grave consequences.
The last time the Coneheads appeared on SNL was in 1979, followed by an animated special produced by Rankin/Bass in 1983. Though audiences were familiar with Aykroyd due to his success with The Blues Brothers and , . In an attempt to land with a younger crowd, Coneheads features several ‘90s SNL stars, including Farley, Hartman, Spade, , and to name a few. Additionally, some original Not Ready for Prime Time Players make cameos with original Connie actor Newman playing Prymaat’s sister, while appears as one of the few Black Coneheads in the film. Even with the jam-packed star power, .
While the original five to seven-minute sketches were popular in SNL’s heyday, . Counterpart SNL-based movies such as The Blues Brothers and Wayne’s World had simple narratives with jokes sparked out of the situation. Even with its nods to the original sketch between Beldar smoking an entire pack of cigarettes at once or the couple fondling each other by touching heads, Coneheads needed a concrete story about dysfunctional parents struggling with their child’s growing independence. Instead, .
The final act on Remulak is where Coneheads loses all steam. The majority of the film by this point has been situations involving the Coneheads’ interaction with a variety of human friends, from appliance store owner Otto () to their toupee-wearing neighbor Larry (). Remulak instantly turns Coneheads into a bad parody, with Beldar punished for capping his razor-sharp teeth and forced into combat with the Garthok monster. Though director Steve Barron provides some fun-looking stop-motion animation reminiscent of the Rancor battle from Return of the Jedi, it loses all the humor as soon as the story puts the Coneheads in physical jeopardy.
Coneheads’ campy ‘70s charm of the original sketch may have been kept intact. However, ‘90s audiences simply could not connect to Aykroyd’s archaic brand of humor. While the situational subplots of Prymaat suspecting Beldar of having an affair and Connie’s random high school experiences convoluted the narrative, the overall aliens in the suburbs concept would ultimately serve better as the basis of the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, which was conceived by Coneheads co-writers Bonnie and Terry Turner.
Coneheads is streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.
