Nice to see 47 other people have heard of this film. Maybe in another universe (or planet, ala the film), it would've been more well-received. I only know of it from The Movie Channel airing it frequently around 1989-90. Since then I've yet to lay eyes on it again. Most will be unimpressed or bored, but if you like a lot of quirk to your films, you may be surprised. From rotating, airborn restaurants, gawky teens, a bird in a beehive hair-do, a so-horrible-he's funny lounge singer, and an Arabian college recruiter, this gets points for oddballness. Strouse is perfect as the kid who doesn't quite fit in, having an extra vertebrae and been struck by lightning several times. Plus a habit of over-analyzing his life, to the point of being ridiculed by his own family. Adler is good as his by-the-numbers, sunglass-clad 80s buddy, and Thompson adds some trashy sex appeal with her temptress. And I'll admit, another reason I liked it, was the lead character had the same name as me. To find a "Ryan" in any film is a rarity, but also one where the hero is such an outcast, was fun. The ending gets a bit outlandish and doesn't really resolve anything, but it seemed to the filmmakers point anyway. I mean, what else can you make of a story about a geeky 17-year-old who may be the half-human, half-extraterrestrial leader of a clan of weirdos from the planet B-52? Exactly.
Review of Doin' Time on Planet Earth
