Smartaleck mallard Howard finds himself stranded on Earth. Howard befriends spunky aspiring rock singer Beverly (an appealing and energetic portrayal by Lea Thompson, who looks absolutely adorable) and must save our planet from an evil alien being that has possessed the body of kindly scientist Dr. Walter Jenning (Jeffrey Jones having a delightfully histrionic eye-rolling ball).
Director/co-writer Willard Huyck and co-writer Gloria Katz deserve praise for joyfully running with the absurd premise; this picture certainly rates as one of the most bizarre and ridiculous big budget movies to be produced and released by a major studio in the 1980's. Moreover, Huyck and Katz definitely nail the sense of go-for-broke pull-out-all-the-stops outrageous excess that permeated the 1980's: While this for the most part works in the film's favor (a wild action chase involving Howard flying a small plane is both funny and exciting in equal measure), said crazy excess does on occasion go a little too far (the infamous love scene between Howard and Beverly comes perilously close to being icky and distasteful). Tim Robbins contributes a lively turn as goofy'n'geeky lab assistant Phil Blumburtt. Richard Kline's slick cinematography, John Barry's dynamic score, and the flashy special effects are all up to par. Super catchy theme song and cool rock concert finale, too. A bit uneven and a tad overlong, but overall a real hoot and a half.
Director/co-writer Willard Huyck and co-writer Gloria Katz deserve praise for joyfully running with the absurd premise; this picture certainly rates as one of the most bizarre and ridiculous big budget movies to be produced and released by a major studio in the 1980's. Moreover, Huyck and Katz definitely nail the sense of go-for-broke pull-out-all-the-stops outrageous excess that permeated the 1980's: While this for the most part works in the film's favor (a wild action chase involving Howard flying a small plane is both funny and exciting in equal measure), said crazy excess does on occasion go a little too far (the infamous love scene between Howard and Beverly comes perilously close to being icky and distasteful). Tim Robbins contributes a lively turn as goofy'n'geeky lab assistant Phil Blumburtt. Richard Kline's slick cinematography, John Barry's dynamic score, and the flashy special effects are all up to par. Super catchy theme song and cool rock concert finale, too. A bit uneven and a tad overlong, but overall a real hoot and a half.