Aliens Ate My Homework

Unapologetically cheesy as effects-heavy sci-fi films go, Aliens Ate My Homework makes up for a lot of hokey ray-guns, miniature spaceships, and a talking shrub (or something) with clever, ironic humor that appeals to the middle-schooler in us all. Based on the titular 1993 first novel in a YA series by Bruce Coville, the story finds sixth-grader Rod (Jayden Grieg)--bullied at school and pestered at home by his suspicious live-in cousin Elspeth (Lauren McNamara)--just trying to get on with life. When a pack of extraterrestrial security forces land their dinner-plate-size ship in his bedroom, Rod reluctantly joins them, along with Elspeth, in their pursuit of a villainous alien who is hiding in plain sight. What makes the movie funny--aside from the motley team of alien cops from several planets--are the reactions of the adults to all of the weird stuff happening. And, awful as this will sound, a prolonged scene of projectile vomiting is pretty hilarious. Recommended. (T. Keogh)