Film

Coneheads

A sketch stretched into a feature about two cone-headed aliens posing as French immigrants in New Jersey. It's absurd, silly, and gleefully committed to the bit—a movie that knows exactly what it is and doesn't care if you think that's stupid. For anyone who loves the Saturday Night Live sensibility and doesn't require subtlety to have fun.

TMDb rating2.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoyed the sketch-born absurdity of early Saturday Night Live and want a broad, silly sci-fi comedy where the joke is a straight-faced couple getting by on sheer deadpan commitment.

Skip it if you want sharp, fast jokes on every line; this is a loose, gentle comedy that leans on its premise and repeats its gags, and it can feel thin for stretches.

What it asks of you: Under ninety minutes, and it moves at an easy, unhurried clip, so you will need to let the silliness wash over you rather than chase every punchline.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Wayne's World 21993

SNL sketch bloomed into a movie with the same loose, irreverent energy and genuine affection for its oddball characters. Proves the formula works when the cast loves what they're doing.

But Built on in-jokes and sketch logic rather than traditional narrative momentum. If you weren't in the room for the original bit, some of the appeal dissolves.

Wayne's World 2 poster

The Addams Family1991

Another comedy mining humour from the gap between its characters' alienness and the world around them. Perfectly cast, genuinely witty, and as devoted to its own peculiar tone.

But Considerably more polished and less silly than Coneheads. If you want the film to match its lowbrow earnestness, this one got too clever.

The Addams Family poster

Coming to America1988

Eddie Murphy vehicle about outsiders pretending to be something they're not, landing in an American suburb. Same premise, similar comedic DNA, much higher production value and star power.

But It's slicker and more conventional. The sheer absurdity and wilful silliness of Coneheads gets replaced with something designed to appeal more widely.

Coming to America poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Coneheads

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Stripperella2003

Both are comedies that would rather be unfashionably, unapologetically silly than clever. Both trust their premise completely and never wink at the audience.

Pamela Anderson voice-acts in this animated comedy about a stripper by night, secret agent by day. Same gleeful willingness to be trashy, absurd, and not apologetic about it. Pure commitment to the bit, zero interest in being respectable.

But Flash animation looks cheap and crude. The humour is deliberately juvenile and gross. It's not trying to be good in any conventional sense.

Stripperella poster
More like this (7)

¡Three Amigos!1986

Another sketch comedy team—Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short—translating their personas into a feature. Earnest stupidity, big heart, committed weirdness throughout.

But Equally uneven. Some bits soar, others collapse. If you need consistency of tone or narrative tightness, you'll be frustrated.

¡Three Amigos! poster

The Kentucky Fried Movie1977

Earlier absurdist sketch comedy feature from the Kentucky Fried Theatre gang. Fast, silly, outrageous. Shows the long lineage of turning sketch material into features that don't care about plot.

But Predates Coneheads by sixteen years and shows its age in humour style and film quality. Some segments land; others feel interminable.

The Kentucky Fried Movie poster

MacGruber2010

SNL sketch expanded into a movie by and starring Will Forte. Committed to being dumb in exactly the way it means to, with real affection for its hapless protagonist.

But The humour is aggressively stupid and repetitive. If you hate that kind of thing, this won't convince you otherwise.

MacGruber poster

A Night at the Roxbury1998

Another SNL feature with Chris Kattan and Mark Wahlberg playing idiots trying to get into a nightclub. The dedication to the bit is remarkable, and Wahlberg's commitment to not being funny is its own kind of funny.

But Very thin premise stretched very thin. The joke doesn't deepen; it just repeats. Only works if you're already in the mood.

A Night at the Roxbury poster

Troop Beverly Hills1989

Shelley Long leads a comedy about outsiders finding their place through sheer weirdness and goodwill. Earnest and silly without being mean-spirited, with genuine heart.

But Pitched at a younger audience and shows it. The broad comedy is often juvenile, and the sentimentality might feel saccharine.

Troop Beverly Hills poster

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen1988

Terry Gilliam's visually insane exercise in committed absurdity. If you love movies that would rather die weird than live safely normal, this is the spirit animal of Coneheads.

But Wildly expensive and narratively chaotic. It's a beautiful mess that doesn't cohere. Much harder to follow and far more demanding than Coneheads.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen poster

Rubber2010

Both films prove that absurdity can be entertainment when you commit to it without embarrassment. Both create alternate worlds with their own logic and never apologize for how strange they are.

A French film about a sentient killer tire seeking revenge. It commits entirely to a premise that is completely ridiculous, treating it with deadpan seriousness and warped sincerity. Genre playfulness meets genuine artistic weirdness.

But Deliberately difficult and slow. It's dark, arch, and refuses to be fun in the way comedy usually is. The joke is much harder to locate than in Coneheads.

Rubber poster

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Recommended by

3rd Rock from the Sun, Wayne's World 2, I Am Chris Farley