Good Fun

Rating: 8/10 (16 July 2002)

Superior special effects and a high irreverence make this a surprisingly easy way to spend a couple of hours. The concept is inspired: the world is populated by aliens disguised as ordinary folk and there's a secret branch of the INS designed to monitor them and protect us; and some of the gags in Ed Solomon's script (based on Lowell Cunningham's comic) border on genius (tabloids are telling the truth, the New York World's Fair statues are really spaceships). The film views aliens pretty much as we view foreigners, with a mixture of wary acceptance and trepidation but that high irreverence helps us get past the barebones intimations of xenophobia. And there's a real chemistry between the two perfectly cast principals, the smooth Tommy Lee Jones and entertaining Will Smith. Smith is especially endearing: he's at ease with the mild racial quips that go hand in hand with the film's themes and proves to be a good sport. Invisibly directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, whose lack of personality is a plus: he stays out of the way of the action and lets the story and visuals unfold cleanly.