Meet The Applegates (1990)

Sometimes when you are in the mood for a film, you want to check something out from the cheesier side of life because you just want to have some fun. So that is exactly what I did with today's film that I found on Youtube in 1990's Meet The Applegates which was written and directed by Michael Lehmann (American Horror Story). There is a huge problem happening in Brazil back in the late 80's into 1990 and that is companies were destroying the Amazon Rainforest, a but a family of giant insects decides that they will disguise themselves as your everyday American nuclear family so that they can infiltrate the local Nuclear Power Plant to try and destroy all humans. The film stars Ed Begley Jr. (Pineapple Express) as Richard Applegate, Stockard Channing (Grease) as Jane Applegate, Robert Jayne (Tremors) as Johnny Applegate, Camille Cooper (Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace) as Sally Applegate, Dabney Coleman (Boardwalk Empire) as Aunt Bea, the late Glenn Shadix (The Nightmare Before Christmas) as Greg Samson, Adam Biesk (Leprechaun 2) as Vince Samson, Lee Garlington (Cobra) as Nita Samson, Savannah Smith Boucher (The Long Riders) as Dottie, Roger Aaron Brown (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World) as Sheriff Heidegger, Philip Arthur Ross & Steven Robert Ross (Dreamers) as Kevin & Kenny, and Susan Barnes (They Live) as Opal Withers.

The only thing I was bummed out about when it came to this film was the fact that the video quality was crappy on Youtube, but other than that this was kind of a fun 90's film. They hit all the usual points in the writing with an example being that obviously these are bugs disguised as humans so how would they react if a human crushed an actual bug in front of them? Obviously they would cringe or react, but the film was one of the earliest to really be a ploy for how we were destroying the Earth even 30 years ago. There were a lot of films that would come out after this that took more of the serious tone when it came to the Amazon Rainforest, but they decided to do it in a lighter tone. They did a great job as far as casting was concerned because who doesn't love Dabney Coleman who looks like a cross dressing man in a time when that still wasn't OK in society's terms. Ed Begley Jr. was brilliant as the patriarch of the family, but Stockard Channing really knocks it out of the park as she carries the film in my opinion. The scenes when they were bugs were pretty cool, but for a comedy I did like some of the transformation scenes especially when they are ready to mate and the pod thing has a little bit of  Killer Klowns From Outer Space feel and look to them. I thought it was weird that Michael Lehmann wrote and directed this considering the caliber of films that he was involved with like Heathers, but if you're looking for some 90's fun then check this one out. I am going to give the film an B- for a final grade.