Evolution (2001)

 Reviewed 2002-03-02: Potty humor is gets old very fast, and Orlando Jones isn't as funny as he thinks he is, but I had fun watching Evolution, in spite of it all. The main attractions for me were "X-Files" (and Red Shoe Diaries) alum David Duchovny, as a disgraced military scientist professionally marooned at a community college in Arizona, and exquisite redhead Julianne Moore, as a scientist who finds her military colleagues (Ted Levine as Gen. Woodman) less interesting than the teacher and his adjunct sidekick (Jones).

Ivan Reitman directed this hit-and-miss comedy about alien organisms attempting to take over the earth by evolving from humus to humanoid in a period of about a week. His truly inspired comedies -- Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984) and Dave (1993) -- have been accompanied by some misfires -- Kindergarten Cop (1990), Twins (1988), Legal Eagles (1986). There are some laughs in Evolution: Dan Ackroyd as Governor Lewis was howling funny in his Dragnet mode. Toward the end, I was concerned that Evolution might turn into a 100-minute commercial for Head and Shoulders dandruff shampoo. And Orlando Jones is sometimes even funny. The talents of Duchovny, with his hilarious deadpan manner, and Moore, who can make herself believable as a brilliant scientist who is also a klutz and is still sexy, almost save this film. Evolution? It's diverting, but kill it before it multiplies.

Agree? Disagree? Tell me!