The Applegates (1991)

OK, so the suburban families as the American perfect middle class are cockroaches, NO, lower than cockroaches.. As the cockroaches themselves are more regular, less lustful, and real truthful, united unlike the lousy human race ! It's fun and bold satire that had been done as a little skit which was a cross between black comedy and gory horror. Although it got its talented inner sarcasm, and its superficial coherence, but it also got some funny and bold weak points : How in god's name did they, the cockroaches, transform into humans ? Organize as a military and intelligence ? Put a complicated plane ?? How they happen to be this size as bugs in the first place ? And now be ready for the big one : how could they build their earth after the end of the humans since the nuclear explosion would destroy them and the humans together ??!! Actually, being such an obvious satirical skit may not allow it to be that easy (or stupid !) but treat it in well-meaning behavior like it does with its cases.I loved the perspective to look into materialistic society urges addiction (drugs, sex, shopping, etc..) with no way to admit any of its faults (hide it is the best way), so how we all such a monsters masquerading as happy ideal "family of the year" kind of huge lies ! It was truly painful as well as ironic watching the scene of receiving the honorable award like the best of this community is its worst, and the falseness is on. Look at its deeper meaning : the human body oozes inferiority and degeneration yet with some cockroaches' ethics every thing would go right. I told you earlier it's the movie where the human must emulate the more perfect creatures : the bugs ! what an acrid criticism for a movie that is.(Stockard Channing) exceeded everybody, (Ed Begley Jr.) was good but lacks charisma and looks always cold plus he didn't add anything to his role, (Dabney Coleman) was disgusting for no reason but being odd ! The special effects weren't bad at all according to the movie's condition as so Independent Film. Aside from not making a real comic situations (just scary or sardonic ones) the scriptwriters just skipped (rather escaped from) writing very important scene in which the family return to their origin at the jungle in a reunion for more connection and peace after the hard clash where the hidden truths uncovered.. As all what we've seen was couple of naive silent shoots ! Maybe the writers don't know the cockroaches' language ?!.When I first watch it, I didn't know the year it came from, but I guessed the 1980s, so initially I thought how it might be so mean metaphor for the Soviet communists ! But thank god, as it moved on I discovered it was something more balanced and sane.Well.. With so zerotic budget, it handled itself fine. True, it canceled the imagination a bit since it considered itself kind of adult comic-book mainly to deride, yet despite everything it got wicked meanings and a way-of-its-own enjoyment.After 2 years there was (Coneheads - 1993) another similar joke, and although it was more imaginative but wasn't as dark and malicious as this one. (Meet the Applegates) will be memorable not for its strength or comedy but for its wild outrageous metaphor.

In the wilds of Brazil, as yet more rainforests are being cut down to make way for burger bars and other such makers of food which doesn't taste as nice as the little cardboard boxes it comes in, an unknown species of giant bug finds a children's 'Learn to Read' book which contains pictures of the 'ordinary' family. In no time, the outsized mantids are disguised as a human family and are on a mission to cause a nuclear disaster which will wipe out humanity.Though this film does have serious things to say about ecology, it is also a black comedy about the seedier side of families and married life. It captures hilariously such subjects as teenage rebellion, credit card shop-a-holics, sexless marriages and even political topics like the paranoia surrounding 'reds under the beds'. Alright, so some of the subjects tend to verge on the tasteless (and I don't think date rape is really something to laugh about), it's still a very entertaining sci-fi/comedy.

Keyword reference for this film indicates scenes of interracial sex.There were no scenes of interracial sex - barely scenes of interracial interaction (other than the law enforcement official that meets a slimy end -- no sex, though).Did I miss something?In fact, the sex scenes are not much to worry about -- the daughter's romp is not the least bit erotic, or funny -- for that matter. This movie was supposed to be funny, and I suppose there were enough scenes of purely outrageous content that generate a grin. Gut busting laughter? No.

MEET THE APPLEGATES is a comedy horror movie and I guess on that level it works very well as a bunch of giant praying mantis disguise themselves as an all American family and live in middle America while planning to sabotage a nuclear power plant in order to save their jungle environment So far so good as far as the premise goes but you quickly find yourself asking the question as to what the film is trying to say . Is it an anti racist parable or a satire on present day dysfunctional American family life ? Surely if the movie has a green conscience it should appeal to children but within 20 minutes we've already seen an attempted rape while more and more bad language and adult situations like adultery and drug taking are introduced into the story and long before the movie ends you notice that there's a very uneven feel between scenes which makes for a very strange movie Okay I'll be generous and take it as entertainment in which case MEET THE APPLEGATES just about succeeds if that's what it's intended as . I wasn't exactly falling out of my chair but there are some amusing moments while the climax featuring a couple of giant bugs in a fist fight did bring a perplexed smile to my face