As the old saying goes, there’s no fool like an April fool, and for all those light-hearted tricksters out there searching for something substantially goofy to watch on one of the best streaming services this official day of pranks and gags, we’ve got a silly selection of science fiction films you can stream on a variety of platforms.
Sci-fi is often served up as serious high-brow fare but not these seven Hollywood picks that delight in frank foolishness and frivolity. From alien Muppets arriving in a mother ship to the wackiness of Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis in Earth Girls are Easy, you’ll be well insulated from any April Fool’s Day practical jokes… at least while watching one or two!
Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989)
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- Where to watch: Disney+ in the US, UK and Australia.
The exuberant sci-fi comedy that even inspired a 3D attraction at Uncle Walt’s Disneyland is still an enormously entertaining production featuring brilliant special effects and a heartwarming family story.
It was a massive hit at the box office that summer and starred Rick Moranis as an inventor who accidentally shrinks his children and the neighbor kids down to Lilliputian size and loses them in the back yard. The miniaturized group must battle their way back to the house on a mission filled with colossal ants, torrential sprinkler downpours, and behemoth buzzing bees.
Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)
![Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) Original Trailer [FHD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/UYelLENqNzA/maxresdefault.jpg)
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- Where to watch: Fubo, Peacock, Plex, Pluto TV or Hoopla in the US; Sky or Now Cinema in the UK.
Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, and Damon Wayans play aliens plopped down into a California valley girl’s superficial existence on Earth. Geena Davis and Julie Brown as ‘80s bimbo manicurists are a hoot in this musical comedy that requires very little cerebral work yet acts as a mindless diversion you can unashamedly giggle alongside as they give makeovers to the furry extraterrestrials. Pure camp and cringe-worthy corniness abounds! And that’s not a bad thing.
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
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- Where to watch: The Roku Channel, Hoopla or Plex in the US.
One of the most notorious box office bombs of all time, this total guilty pleasure set on the lunar surface has to be seen to be believed. Set in the year 2087 and starring Eddie Murphy as a brash nightclub owner on the moon who runs afoul of organized crime when he refuses to sell his establishment, this film lost an exorbitant amount of money for Warner Bros.
But under the right circumstances and shifting your mood selector to “Zoned Out,” it can be a zany sci-fi diversion best enjoyed with a feedbag of popcorn, pile of peanut M&Ms, and a favorite frosty beverage. With a $100 million budget and a global take of just $7 million, you have to feel sorry for it.
Coneheads (1993)
- Where to watch: Paramount+, Hoopla or Pluto TV in the US.
This absurdly fun feature originated from the vintage Saturday Night Live skits starring Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman as a family of stranded aliens “from France” trying to blend in with 20th century suburban New Jersey life despite their appearances.
Michelle Burke replaced Newman in the 1993 adaptation that finds the patriarch Beldar being called back to their home world of Remulak. Lots of SNL writers aboard this kooky comedy, including Aykroyd. There’s a certain dopiness in the movie allowing viewers to just go with the oddities.
Muppets From Space (1999)
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- Where to watch: Now Cinema in the UK
Ever wondered exactly what kind of animal or creature Gonzo was? Well, this sci-fi origin story traces his extraterrestrial roots back to outer space as a mothership piloted by his species comes calling on Earth after being contacted via breakfast cereal.
When Gonzo and Rizzo get abducted by a covert anti-invasion agency, it’s up to the rest of the Muppet gang to rescue them before the alien spaceship arrives to take Gonzo back to his home planet. It might not be on the level of earlier Muppets film, but it’s all whimsical fluff that goes down easy with plenty of laughs.
