How a failed musical comedy became a cult classic of 1980s pop culture

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: When three furry aliens crash-land in a San Fernando Valley swimming pool, they discover American pop culture, shaving razors, and romance. This 1989 musical comedy, born from a quirky song, faced studio bankruptcy and production delays before becoming a beloved, if messy, piece of cinematic absurdity.

The journey of Earth Girls Are Easy began with Julie Brown’s 1984 EP, Goddess in Progress. Warner Bros. initially backed a film adaptation, but the project stalled after director Julien Temple’s previous work, Absolute Beginners, flopped in 1986. With stars like Madonna and Molly Ringwald passing on the lead role, the studio abandoned the film. It was eventually saved by French bank Crédit Lyonnais, which provided financing on the condition that the budget be trimmed by $4 million from its original $14 million estimate.

Production in late 1987 was marked by chaos. Temple’s meticulous approach led to significant delays, and the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, the film's distributor, filed for bankruptcy during post-production. The final cut required five months of tinkering, including the removal of musical numbers like "I Like 'em Big and Stupid" and the late addition of the song "Cause I'm a Blonde." Despite these hurdles, the film eventually reached theaters in May 1989, though it earned only a fraction of its $10 million production cost.

Critics were divided but often charmed by the film's deliberate silliness. Roger Ebert found it "silly and predictable" yet fun, while others, like Chris Hicks, dismissed it as a "stretched-out, padded video." Over time, the film gained a cult following, even inspiring the 2015 music video for "Pretty Girls" by Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea. An attempt to adapt the story into a stage musical in 2001, featuring Kristin Chenoweth, failed to secure investors, partly due to the somber climate following the September 11 attacks. Today, the film remains a strange, cheerful artifact of 1980s excess.

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