| Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Madeleine Olnek |
| Written by | Madeleine Olnek |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
Release date |
|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same is an American independent 2011 comedy film written and directed by Madeleine Olnek. [2] [3] It parodies lesbian culture and low-budget American 1950s science-fiction films in the style of Ed Wood. [4] [5] [6]
Three lesbian space aliens come to Earth, and one of the aliens, Zoinx, falls in love with an employee at a greeting card store named Jane. Jane shyly returns Zoinx's affection and they begin a romance, though Jane does not know that Zoinx is a space alien. In the meantime, Jane, Zoinx, and Zoinx's friends do not know that they may be in trouble: there are two government agents—men in black—monitoring Jane as she starts to become closer to a woman who the men feel does not belong on this planet.
The film is an adaptation of a play Madeleine Olnek originally wrote and directed for New York's WOW Café theater in 1992, [7] [8] which was also produced in San Francisco in 1999. [9]
The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. [10] [11] As of June 2020 [update] , the film holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 14 reviews with an average rating of 6.2 out of 10. [12] It was nominated in the category of Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You at the 2011 Gotham Independent Film Awards. [13]
The film received an enthusiastic critical response, indieWIRE wrote, “the hilarious black-and-white sci-fi romantic comedy “Codependent…” charmed the pants off critics and audiences at the Sundance Film Festival where it world premiered. The film's since gone on to slay at a slew of festivals” [14] Variety concurred saying, “Sweet, funny, clever comedy...Olnek’s sensibility is singular, and the work of the cast-- notably the sweetfaced Haas and the hilariously robotic Ziegler-- make for a movie that seeks, and earns, affection.” [15] During the film's theatrical run, The New York Times emphasized the universality of the comedy. “Clever…witty...this enormously likable movie keeps sexual politics on the back burner and the universal search for connection front and center...Ed Wood would be proud.” [16] And the LA Times said, “'Codependent...' is silly, cheesy and surprisingly enjoyable. As goofy and singular as its look-twice title..." [17] The Hollywood Reporter also opined on the universality of the film, calling it, “A hilarious date movie for couples of all orientations.” [18] And the popular radio program/NPR affiliate, KPCC Film Week, enthused, “Really, really sweet and funny…hysterical…I watched it twice.” [19]
The film won a special award at OutFest in Los Angeles. It was named by Autostraddle as one of the "Top 14 Heterophobic Movies of all Time." [20]
Clea Helen D'Etienne DuVall is an American actress and filmmaker. Her film appearances include The Faculty (1998); But I'm a Cheerleader; Girl, Interrupted ; Ghosts of Mars (2001); Identity;21 Grams ; The Grudge (2004); Zodiac (2007); and Argo (2012). On television, DuVall starred as Emma Borden in Lizzie Borden Took an Ax (2014) and its miniseries spinoff, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015). Her other credits include Carnivàle (2003–2005), Heroes (2006–2007), American Horror Story (2012–2013), Better Call Saul (2015–2017), Veep (2016–2019), and The Handmaid's Tale (2018–2022). She also voiced Elsa on Fox's HouseBroken, which she co-created, from 2021 to 2023.
Jane Marie Lynch is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series Glee (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recognition for her roles in Christopher Guest's mockumentary films: Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006).
Smiley Face is a 2007 German-American stoner comedy film directed and co-produced by Gregg Araki. Written by Dylan Haggerty, it stars Anna Faris as a young woman who has a series of misadventures after eating cupcakes laced with cannabis. The supporting cast includes Danny Masterson, Adam Brody, Rick Hoffman, Jane Lynch, John Krasinski, Marion Ross, Michael Hitchcock, John Cho, Danny Trejo, and Roscoe Lee Browne in his final film appearance. Smiley Face was the ninth feature film directed by Araki.
Miss Coco Peru is the drag persona of American actor, comedian and drag performer Clinton Leupp, known for her role in the 1999 independent film Trick and for her series of live theater performances. Recognizable by her "trademark copper-toned flip hairdo", Peru also starred in Richard Day's Girls Will Be Girls (2003) and was one of six performers featured in the Logo original stand-up comedy series Wisecrack (2005). She has also appeared in a number of other supporting and guest-starring roles in film and television.
Desert Hearts is a 1985 American romantic drama film directed by Donna Deitch. The screenplay, written by Natalie Cooper, is an adaptation of the 1964 lesbian novel Desert of the Heart by Jane Rule. Set in Reno, Nevada in 1959, it tells the story of a university professor awaiting a divorce who finds her true self through a relationship with another, more self-confident woman. The film stars Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau with a supporting performance by Audra Lindley.
Julie Goldman is an American comedian, actress, and podcaster. She is best known for her work on Bravo’s The People’s Couch, and HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2016, she started a podcast with her comedy partner Brandy Howard, called Dumb Gay Politics, which recaps politics and reality TV.
Alina Troyano, more commonly known as Carmelita Tropicana, is a Cuban-American stage and film lesbian actress who lives and works in New York City.
Hilarious is the fourth concert film and stand-up comedy album by American comedian and director Louis C.K. It was filmed and recorded at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee.
The 27th annual Sundance Film Festival took place from January 20, 2011 until January 30, 2011 in Park City, Utah, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ogden, Utah, and Sundance, Utah.
Amy Seimetz is an American actress and filmmaker. She has appeared in several productions, including AMC's The Killing, HBO's Family Tree, and films like Upstream Color, Alien: Covenant, Pet Sematary, and No Sudden Move.
The Foxy Merkins is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Madeleine Olnek and the lowest budget narrative feature in the Sundance 2014 film festival. The film had its world premiere at Sundance NEXT Weekend on August 9, 2013 and later screened at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2014. It had its international premiere at the Moscow International Film Festival on June 25, 2014, selected for screening despite the hostile climate towards LGBT people in Russia.
WOW Café Theater is a feminist theater space and collective in East Village in New York City. In the mid-1980s, WOW Cafe Theater was central to the avant garde theatre and performance art scene in the East Village, New York City. Among the artists who have presented at the space are Peggy Shaw, Lois Weaver, Patricia Ione LLoyd, Lisa Kron, Holly Hughes, Deb Margolin, Dancenoise, Carmelita Tropicana, Eileen Myles, Split Britches, Seren Divine, Johnny Science, and The Five Lesbian Brothers.
Wild Nights with Emily is a 2018 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Madeleine Olnek. It stars Molly Shannon as Emily Dickinson, as well as Amy Seimetz, Susan Ziegler, Brett Gelman, Jackie Monahan, Kevin Seal, Dana Melanie, Sasha Frolova, Lisa Haas and Stella Chesnut. The film is based on the actual events of Emily Dickinson's life, including her process as a writer, her attempts to get published, and her lifelong romantic relationship with another woman.
Madeleine Olnek is an American independent film director, producer, screenwriter, and playwright. She has written 24 plays and three feature films, including Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same, The Foxy Merkins, and Wild Nights with Emily. Her feature films have been described as "madcap comedies with absurdist leanings" and are all centered around LGBT characters.
Suicide Kale is a 2016 American dark comedy film, directed by Carly Usdin and written by Brittani Nichols. The film centers on Jasmine and Penn, a lesbian couple who unexpectedly find a hidden suicide note in the home of their friends Billie and Jordan. The film premiered at the Queer Hippo International LGBT Film Festival in Houston, Texas on April 3, 2016. Usdin won the Audience Award for Best First U.S. Dramatic Feature at 2016 Outfest.
Brittani Nichols is an American producer, actress, comedian, and writer. In 2016, Nichols wrote, produced, and starred in the film Suicide Kale, which won the Audience Award for Best U.S. Dramatic Feature at 2016 Outfest. She has written for the television programs A Black Lady Sketch Show, Take My Wife, Strangers, and Drop the Mic. Nichols is a writer and producer for Abbott Elementary and won the Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series award at the 54th NAACP Image Awards for the episode "Student Transfer". As part of the producing team of Abbott Elementary, Nichols was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2023.
Am I OK? is a 2022 American comedy drama film directed by Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne and written by Lauren Pomerantz. It stars Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler, Kiersey Clemons, Molly Gordon, Whitmer Thomas, Odessa A'zion, Sean Hayes, and Notaro.
Tahara is a 2020 American drama film directed by Olivia Peace and written by Jess Zeidman. It premiered at the 2020 Slamdance Film Festival and was released to wide audiences on June 10, 2022. Tahara received awards from Outfest, Newfest, and the Denver International Film Festival.
Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! is a 2022 American animated direct-to-video supernatural horror comedy mystery film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. It is the thirty-seventh direct-to-video Scooby-Doo film and was released digitally on October 4, 2022, and was released on DVD on October 18, 2022.
Madeleine Olnek, for example, wrote the funny-yet-political Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same while at WOW.
