Before I begin, a word of warning.  If you don’t get Canadian humor, skip this movie.  If you need your special effects to be cutting edge CGI, skip this movie.  If you don’t like seeing films with people you’ve never heard of before, skip this movie.

“Phil the Alien” is your classic “fish out of water” scenario.  But that’s the only thing you may have seen before.  The film follows the story of an alien with a name so complex, he’s just nicknamed “Phil.”  When his ship crashes in the backwoods of Canada, the young alien feels alone and frightened.  He’s found by Joey, the 13 year old boy being raised by an alcoholic father.  Phil quickly discovers whiskey, and shortly after, begins making new friends at the local bar.  He finds himself embracing religion, fighting the government, and living with a beaver during his bizarre odyssey to get home.

Despite the handicaps of being poorly funded, having only one recognizable face (Graham Greene of “Dances with Wolves”), and coming from an unheard of studio, this film is still very entertaining and worth a watch.  With unique cinematography, a great soundtrack, and jokes that keep on coming, it more than makes up for its flaws.

So forget that it’s a low-budget film.  Forget that this is the writing, acting, and directorial debut of Rob Stefaniuk.  Forget that you’ve never heard of this movie or seen it at the store.  Find it, buy it, and watch it.  If you don’t like it, pass it along to someone who might.  There aren’t a lot of copies out there.

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