Ivan Reitman is a frustrating director.

For every Stripes he makes, we end up with a Junior.  Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed a number of his movies, but it seems like some suffer some blow along the way to the big screen.  Between 1979 and 1990, it seemed that he could do little wrong.  He directed the following widely loved movies:

• Meatballs
• Stripes
• Ghost Busters
• Twins
• Kindergarten Cop

He also directed these less-than-memorable movies:

• Legal Eagles
• Ghostbusters II

These lists do not include those that he was involved with as a producer and actor.  But after Kindergarten Cop, he has only directed the following, which have not been met with the same, full love and joy as his earlier works:

• Dave
• Junior
• Fathers’ Day
• Six Days Seven Nights
• Evolution
• My Super Ex-Girlfriend

I am not sure if the difference is a change in taste for the movie-going public or him not being able to adapt his directing style to his producing style, which has a much better track record lately.

Which brings us to Evolution.

I saw this in the theaters when it came out and actually enjoyed myself.  David Duchovney plays a scientist who was discharged from the military and is relegated to teaching at community college.  His best friend is Orlando Jones, somebody who you couldn’t see a movie in the time frame of 2000-2002 without seeing him.  A meteor hits the earth and starts sprouting new alien growth.  Julianne Morre, Sean William Scott, Ted Levine (Silence of the Lambs, Monk), Ethan Suplee (Mallrats, My Name Is Earl), and Dan Akroyd join in on the fun.

This is a movie that is right out of the old “B-movie, Sci-Fi” playbook — lots

of cheese and predictability.  The cast is what pulls off this movie, particularly when not worried bout looking foolish.  The main negative is that the movie itself feels oddly edited at times.  Watching the deleted scenes on DVD shows that maybe some of those scenes should not have been cut.

The DVD has the usual extras and the Deleted Scenes are well worth watching.

My advice:  Pop this in the player when you need some cheese and just want to laugh like a 15-year-old…