Frankie Stone (Ann Magnuson) is a modern woman in Miami. She's in public relations and is tired of boyfriend/client politician Steven Marcus. Her mother keeps bothering her about her sister's wedding. Her latest client is repressed scientist Jeff Peters (John Malkovich). He has created the Ulysses android which looks exactly like him. The program is in danger of losing government funding. Ulysses has never seen a woman and Frankie starts teaching him social graces before presenting him on a talk show. Her best friend Trish (Glenne Headly) arrives to stay with her after Trish's soap actor husband left her.

The premise is somewhat cute. This is a rom-com where the successful female lead can't find a good man. Ann Magnuson is not a big rom-com actress. A bigger actress could probably make this work better. Malkovich is a stiff scientist and a learning robot. He's fine but not a hunky lead. I don't think any of the jokes are working. Frankie is a nice character but this isn't that funny.

Ann Magnuson is a Miami publicity specialist called in to spearhead the ballyhoo about Ulysses, an android developed by scientist John Malkovich. Ulysses looks exactly like Malkovich. He has been developed to go on a seven-year space mission. As the movie progresses, Ulysses falls in love with Miss Magnuson, which annoys the 'real' Malkovich.... and increasingly confuses Miss Magnuson.

It's a rather cerebral comedy about the human condition, with Malkovich playing...well, the John Malkovich character; he's much more relatable as the android than as the human. There are few outright laughs in this cerebral comedy comedy about the difficulties of human relations, in which the women are mostly looking for love, and the men have mostly given up on it except as an adjunct to ambition... save for the child-like Ulysses.

Director Susan Seidelman uses a bunch of performers from the Steppenwolf Theater company, and shoots Miami to show off its gem-like visual beauty and its shlubby people. However, after a brilliant opening sequence of Miss Magnuson driving to work, putting on her make-up, it settles down into a picture of disconnected people that left me feeling more sad than amused.

Androids, clones, aliens, pod people. All non-human, at least in the biblical sense. Almost 30 years have passed since this avant garde comedy came and went, a variation of movie plots that went back to the silent age. Yet strikingly original, this Susan Seidelman has a lot going for it even if this had been done hundreds of times whether in comedy, science fiction or serials.

Cult actress Ann Magnuson is smart, attractive and successful, but a dud with men. She becomes involved in business dealings with wacky scientist John Malkovich who has created an android that looks exactly like him, and a series of wacky adventures has Magnuson getting in over her head as she teaches android Malkovich all about life...and love.

Practically stealing the film is future "Roseanne" co-star Laurie Metcalf as a love-starved young lady who has a major crush on Malkovich the scientist and ends up on a truly bad date with Malkovich the android. To toss in some class, Polly Bergen is present as Magnuson's opinionated mother.

Charming but unremarkable, this checks the viewer into a future we can only pray is false. The actors are all likable and the swift direction helps this fly by, but it hasn't achieved the cult status that this certainly deserves. There are many amusing moments including one where a Jewish coat salesman makes an interesting observation when a naked Malkovich bares all to him and Magnuson without shame.