charlie sheen stars as zane , a radio astronomer who listens for sounds from other lifeforms . when he finally gets one , his boss destroys the tape and fires him . naturally , zane is not ready to give up , and he comes up with an ingenious way to do this himself . he is aided by a young neighborhood kid and they discover that the sound is coming from mexico . so zane goes down there to investigate , and runs into a lady studying why the temperature of the earth has dangerously risen so suddenly . zane is having marital problems at the time , and an offer by her to spend the night with him is very tempting . hearing charlie sheen deliver the line , " i guess there is something to be said for celibacy " is the funniest thing i have ever heard in a movie since matthew broderick discussed asexual reproduction in wargames . this is just the setup , and i don't want to give too much away , because a large part of the movies fun is the surprises . charlie sheen , who has had a rocky career as of late , is in top form here . he is funny , serious , and determined to accomplish his goal . sheen's absolutely terrific performance is another big plus to this movie . the story is ingeniously devised by twohy , who also wrote and directed the equally clever cable movie grand tour : disaster in time . the films major flaw is a very slow pace , and not much happens in the earlygoings . viewers may be growing restless for a while , but trust me if you stick around and keep your head in it , you will have a good time . 
