Smith co-wrote and took the lead role in the space comedy "Morons from Outer Space" (1985), but the film failed to make much impact. His next cinema effort was better received as director of "The Tall Guy" (1989), giving Emma Thompson a major screen role. Perhaps his best-known film in America is "Brain Donors", the 1992 update of the Marx Brothers film "A Night at the Opera", starring Smith as a cheeky, opportunistic cab driver turned ballet promoter. Paramount Pictures considered this film the outstanding comedy of the year, but when the producers left Paramount for another studio, Paramount withdrew its support for the film.