Greetings again from the darkness. Senior citizens sometimes nearly cease to exist for the outside world, or at best, are humored in a 'there-there' manner. So, what do you think happens when an elderly gentleman in a small western Pennsylvania town repeats the same suggestions at multiple City Council meetings, and then, in a nonchalant way, mentions that a spaceship crash-landed in his backyard, damaging his azaleas and birdbath? Right, others just shrug and move on, assuming the ol' geezer is just imagining things.
But what if the old man is not imagining? What if that spaceship/UFO did crush his azaleas and he's now being quite hospitable and nursing the injured alien back to health? Well, that's the story here in the first feature film screenplay from Gavin Steckler ("Review") in a film directed by Marc Turtletaub, best known as a Producer on such fine films as THE FAREWELL (2019), LOVING (2016), and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006).
Oscar winner Ben Kingsley plays Milton Robinson, a gentle soul and widower whose veterinarian daughter Denise (Zoe Winters, "Succession") helps him out with finances, while also encouraging him to see a doctor in hopes that he'll agree to move into an assisted living home. We see her concerns as Milton is forgetful and repetitive and lonely ... yet we also see his insistence on maintaining independence. Obviously, this is a situation many families deal with on a daily basis.
Things get really interesting when a couple of the other town elders become involved. Sandy (Harriet Sanson Harris) is the chipper do-gooder who is always trying to better the community, while Joyce (Jane Curtin) is the nosy one who wants to know everyone's business. Watching these three deal with the quiet and calm alien they name Jules is almost a therapeutic experience in bonding over a secret.
Mostly a charming, feel-good movie, Ms. Curtin does deliver a dose of comedy with her rendition of "Free Bird", and having Milton admit to three jaywalking tickets while addressing the City Council is a nice touch. This little film is full of kindness - unless you are a cat - and most will recognize that sliced apples take the place of Reese's Pieces. It's likely the most pleasant and easy-going science fiction movie we've seen ... at least until the few moments when the government is involved. Let's hope we would all treat outsiders the way Milton treats Jules.
Opens in theaters on August 11, 2023.
