Jules

The movie is almost an Eight Star Movie, forget the trailer and see the movie. It is about what it is like to be getting older and not always being taken seriously and the alien is just a vehicle to tell that story. I really didn't think I would like it but my partner wanted to see it and I was really glad that we saw it together. Ben Kingsley is , as always focused and believable what ever character he is playing and the the supporting cast are stand up as well. I was truly moved and touched by the story being told and that's the thing; the movie is so well conceived and executed that is does not disappoint. I was, most definitely, pleasantly surprised by how good this movie is, very entertaining.

No mind blowing special effects, no earth shattering explosions, no car chases, just a slow burn quirky small town film with a lot of heart. As someone with a lifelong love of Sci-Fi who is fast approaching retirement age I could identify with the characters in this film. Ben Kingsley's portrayal of Milton is spot on and the inclusion of. Jane Curtin, who was known for her role in the Conehead sketches as Prymaat, is a nice little Easter egg that may go unnoticed by some. Plus there are subtle references to E. T. Alf, Men In Black, and even tangentially, Flight of the Navigator, there may even be others I missed. Many sci-fi fans are fast approaching the autumn of their lives, and far too many science fiction movies overlook this segment of their audience. Good intelligent science fiction featuring older actors and mature story lines are few and far between. Though the plots are significantly different, this film somewhat reminded me of Robot & Frank (2012), staring Frank Langella and Susan Sarandon. If you like Jules I would recommend that you check out Robot & Frank.

Had 'Jules' been a movie about an ageing man showing early signs of dementia, it would have been a wonderful film and good as a character study. If you're expecting an interesting alien/fantasy/sci-fi movie, you will be disappointed. I wasn't disappointed because it lacked the usual traits of an alien movie. I was disappointed because I quite frankly found it rather bland. This was the most passive alien EVER. He literally did nothing, except sit watching television, and eating apples. And in his spare time he tried to fix his spaceship... Ok, so the movie revolves around Milton (Ben Kingsley), a 79-year old man living on his own in a comfortable house in a nice neighbourhood. He is showing very early signs of dementia, and his daughter is concerned about him. This father/daughter relationship reminded me of 'The Father', a movie I loved very much. 'Jules' felt like a comedy version of 'The Father', with an alien. If the alien was a figment of Milton's imagination because of the illness, I would have enjoyed the film more, and it would then have made perfect sense why the alien was so passive. Anyway, so one night a spaceship crash lands in Milton's back yard, and an alien emerges, looking frail and in need of help. So Milton invites him into his home and the alien stays with him for a few days while he tries to fix his ship. Milton was more concerned about his flowers being destroyed by the space ship than the fact there was an alien in his home. He was very naïve about the whole episode and when his friend Sandy (Harriet Harris) came to visit, he casually told her about the alien. The two then decide to keep the alien - who she then names Jules - a secret, but soon another friend Joyce (Jane Curtin) sees the alien and now the three of them decide to keep his existence a secret. How none of the neigbours saw the spaceship is beyond me! But this is where the story got even worse. In order to fix his ship, Jules requires seven dead cats (!!!). Why? How does this make any sense? Is this all the writers could come up with - seven dead cats!! Oh, and Milton, Sandy and Joyce then drive around the neighbourhood looking for dead cats and in no time they find six. I could drive around my city for months and not find a single dead cat; so what kind of a neighbourhood do these people live in???! Ok, so I've had my rant. There's still a lot to enjoy about the film. The story about Milton himself was interesting and also a bit emotional. The film is not trying to be like any other alien movie out there and it is about the characters. And sometimes, when you're telling the truth, no-one believes you. As a comedy drama, this was an ok watch. But in general, I found 'Jules' a bit too boring and slow for my liking.

What does not mean that some younger ones may not like it. All main characters are around 70, plus bad guy (with short screen time) was young one. I did not recognize Ben Kingsley - well, did not see any of his movies from this Century. Indeed low budget, slower, and almost no action. There were some unnecessary 'additions', or rather bad jokes. This is about communication, humanity, doing good things, love ... Some review(s) complain that alien did not say single word - huh ! I see it as more realistic than he learned little English in few days. But he found way - drawing. Acting was overall very good. Watch this instead some new bombastic superpower hero movie - even if you are young. Life is not all about fight, chasing, making big noise ....

If I could rate this a 0, trust me, I would. I made an account just to review how horrible this movie is. I don't understand what is with people and their 10-star reviews. Like, what did you find good about this movie? I watched a demented old man and two hags babysit a silent alien for an hour. SPOILER ALERT: The alien ship runs on dead cats. Yes, you read that correctly... Dead cats. The guy who was writing the script for this movie was likely on LSD or some other kind of psychedelics. It bored me to death so many times that I lost count. I wish no one would ever watch this dumb movie again. These 10-star reviews need a reality check.