*batteries not included (1987)

Directed by Matthew Robbins. Starring Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Dennis Boutsikaris, Elizabeth Peña, Michael Carmine, Frank McRae, John Pankow, Michael Greene, Jane Hoffman, Tom Aldredge. [PG]

The tenants of a rundown Lower East Side apartment who refuse to be bought out by Big, Evil Property Developers get an answer to their prayers in the form of small “living machine” flying saucers who show up one day and start sprucing up the joint. A strange, mismanaged family film that struggles to negotiate its varying tones—the saucers’ “cute” antics are aimed at little kids, but a lot of the supplemental material and guiding storyline (from unwed pregnancy, gentrification, and the ravages of Alzheimer’s to violent outbursts, arsonist attacks, and semi-nude art) are probably too mature for them. Frequently slathers on ill-earned magic and warmth like a second-rate Steven Spielberg (he executive produced), ending up with a messy fable that doesn’t satisfy with any sort of consistency or logical coherence. Surprisingly stunted imagination in spite of some fairly good special effects…but those little mechanical “creatures” are tough to resist. Co-scripted by Brad Bird, who also did some writing for the television program “Amazing Stories,” which is where this story idea was originally set to be developed.

48/100