Jules (#454)

Egads!  It’s E.T. deja vu all over again.  Only this time, the extra terrestrial, dubbed JULES by his earthbound friend, is a young, apple-eating boy (or girl)  wearing a skintight white body suit and cavorting, silently, with senior citizens instead of children.  This is sort of a nostalgic film, with fine performances from all the characters including the title character, who though mute says a lot with facial expressions and remarkable eyes.  Jules’ spaceship crash lands in the back yard of 78 year old Milton, played by Ghandi portrayer Ben Kingsley, who is exhibiting early signs of dementia.  Milton appears frequently before the town council with trivial complaints, so that when he tries to tell people, including his daughter, about the alien, he is ignored.  Two female neighbors, also senior citizens, learn about his visitor and they keep his presence a secret while trying to figure out how to repair his spaceship so he can go home.  It is obvious that they are very fond of Jules and he of them.  It is funny and poignant and whimsical, and I enjoyed the film, especially because it was a bit less than an hour and a half long.  Critics and audiences joined me in liking it with 84% and 90% thumbs up respectively.  Warning to cat lovers; there is one aspect of Jules you won’t like!