E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Melissa Mathison
1982/US
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/YouTube rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Elliott: He’s a man from outer space and we’re taking him to his spaceship.
Greg: Well, can’t he just beam up?
Elliott: This is *reality*, Greg.

Steven Spielberg amps up the friendly alien theme of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) to the next level of fantasy.

A suburban family has just been through a divorce.  Children Michael (Robert MacNaughton), Elliott (Henry Thomas) and Mary (Drew Barrymore) are adjusting to life with their now single mother.  Elliott is at the just the age where he longs to do the things teenage Michael does but where he has neither the ability nor Michael’s permission to do them.

One day Eliott’s life changes with the arrival of an alien spaceship.  The occupants are apparently on some sort of exploratory mission.  E.T. is accidentally left behind when the spaceship is forced to suddenly flee.  Elliott has the great good fortune in becoming besties with the homesick little creature.

All the children have many adventures in attempting to conceal their find from grownups.  These intensify when they become responsible for protecting him and helping him to get home.

This, to me, is a perfect children’s movie but not one this grownup needed to see again before she died.  There is something about it that is a little too cute and saccharine for my taste.  I think it belonged on the List though.

Missing theme song

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