*batteries not included (1987)

Director:

Matthew Robbins

Writers:

Mick Garris (story)
Brad Bird (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 December 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Comedy

Tagline:

Five ordinary people needed a miracle. Then one night, Faye Riley left the window open.

Plot:

Apartment block tenants seek the aid of alien mechanical life-forms to save their building from demolition.

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Grill | Construction | Pepsi Cola | Baseball Bat

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Hume Cronyn	...	Frank Riley, Owner Riley's Cafe
Jessica Tandy	...	Faye Riley
Frank McRae	...	Harry Noble
Elizabeth Peña	...	Marisa Esteval
Michael Carmine	...	Carlos
Dennis Boutsikaris	...	Mason Baylor
Tom Aldredge	...	Sid Hogenson
Jane Hoffman	...	Muriel Hogenson
John DiSanti	...	Gus
John Pankow	...	Kovacs
MacIntyre Dixon	...	DeWitt
Michael Greene	...	Lacey, Real Estate Developer
Doris Belack	...	Mrs. Thompson
Wendy Schaal	...	Pamela
José Angel Santana	...	Goon #1 (as José Santana)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:PG (Certificate #28866) | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-10/7 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

East Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The opening montage shows pictures of Frank Riley in a Navy uniform circa World War 2. Later in the movie when his wife pulls out his pocket watch it has a leather fob attached with a gold anchor with a silver "USN" on it, signifying Frank achieved the rank of Chief Petty Officer during his time in the service.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Frank is showing the machine how to cook hamburgers on the grill, the full view shows three raw patties on the back of the griddle. But on the close-up, the machine starts to turn the patties and all patties have been cooked on one side.

Quotes:

Faye Riley: Bobby!
Carlos: Hey, Lady, my name's not Bobby!
Faye Riley: Well excuse me! Robert. Um...
Carlos: Shut up!
Mason: Hey!
Carlos: Okay, I saw downstairs. Who's been cleaning up after me?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Muppet Babies: Muppets Not Included (#5.1)" (1988)

A delightful, nostalgic trip..

Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn stole the show, as is expected. However, the film is a very fun and nostalgic trip, the remaining cast getting the job done well. While it could use some development, the ideas present and the general whim about the film allow it to stand amongst other contemporary classics.

Naturally, the film also sports great production values, with Spielberg, Kennedy, and Marshall at it once again. Go see it.