Written Review by John Delia, Sr.
A trio of stars light up the film JULES, a Heavenly film from another world. Nicely filmed, edited and written, it touches you in so many ways. Acted by three ageing actors, Ben Kingsley, Jane Curtin and Harriet Sansome Harris their characters couldn’t have been brought to life by a better team. From the very beginning to its emotional finale, the movie flies by in compelling spirts each as endearing as the next. It’s another one of those independent charmers that really entertain the older movie going crowd.
Longtime resident of Boonton, Pennsylvania, 79-year-old Milton Robinson (Ben Kingsley) walks a few miles to the town hall to attend every City Council meeting. Conscience of preserving his town and making it safe, he requests that they change the motto of the town and install a crosswalk at a busy intersection. It has been happening so many times the council listens to the requests, Council takes notes with eyebrows lifted and Milton is on his way. After one such meeting he turns in for the night and he’s awakened by a loud racket outside. The next morning he finds a flying saucer crash landed in his back yard.
This time Milton has something big to tell the Council so he heads back to them with his findings. So begins a story of suspected senility, a coming together of unanticipated friendships and a beginning of a lasting alien memory. Putting the fine cast through the heartwarming storyline Director Marc Turtletaub delivers an amusing movie that should make most audiences cheer on the three old-timers as they get acquainted with the passenger inside the spaceship. But, it’s not a sappy, soapy motion picture, as this trio finds themselves in a pickle.
The cast is one of those perfect storms that certainly must have been picked due to their long record of bringing excellent characterization to their roles. Ben Kingsley’s Milton puts on a show that will believe the senility and root for him to care for the spaceman. Harriet Sansome Harris is the first to become a close “friend” of Milton and she’s a schemer. Effortlessly suited as the senior citizen who may be on the doorstep of losing her marbles, she names the space voyager Jules and urges Milton to try and keep the alien around. As for Jane Curtin, she hasn’t lost her penchant of making the audience a believer and she even belts out a song to entertain Jules.
Needless to say I really enjoyed the movie Jules and highly recommend it to not only the seniors, but anyone over the age of 30. The film has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for strong language, and there isn’t a lot of that so even mature pre-teens should be able to manage the cool little film that mixes laughter with kindness. My rating is 4 out of 5 stars for the fan base. JULES opens on Friday August 11.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Ben Kingsley, Jane Curtin & Harriet Sansom Harris
Directed by: Marc Turtletaub
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for strong language
Running Time: 1 hr. 37 min.
Opening Date: August 11, 2023
Distributed by: Bleecker Street
Released in: Theaters