Themes: Benign Aliens, Robots and Androids, Down on Their Luck
Main Cast: Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Frank McRae, Elizabeth Peña, Michael Carmine
Release Year: 1987
Country: US
Run Time: 107 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy are among the impoverished residents of a slum tenement threatened with demolition by evil land developers. Only a miracle can save Cronyn, Tandy, and their friends -- and that miracle manifests itself in the form of a "family" of extraterrestrial flying saucers, who need the electricity provided by the tenement to survive. The grateful humanized spaceships repay their earthbound hosts by doing battle with the villains' henchmen. When the building is engulfed in flames, all seems lost, but the aliens have a few more tricks up their metallic sleeves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Co-written and produced by Steven Spielberg, it's hardly worth noting that this film was directed by Matthew Robbins. It looks and feels like a Spielberg movie. Blending together cute and curious aliens and geriatrics who've still got some life in them despite their years, one would assume that *batteries not included is an attempt to bridge the gap between E.T. and Cocoon. And while it surely falls short of the greatness of those classics, it isn't completely worth avoiding, especially for younger viewers and families. After all, the ho-hum story line about an evil land developer using illegal tactics to evict the residents of a run-down tenement is really just a backdrop for the admittedly dazzling effects and the charming performances of real-life husband and wife Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. And it is those elements that make this an undoubtedly sweet and likeable experience. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Angelo P. Graham - Art Director, Penny Perry - Casting, Aggie Guerard Rodgers - Costume Designer, Jerry Grandey - First Assistant Director, Matthew Robbins - Director, Joe Johnston - Second Unit Director, Cynthia Scheider - Editor, Kathleen Kennedy - Executive Producer, Frank Marshall - Executive Producer, Steven Spielberg - Executive Producer, James Horner - Composer (Music Score), Ted Haworth - Production Designer, John McPherson - Cinematographer, Kathleen Kennedy - Producer, Frank Marshall - Producer, Ronald L. Schwary - Producer, Steven Spielberg - Producer, George R. Nelson - Set Designer, David Allen - Special Effects, Industrial Light & Magic - Special Effects, Gene S. Cantamessa - Sound/Sound Designer, Thomas Rosales, Jr. - Stunts Coordinator, Hal Barwood - Screenwriter, Brad Bird - Screenwriter, Mick Garris - Screenwriter, Brent Maddock - Screenwriter, Matthew Robbins - Screenwriter, Steven Spielberg - Screenwriter, S.S. Wilson - Screenwriter, Richard C. Kratina - Second Unit Director Of Photography, David Lowery - Storyboard Artist
