JULES – Review by T. J. Callahan
Jules: “I know you were slipping, but not that fast.”
In the new sci fi comedy, Jules, Milton has a close encounter with a third kind when a spaceship crash lands into his backyard azalea bushes in rural Pennsylvania. Jules is the moniker given to the alien pilot after the E.T. is invited into Milton’s home for apples, water and a warm blanket.
Sir Ben Kingsley is Milton, a 78 year old widower with a midwestern accent and founding fathers hair. He’s in the early stages of dementia so when he tries to tell his daughter about the incident, she just wants him to see a doctor.
Milton’s fellow AARP neighbors, Sandy (Harriet Sansom Harris) and Joyce (Jane Curtain) are believers and form a trio with Milton to not just befriend Jules, but to help the being fix its spacecraft and head back home…all while staying just a few steps ahead of the authorities who finally believe there’s been some kind of security breach.
Jade Quon, mostly known for her movie stunt work, suits up as Jules, an ambiguous, voiceless creature with warm eyes and a tender nature, until someone tries to hurt they’re friends.
Jules is more of a film fable than a true science fiction adventure. This reimagined Cocoon gives us a lesson in ageism and allows its elderly characters to stay relevant, keep their dignity, make a plan and see it to fruition with believability and without relying on slapstick humor and mugging for the cameras. One certainly doesn’t need to see Jules in a movie theater, but if you do, this sweet 90 minute film will leave you with a smile on your face. Jules gets a 7 out of 10.
