Jules (2023)

Odd, Small, Little Film which Ben Kingsley Just About Carries Off - Jules review by PV

Gosh what an odd little film. Very schmaltzy in small town America, shoe-horns in modern woke issues, though thankfully no wallowing in race-fixation as so many Hollywood movies now. A new screenwriter here, the director has a record of sentimental hippy-ish California-type movies, I think.

Ben Kingsley nails it as the ageing small town dad, retired, borderline dementia and alone. The standard set up for a buddy movie, with a new arrival friend - a dog, perhaps, or a homeless person, or as here, an alien (who is so obviously played by a young woman, the gait is so UN-alien and un-male!)

Do not think too hard about the plot, and how the US military can via satellite imaging identify houses and people to take out in warzones. Just pretend this is from an earlier, perhaps more innocent age. But there'd be no plot then or time to get to know the small blue thing.

Without Ben Kingsley this would be so mawkish and silly. However it just about gets away with it, as a small, quiet, Sunday afternoon watch. Maybe not one for cat lovers. Odd plot development there tbh. Another odd and slightly shocking one, no spoilers.

Watch with ET and the last 1970s movie I am sure inspired it: THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE. The 2011 comedy PAUL mines a similar vein.

3 stars.