Jules

The movie has a tighter, more out-there scope than its contemporaries, but its ideas about aging and companionship are universal. Bolstered by a terrific core cast of older actors, Jules is a warm film that proves senior cinema doesn’t have to be the same fluff, repackaged several times over.

Underneath its ridiculous framing and outer-space high jinks, “Jules” is full to the brim with empathy for its elderly characters and their desire for personal agency.

A lot of genuine heart and goodwill has been poured into Jules, a slight, gentle comedy with a sci-fi edge. Heartfelt as it might be and despite a strong cast led by Sir Ben Kingsley, an unfocused storyline undermines the film, making it a frustrating watch.

It’s a gently inoffensive little comedy from Marc Turtletaub (producer of Little Miss Sunshine and director of Puzzle), with an amiably jovial score. But the picture is elevated by its handling of melancholy themes of ageing and loneliness, and a superb gruff-yet-vulnerable performance from Kingsley.

This is a sentimental and folksy film, and the ending is a little garbled, but there is a gentleness and sweetness there, and Kingsley carries it off very well.

Sometimes, this peculiarly amusing film argues in its own special way, coming face-to-face with the weirdness that life throws your way can be the most important step towards learning how to live with it.

Inside the sci-fi dramedy Jules lurks a message about senior citizens being ignored and deprived of their independence simply because of their age. Unfortunately, the script by Gavin Steckler takes a most confounding route to get to it — one involving an alien, town hall meetings, and FBI agents who want to keep the extraterrestrial here under wraps.

Com personagens para lá de humanos, vemos a vida de 3 idosos se conectarem com um extraterrestre (que lembra uma criança) numa história que pode despertar uma série de perguntas sobre a perda da humanidade e na empatia com o próximo especialmente quando este chega na terceira idade. Caindo de uma nave especial no quintal de um senhor solitário, que basicamente recebe apenas a visita da filha, esta tendo que se desdobrar entre demais afazeres e o cuidado com o pai, vemos a história se desenvolvendo como um gatilho que se sobressai à solidão. Nas primeiras cenas, nosso protagonista anda pelas ruas, participa de audiências públicas da prefeitura, mas sempre "rodeado de pessoas vazias". A solidão do homem moderno vai se deparar com o extraordinário, de modo que toda a conexão que se faz a partir daí, soa muitas vezes poética. Outras duas senhoras irão se juntar ao grupo, formando um quarteto interessante: longe da possibilidade pragmática de se promoverem por conta daquele ser estranho, e eles próprios tendo problemas reais a resolver (questão de saúde por exemplo), vemos que a presença do fantasioso pode desencadear uma série de sentimentos que escapam ao nosso controle, ao mesmo tempo que revelam a nossa fragilidade humana. É lindo de ver que brota daí, do desconhecido, a afeição e amizade, o sentimento de proteção que o mundo moderno, hiperconectado, insiste em fazer apagar. É como se o extraterrestre os lembrasse de que são humanos, é literalmente a alteridade sendo explorada aqui, de forma muito competente, num roteiro que não tem pressa e nem vontade de soar estridente. Talvez por isso falte na história uma pegada mais densa, pode soar letárgico ou banal para alguns, ainda mais que há pontas soltas (a relação com a filha, por exemplo), mas é justamente aí que entra a graça: o ET é como uma visita inesperada, que não se pretende revolucionar as tramas, mas de alguma forma consegue marcar a vida daquelas pessoas. É como um grito para voltarem às suas humanidades, um sacolejo nos sentimentos. Filme muito bonito, que embora seja filmado de forma bem burocrática, consegue ser eficiente na sua proposta.

This was an enjoyable film. It was really nice to see Harriet Harris & Jane Curtin, a couple of my favourite character actresses from 1990’s sitcoms Frasier and 3rd Rock From The Sun. My biggest criticism with this movie is actually with the alien: I think the alien was too human like in its appearance and maneurisms. Otherwise, a nice movie.

(Mauro Lanari) In the reviews I've read: a "Cocoon" focusing on mental rather than physical pathologies, an "E.T." with the elderly instead of children, a "Forrest Gump" with alien, a non-dramatic "Starman", a sci-fi "The Father", a metaphorized socio-relational issue. And the 7 cats? A Rorschach inkblot to which everyone has provided their own projective interpretation. The director's dedication to his dad suggests that he wanted to tell him a consoling fable, but the minimalistic work by subtraction gives the story a vagueness that does not support the poetic intent. Rated PG-13 for "strong language" and not for the T-shirt with the phrase of the lesbian daughter.

Ben Kingsley plays a man living quietly in a small town. Things change when a UFO crashes in his backyard and the inhabitant wanders into his home and his life. Meanwhile, two friends (Harriet Sansom Harris & Jane Curtin) add to the concerns. While this is billed as a comedy, it's not funny. There is a light-hearted tone, but it's mostly living in the "sweet" lane. Issues of aging are introduced and it's def less upbeat than most of the films being released these days with a primary cast over 65. The alien character (played by Jade Quon) is interesting, but is basically a quiet sounding board for the humans. Fortunately, the actors all do a fine job, which helps this odd little film find its heart.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]