by Jake Hjort, Contributing Writer
As a movie fan, there are few feelings better than going into the theater with absolutely zero expectations and coming out having had a great time. I’m not going to deny that I love many of the big franchise films and mass-marketed blockbusters as well, but many of my favorites that I’ve seen have been small, independent productions that receive almost no buzz. Having seen no trailers or heard any hype beforehand, I went into Jules having no idea what I was about to experience, and I left the theater pleasantly surprised.
A science fiction comedy, Jules tells the story of Milton (Ben Kingsley), an elderly man living alone in a small Pennsylvania town whose biggest hobbies are petitioning for new crosswalks at city council meetings and tending to his azaleas. Late one night, Milton finds some interest thrust into his life when a UFO crashes in his backyard. With the help of fellow senior citizens Sandy (Harriet Sansom Harris) and Joyce (Jane Curtin), Milton forms a bond with the extraterrestrial pilot Jules (Jade Quon), and helps them to repair their ship and return home.
One the surface, Jules is an incredibly charming film. Kingsley is delightful as a curmudgeonly-yet-endearing old man, essentially playing a live action version of Carl from Up. It’s certainly no surprise that the Academy Award-winning actor turns in a great performance, but nonetheless I was impressed by his ability to nail both the comedic timing and the emotion in some of the more dramatic scenes. The story is simple yet effective, and the script is nice and tight, with the film wrapping in a crisp, refreshing 90 minutes. On the technical side, the effects, most of which appear to be practical, are well done and the score, written by Volker Bertelmann, fresh of an Oscar win for All Quiet on the Western front, has some beautiful pieces.
What I really loved most about Jules is its message. While not exactly subtle, the film paints a poignant picture of the way in which our society treats and interacts with the elderly. As they age, we take the people who raised us and shaped our world and push them to the side, forgetting about and ignoring them as we try to move through our own lives. You really feel for Milton, Sandy, and Joyce as they struggle to be heard and believed, and you understand why they’d form such a bond with Jules, a being who will just sit and listen to them for hours on end. The characters struggle to adapt to finding a new way of life after the glory days are over, and with maintaining relationships with children who are trying to blaze their own paths. At times it can feel a bit heavy handed, but overall this messaging really resonated with me, making me reevaluate some of my relationships and want to call my grandparents as soon as I got out of the theater.
I don’t know if I can say that Jules is a film that I loved, but it is certainly one that I really liked. Kingsley gives a great, heartfelt performance, and the film got a lot of laughs out of me and the four other people in my theater. This doesn’t seem like a movie that a lot of people will see or that will make a lot of year-end top 10 lists, but I’ve got a feeling that it’ll be showing up on mine.
Rating: Liked It
Jules is currently playing in limited theaters
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