“Cute” used to be a word I used only in the pejorative.

It would be very easy to dismiss this Spielberg-produced movie.  Of course it would be Spielberg (80’s Spielberg, no less) in that the elderly, eclectic and/or eccentric tenants are about to lose their ancient apartment building to an evil developer, only to have tiny helpful spaceships appear to repair damage done by vandals on the payroll of said evil developer.  Kind of like how elves are always helping shoemakers complete their workloads in old fairy tales. 

So that’s pretty much all you need to know: cute, helpful spaceships, wacky old people, a pregnant Hispanic woman, a Black and mute superintendent, and an “artist”.  Oh, and the helpful spaceships knock metallic boots and somehow give birth to tiny robots.

If that sounds like something you would enjoy, then I heartily recommend this to you.  If any of my breakdown triggered your gag reflex, then you should probably take a pass.

But, god forbid, I personally found it “cute”.

Dir: Matthew Robins

Starring: Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Elizabeth Peña

Watched on blu-ray