Another unpredictable film from John Carpenter with an Oscar-nominated performance by JEFF BRIDGES, at a time when his career was in high gear.
JEFF BRIDGES is an alien with the ability to transform himself into the exact duplicate of KAREN ALLEN's husband Scott who has died. He lands in her backyard in Wisconsin when his ship plunges to earth. Little communication between them, but he makes Allen drive him across the country in her '77 Mustang with a working knowledge of English consisting of a few phrases here and there. His mission is to reach Arizona within a few days to meet his starship or it leaves without him and he dies.
The fantasy aspect remains credible until about midpoint in the story when the alien exhibits some supernatural powers. Even a sci-fi romance of this kind shouldn't become too incredible. The romantic angle is restrained and nicely underplayed, especially by Bridges who gets his idea of kissing from watching a clip from FROM HERE TO ETERNITY.
The second half of the story deals more with the police on their tail trying to rescue Allen, who by now has fallen in love with her kidnapper and doesn't want them to harm him. It's also at this point that the story loses steam and interest in the denouement lessens instead of increases--obviously the opposite of what Carpenter intended--nor does the climactic scene with Bridges joining his space ship have the punch it should have had. (Maybe it needed John Williams for that added dimension!)
The film depends largely on JEFF BRIDGES' performance as the alien. He does it with strange gestures and head jerks but is always convincingly like an inhuman mannequin. Even his walk is stiff.
Favorite line from driver who gives Bridges a lift: "You're not from around here, are yah?"
Summing up: Offbeat and interesting, but could have had a deeper impact.
JEFF BRIDGES is an alien with the ability to transform himself into the exact duplicate of KAREN ALLEN's husband Scott who has died. He lands in her backyard in Wisconsin when his ship plunges to earth. Little communication between them, but he makes Allen drive him across the country in her '77 Mustang with a working knowledge of English consisting of a few phrases here and there. His mission is to reach Arizona within a few days to meet his starship or it leaves without him and he dies.
The fantasy aspect remains credible until about midpoint in the story when the alien exhibits some supernatural powers. Even a sci-fi romance of this kind shouldn't become too incredible. The romantic angle is restrained and nicely underplayed, especially by Bridges who gets his idea of kissing from watching a clip from FROM HERE TO ETERNITY.
The second half of the story deals more with the police on their tail trying to rescue Allen, who by now has fallen in love with her kidnapper and doesn't want them to harm him. It's also at this point that the story loses steam and interest in the denouement lessens instead of increases--obviously the opposite of what Carpenter intended--nor does the climactic scene with Bridges joining his space ship have the punch it should have had. (Maybe it needed John Williams for that added dimension!)
The film depends largely on JEFF BRIDGES' performance as the alien. He does it with strange gestures and head jerks but is always convincingly like an inhuman mannequin. Even his walk is stiff.
Favorite line from driver who gives Bridges a lift: "You're not from around here, are yah?"
Summing up: Offbeat and interesting, but could have had a deeper impact.