An extraterrestrial's (Jeff Bridges) "vehicle" is shot down by the government over Wisconsin. To be rescued by his mother ship he must get to Arizona in three days. He takes on the form of a dead woman's husband and has her (Karen Allen) drive him to Arizona. Slowly, she begins to fall in love and he starts to feel for her also. Quiet, very gentle sci-fi movie. I never thought Carpenter could pull off a non-horror film, but he does. His direction is (as always) superb and totally complements the romantic feel of the picture (the boxcar sequence at the end was soooooo beautiful!). Sometimes, I wished the film were a little more noisy and rough, but that probably would have destroyed the mood.
The acting is excellent. Allen does wonders with a very difficult role--I've always liked her and this is one of her best performances. Bridges is superb (he was rightly Oscar-nominated for this)...he totally makes you believe he's an alien in a human body. His moves are jerky, he observes everything, he speaks in an uneven voice--just perfect! Also the score by Jack Nitzsche is perfect--fits the film like a glove.
Only one complaint**WARNING: HUGE SPOILER AHEAD!!!!** At the end Starman gets her pregnant and leaves. Don't you think the government is going to find out about that? Then what will they do to her and her unborn baby? It struck me every time I saw the movie. Still, this is a nice, hopeful movie.
Well worth seeing. Also, great special effects even by today's standards.
The acting is excellent. Allen does wonders with a very difficult role--I've always liked her and this is one of her best performances. Bridges is superb (he was rightly Oscar-nominated for this)...he totally makes you believe he's an alien in a human body. His moves are jerky, he observes everything, he speaks in an uneven voice--just perfect! Also the score by Jack Nitzsche is perfect--fits the film like a glove.
Only one complaint**WARNING: HUGE SPOILER AHEAD!!!!** At the end Starman gets her pregnant and leaves. Don't you think the government is going to find out about that? Then what will they do to her and her unborn baby? It struck me every time I saw the movie. Still, this is a nice, hopeful movie.
Well worth seeing. Also, great special effects even by today's standards.