The Reel Review
Mild mannered Milton, a man suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s disease, finds his dull, meaningless life upended when a UFO crashes in his backyard. Helping his new visitor get back home becomes Milton’s mission, giving him purpose. Ben Kingsley stars in this sci-fi dramedy.
Okay, so the premise feels like some bizarro world mashup of E.T. and Cocoon, and sometimes Jules crawls along at an oddly slow pace and with some really out there humor, but through all of its weird quirkiness, a really moving portrait of dementia slowly creeps into view, as the alien’s mere presence causes Milton and his two acquaintances to start listening to and connecting with one another, even becoming friends.
The performances by Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris (Hacks, Frasier) and Jane Curtin, who steals the movie in the second half, are what makes this heartwarming film from director Mark Turtletaub (who produced The Farewell and Little Miss Sunshine) worth seeing. Jules is ultimately a very touching movie about never giving up the pursuit of happiness through interpersonal connections, even when life is slowly being robbed of you.
REEL FACTS
• Director Mark Turtletaub says the alien in the film is the catalyst that allows other people to find their voice and then find connection.
• Jade Quon, who plays the alien Jules, also previously played an alien in Men in Black II. She endured 30 four-hour makeup and prosthetics sessions during filming.
• Although set in the fictional town of Boonton, Pennsylvania, Jules was filmed in the very real Boonton, New Jersey.
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