It Came from the Sky (1999) (TV)

Director:

Jack Bender

Writer:

Jack Bender (writer)

Release Date:

15 May 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

This movie is a very compelling love story that is hidden underneath the stress of raising a child who has mental instability...

Cast

Yasmine Bleeth	...	Pepper Upper
Christopher Lloyd	...	Jarvis Moody
John Ritter	...	Donald Bridges
JoBeth Williams	...	Alice Bridges
Kevin Zegers	...	Andy Bridges
Christian Dane	...	Young Andy Bridges
Jonathan Ginsberg	...	Limo Driver (Tony)

Also Known As:

Les visiteurs impromtus (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:R

Company:

Up on the Roof Productions

Quotes:

Pepper Upper: Why would two men - who like each other - want to beat each other to a pulp?
Alice Bridges: They can't have babies.

Movie Connections:

References It Came from Outer Space (1953)

Soundtrack:

There Oughtta Be a Law

Acting is generally very good, though the film isn't much to speak of

At times, 'It Came From the Sky' is little more than standard, movie-of-the-week fare, jam packed with tedious scenes and bad dialogue. But there are moments where it seems to break free of that mold, to expand beyond the territory usually covered in TV movies, which is why I am giving this movie a 7/10.

The cast, comprised mainly of fading stars whose better years are far behind them. Yasmine Bleeth, of TV's 'Baywatch' is in a role made for her as a sexy but dim witted girlfriend of a man four times her age, a rich oil tycoon played by Christopher Lloyd. John Ritter fares the worst, making his character completely unlikeable, and the scenes centering around him are easily the film's worst. Kevin Zegers, as the film's protagonist, is possibly the brightest part of a dull film. JoBeth Williams also manages to rise above the weak screenplay and create a genuinely interesting character, and one wonders why she was ever attracted to John Ritter in the first place.

I have to get back to Bleeth for a second here. She is so unimaginably entertaining in her role, it's hard to believe that she isn't more of a star. That isn't to say that she's a good actress, as she obviously isn't, but her screen presence is enormous, and she has fun with the character.

I've noticed that many of the reviews here seem to be written by teenage girls who have a crush on Zegers. If that's all they could get from his character, or the film in general, then it's too bad. Prior to this, the only film I'd seen him in was the entertaining, if shallow, horror flick 'Shadowbuilder', and I was blown away by his performance here. Along with Haley Joel Osment of The Sixth Sense, he's easily one of the most talented actors of his generation, and I'm surprised he doesn't get more roles other than tepid family films like 'Air Bud' (I haven't actually seen that movie, I'm going on purely critical response here).

I'm not going to waste your time talking about either Ritter or Lloyd's characters, as they were horrible and average, respectively, nothing worth noting. However, I was impressed by JoBeth Williams, who's been unfairly reduced to films such as this from hits such as 'The Big Chill' and 'Poltergeist' earlier in her career. Not only is her chemistry with both Bleeth and Zegers superb, but her character is probably the deepest in the film, and has a hard to describe commanding presence.

Well, I'm low on time so I'll wrap it up quickly. The production values rarely rise above the norm for TV movies, and most of the film is a bore, though the ending is amazing. If you do rent the movie and are tempted to turn it off part way through, don't... stay around for the absolutely chilling finale.

7/10 (I know, I'm being generous, but the film does have a lot of good points)