Cinematic Point Of View

The 2023 film “Jules,” directed by Marc Turtletaub, is the least well made, least cinematic film I’ve seen lately and I enjoyed the heck out of it for just that reason. At it’s heart its a mostly gentle, slightly twisted little movie that wants to talk about aging, losing a partner, connecting with your children, being forgotten and unheard.

The film stars Ben Kingsley and Jane Curtin and tells the story of a lonely old man named Milton and the UFO that crashes into his backyard, specifically his flowerbed. He takes it up at the city council meeting but nobody seems to care or believe him.

Each week, Milton returns to speak before the council on the exact same matters; a dangerous intersection that needs a crosswalk, a new town motto. Nobody listens. Nobody takes him seriously. He returns home to find a wounded alien now lying on his back porch. He brings him into the house and Milton attempts to help him. They share a meal and watch some TV. They become friends.

Soon, a few of the ladies at the council meeting, who worry about Milton, start snooping around. There is a small subplot about the Government looking for a crashed satellite pushing the film toward it’s third act but it doesn’t matter.

This movies doesn’t care if it’s cool or inventive or oddly edited. It does what it does in an enjoyable way. It’s really refreshing in it’s old fashioned sensibility. It really, really worked for me and it held the attention of a 10 year old as well. We loved it.

Jules wraps you in a warm blanket of familiarity and gives you a hug. I liked it so much I bought it. Depending on your mood and stage in life, it’s well worth a rental.