Jules (film)

Jules is a 2023 American science fiction comedy film directed by Marc Turtletaub and written by Gavin Steckler. It stars Ben Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris, Zoë Winters, Jade Quon and Jane Curtin.[4]

Jules
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMarc Turtletaub
Written byGavin Steckler
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyChristopher Norr
Edited byAyelet Gil-Efrat
Music byHauschka
Production
company
Distributed byBleecker Street
Release dates
  • March 22, 2023 (2023-03-22) (Sonoma)
  • August 11, 2023 (2023-08-11) (United States)
Running time
87 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2 million[2][3]

Plot

Milton Robinson is a 79-year-old widower living on his own. He frequently attends city council meetings and receives help from his daughter. One day, a UFO lands in his backyard and a small humanoid alien crawls out. He attempts to get help, calling the police and his daughter, and bringing it up at the city council meeting but is brushed off as senile.

Milton brings the alien, who is uncommunicative, inside and treats him as a guest, providing the alien with a tray of assorted food but discovering that the alien only drinks water and eats apples. Sandy, an acquaintance, stops by and discovers the alien, telling Milton that they should keep it a secret for its own safety. Joyce, another elderly woman, also discovers the alien. The alien begins repairing his ship but does not appear to be making quick progress. Milton's daughter hears about her father's antics and schedules him for a mental evaluation where they are told that his faculties are quickly diminishing and that they should consider assisted living. This upsets him, and he storms out.

Sandy, who is attempting to start a program to connect with the youth, is robbed by a young man she invites in. After she states that she will call the police, the man tackles and attempts to strangle her; however, the alien, who they named Jules, receives a vision of the events and telepathically causes the man's head to explode. This raises the suspicion of the NSA, who is conducting an ongoing search for the crashed spaceship. Milton, Sandy, and Joyce realize that Jules needs dead cats to power his ship, so Milton and Sandy go out to find some, but he continues to be troubled by thoughts of his declining faculties. Meanwhile, they are unknowingly followed by police who observe their strange activities. With the addition of Joyce's deaf and blind cat, they are able to repair the ship, and Jules invites them to join him. Milton considers accepting. He reconsiders after a phone call with his daughter, but when the NSA kicks down his door, he, Sandy, and Joyce hurriedly escape in the UFO. Jules drops them off at another location on Earth and they part ways.

Some time later, Milton is again visited by Jules.

Cast

Production

Filming began in New Jersey on September 10, 2021.[7][8] Filming occurred in Boonton, New Jersey and Chatham, New Jersey.[9] The film entered post-production in February 2022.[10]

Release

The film premiered at the Sonoma International Film Festival on March 22, 2023.[11] In April 2023, Bleecker Street acquired North American distribution rights to the film, setting it for a theatrical release on August 11, 2023.[12]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 84% of 100 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Brought to life by an outstanding ensemble cast, Jules uses its cute concept to grapple with poignant, universally relatable themes."[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 57 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[14]

References

  1. "Jules (12)". British Board of Film Classification. August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  2. "Jules (2023)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  3. "Jules (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  4. "Ben Kingsley, Jane Curtin to star in Marc Turtletaub directed 'Jules'". WION. September 10, 2021. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  5. Munoz, Daniel (March 9, 2022). "NJ approves $13 million in tax credits for film and TV productions in Bergen, Morris". Northjersey.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  6. D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 9, 2021). "Ben Kingsley, Jane Curtin & More Board Marc Turtletaub's Feature 'Jules'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  7. Gomez, Jessie (September 16, 2021). "'Jules,' movie starring Ben Kingsley, now filming in Boonton". Daily Record (Morris County, New Jersey). Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  8. Butler, Karen (September 10, 2021). "Ben Kingsley, Jane Curtin filming 'Jules' in New Jersey". United Press International. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  9. Miller, Jennifer Jean (September 14, 2021). "Cameras Roll In Chatham For Ben Kingsley Movie 'Jules'". Patch. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  10. Donnelly, Matt (February 17, 2022). "Big Beach Hit With Layoffs, Shutters New York Headquarters (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  11. Wolff, Rebecca (March 1, 2023). "Ben Kingsley to appear at Sonoma International Film Festival for 'Jules' world premiere". Sonoma Index-Tribune. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  12. Grobar, Matt (April 26, 2023). "Ben Kingsley-Led Sci-Fi Comedy 'Jules' From Director Marc Turtletaub Acquired By Bleecker Street". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  13. "Jules". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  14. "Jules". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
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