E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

A meek and alienated little boy finds a stranded extraterrestrial. He has to find the courage to defy the authorities to help the alien return to its home planet.

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writer:

Melissa Mathison

Stars:

Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas, Peter Coyote

Won 4 Oscars. Another 44 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dee Wallace	...	Mary
Henry Thomas	...	Elliott
Peter Coyote	...	Keys
Robert MacNaughton	...	Michael (as Robert Macnaughton)
Drew Barrymore	...	Gertie
K.C. Martel	...	Greg (as K. C. Martel)
Sean Frye	...	Steve
C. Thomas Howell	...	Tyler (as Tom Howell)
Erika Eleniak	...	Pretty Girl
David M. O'Dell	...	Schoolboy (as David O'Dell)
Richard Swingler	...	Science Teacher
Frank Toth	...	Policeman
Robert Barton	...	Ultra Sound Man
Michael Darrell	...	Van Man
David Berkson	...	Medical Unit (as David Berkson M.D.)

Storyline

While visiting the Earth at Night, a group of alien botanists is discovered and disturbed by an approaching human task force. Because of the more than hasty take-off, one of the visitors is left behind. The little alien finds himself all alone on a very strange planet. Fortunately, the extra-terrestrial soon finds a friend and emotional companion in 10-year-old Elliot, who discovered him looking for food in his family's garden shed. While E.T. slowly gets acquainted with Elliot's brother Michael, his sister Gertie as well as with Earth customs, members of the task force work day and night to track down the whereabouts of Earth's first visitor from Outer Space. The wish to go home again is strong in E.T., and after being able to communicate with Elliot and the others, E.T. starts building an improvised device to send a message home for his folks to come and pick him up. But before long, E.T. gets seriously sick, and because of his special connection to Elliot, the young boy suffers, ...

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Plot Keywords:

alien | boy | friendship | stranded | extraterrestrial | 

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Taglines:

His Adventure On Earth

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and mild thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Universal Pictures - E.T. 20th Anniversary site - trailer,fun and games

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 June 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Boy's Life

Filming Locations:

7121 Lonzo Street, Tujunga, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$341,685 (Italy) (5 April 2002)

Gross:

$35,144,920 (USA) (10 May 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min 120 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

C. Thomas Howell's film debut.

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Goofs

One of the boys moves his lips in sync with Elliot's line, "Nobody go out there."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Steve: [reading dice] Five.
Michael: Oh, great.
Steve: So you got an arrow right in your chest.

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Crazy Credits

At the very end of the credits for the 2002 edition, the classic "When in Hollywood, visit Universal Studios" advertisement from the early 1980's is still retained.

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Connections

Referenced in Friends: The One Where Old Yeller Dies (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Willie"
Composed by Jenifer Smith
Performed by Jenifer Smith, Peter Meissner, Joe Scrima, Bob Parr

User Reviews

Still Blows Me Away to this Day

E.T. is one of my all time favorite movies. This movie blew me out of my seat as a kid, and still kills me every time I watch it. Only four or five movies have made me cry, much less sob uncontrollably. When I returned from seeing E.T. for the first time, I couldn't talk for the rest of the day. I laid in my bed and cried for about five hours.

The movie still makes tears well up in my eyes and gives me a lump in my throat. I still find it profoundly moving. It's heart-breakingly sad, yet phenomenally uplifting at the same time. I had no idea a movie could be so powerful when I saw this in the movies for the first time when I was eleven.

What I think makes E.T. so powerful for me now is the heart-wrenching way it has of making me long to be a kid again. I refuse to ever completely grow up, and my memories are my own, but man does this movie make me wish I was eleven again, when riding my bike was a pleasure, Matchbox cars were the greatest thing in the world, Halloween was a night of mystery and creepy fun I looked forward to all year, going to the movies was an adventure, and looking up at the stars could be a mind-blowing experience.

E.T. keeps those feeling alive for me. So do a lot of other things, but E.T. is the champ. As much as my cynical adult side may want to slap Steven Spielberg around sometimes, I would happily give him a hug for his timeless gift to the world, E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL.