Guess Who's Coming for Christmas? (TV 1990)

The visitor that you might expect for Christmas is not who shows up in this film. Instead, a mysterious stranger (Bridges) befriends a small-town eccentric (Mulligan) and confides in him ... See full summary »

Director:

Paul Schneider

Writers:

Beth Polson (story), Blair Ferguson (teleplay)

Stars:

Richard Mulligan, Beau Bridges, Barbara Barrie

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Mulligan	...	George Walters
Beau Bridges	...	Arnold Zimmerman
Barbara Barrie	...	Delores
Paul Dooley	...	Doc
James McEachin	...	Frank
John Furey	...	Michael
Betsy Randle
Michael Patrick Carter
Dion Anderson
Gary Bayer
Ronnie Claire Edwards	...	Martha
Troy Evans	...	Les
Charles Stransky	...	Ernie
Janni Brenn	...	Marge
James Ashley	...	Terry

Storyline

The visitor that you might expect for Christmas is not who shows up in this film. Instead, a mysterious stranger (Bridges) befriends a small-town eccentric (Mulligan) and confides in him that he is from another planet.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | new jersey | alien

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 December 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

UFO Café

Company Credits

Production Co:

Corapeake Productions, Fox Unicorn, Polson Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)

User Reviews

A Cup of Coffee with E.T.

There is one important opinion says that Steven Spielberg's (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - 1982) defined the 1980s' cinema. I totally agree. Here, at the end of the era, you'd find some distinct popular icons of these innocent days : the believing in the dream so the clinging to it, there is a kind UFO after all, the greatness of the friendship especially between different races, the childhood is valuable thing in the human, and the sense of miracle is existing in the daily life.

Lovely days.. huh ? Because for instance, after 2001, Spielberg himself will make (The War of The Worlds) where E.T. returns bad this time !

The thing about this kind of movies is that it shows the fairytale's sense of prodigy yet in the usual contemporary American suburb, where the middle-class characters live reality without much to imagine.

The best of (Guess Who's Coming for Christmas) or (UFO Café) was its dealing with the resistant neighbors, whom see that dreaming is equivalent to madness! Let alone representing the lead (the middle-aged super cute Richard Mulligan) as a friendly man who still has a childish spirit, still wonders, questions, and dresses like (Abraham Lincoln) in occasions ! (At least he knows who was !) Which's the most memorable line in the movie. It's so similar to another debate in another 80's dreamy dream (Field of Dreams - 1989). I loved too the scene in which (Mulligan) finds no solution better than (Ethel Merman) to escape from the police interrogation. There are no chases, hot thrill, or even big special effects. This one has a tender personality of its own. You'd love the ending too, it's so symbolic when it comes to the movie's core and its real message.

You've got to recall else (E.T. - 1982), the second segment of (Twilight Zone: The Movie - 1983), or movies like (Cocoon - 1985), (Batteries not included - 1987). Actually, there are all representing the era's lovely manifesto. As life can literally end if one stops dreaming, or how you become old already if you let your habitual reality beats you, and cancels your own incredible individualism. It assures that the dream is something out of this world (aka metaphorically : aliens). And if you give your dream much faith and fight for it, it might come true and equal your love at the end miraculously.

It's delightful movie. One plain TV production that's perfect as my afternoon one. It's kind of rare now to watch anything like it by Hollywood's movies or TV.