It Came from the Sky

Wow! I can't believe I could ever be bored enough to sit through this picture in it's entirety. Nearly every line of dialogue seemed to drop on the floor, as this picture seemed to be trying to emulate the quirky charm of a small independent film,

but it was more like torture. I'm afraid I've stunted my development by making it half way !

While there might have been a redeeming ending, had I been able to suffer through it . . . . . I couldn't, with the lame dialogue, hugely awkward silences, and complete lack of flow to it. The supposedly romantic "How (Lloyd) & (Bleeth) Met" story was stupendously bad. I couldn't begin to find Lloyd or Bleeth right for their parts. A talented director might be able to decide whether this was supposed to be funny, or sad, or dramatic . . . but to me it was just AWKWARD drivel.

• This may be the worst TV movie I've ever seen. . . . what were they thinking ?

Even though the story is not that impressive, the casts are brilliant! Everyone was acting to the limit, making this movie a showcase of talent.

Kevin Zegers is simply great! He never seemed to forget what his character was supposed to behave, with the same gestures all the time. I don't know if it's because of the tight supervision by the director...

All in all, it's a different kind of movie, and I'm sure you can still enjoy it, whoever you are.

This was an entertaining movie about a 13 year old boy, portrayed by Kevin Zegers, and a couple of guardian angles, Christopher Lloyd and Yasmine Bleet, looking after him. Say what, they had to be, its revealed in the last scene. The really foul language of the Ritter and Williams characters almost ruined it for me, and was totally uncalled for. IT ADDED NOTHING! Otherwise, this would of been great family entertainment rather than R rated. Zegers did a superb rendition of a kid physically handicapped due to a near drowning incident which left him less than totally functional. Worth the time to view.

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)

With only 5 players and all of them accomplished, notable ones, this TV movie already had a headstart. The script elevates this to almost a 'theatrical level release, though.

The story itself is simple enough... a marriage is being put to the test after a boy is almost drowned in a swimming accident. Years later the unresolved guilt and the ensuing blame games have all but destroyed the marriage.

An eccentric and delightful couple enter their home and the rot of their lives rises to the surface. Eventually, the issues are all dealt with and the future looks somewhat brighter for the family. The visitors go on their way to Las Vegas for their Valentine's Day break.

Yasmine Bleeth (as Pepper Upper, which is my new favorite name) is a revelation as the (supposedly) 'ditzy' girlfriend. Amazingly sexy and sensual with easily the best lines in the show, steals this away from the others... but only just. John Ritter manages to convey a remarkably complicated portrait of a man who you should be sympathetic towards, but his own mean spirited bitterness won't quite let you.

It is these two performances that somehow manage to almost drown out the rest of the cast. It's a TV movie so things tie up nicely. Well worth heading to YouTube to check out.