*batteries not included

"Five ordinary people needed a miracle. Then one night, Faye Riley left the window open."

1987 1h 47m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 844

FamilyComedyFantasyScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a soon to be demolished block of apartments, the residents resist the criminal methods used to force them to leave so a greedy tycoon can build his new skyscraper. When tiny mechanical aliens land for a recharge, they decide to stay and help out.

“Five ordinary people needed a miracle. Then one night, Faye Riley left the window open.”

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Cast

Hume Cronyn
Frank Riley
Jessica Tandy
Faye Riley
Frank McRae
Harry Noble
Elizabeth Peña
Marisa Esteval
Michael Carmine
Carlos
Dennis Boutsikaris
Mason Baylor
Tom Aldredge
Sid Hogenson
Jane Hoffman
Muriel Hogenson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Matthew Robbins
Writers: Matthew Robbins, Brad Bird, Brent Maddock
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Matthew Robbins, shot by John McPherson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Horner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Cynthia Scheider shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy and Frank McRae carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Five ordinary people needed a miracle. Then one night, Faye Riley left the window open.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0092494 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Matthew Robbins directs. John McPherson behind the camera. James Horner scores. Cynthia Scheider cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

139 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Matthew Robbins, shot by John McPherson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by James Horner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Cynthia Scheider shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy and Frank McRae carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Five ordinary people needed a miracle. Then one night, Faye Riley left the window open.".
7IMDB entry: tt0092494 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: John McPherson
Original score: James Horner
Editing: Cynthia Scheider
Production design: Ted Haworth
Makeup / hair: Susan Germaine
Stunt coordinator: Thomas Rosales Jr.
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $25,000,000
Box office: $65,088,797
Return: 260% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: *batteries not included (1987)

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Matthew Robbins

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-09-06
★ 6/10
Very tidy little family piece. Residents of a building under threat of demolition from developers get an answer to their prayers in the form of tiny mechanical aliens. Firmly embedded in the trench that houses a number of 80s fantastical alienish pictures, *batteries not included is a bit worn around the edges yet still keeps its head above average waters thanks to its unbreakable charm. There is something so joyous about watching bullies {here in the form of vile developers and their hoodlum enforcers} getting a dose of their own medicine, and although the outcome here is never in doubt, it's still an amiable enough ride that manages to lift the spirit and close the picture out with a big cheesy grin. Boasting the solid Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy in the leads, we are in very safe hands, and it may well say Matthew Robbins name on the directors chair, we are in no doubt that producer Stephen Spielberg has his stamp all over this one. Safe family viewing, 6/10
Rocketeer Raccoon2017-06-20
★ 4/10
I remember seeing this film a long time ago as a kid, however I didn't like it back then because the old woman in this film annoyed me. It had been years since I had last seen this film and my memory of it was very rusty so I thought I give it a new watch now to refresh my memory, and to see if my opinion of the film has changed. Unfortunately I still don't like this film and I wasn't very impressed with it, to me it felt like it dragged on a bit and became boring, and I still hated the old woman. Like a typical old woman she has dementia (memory loss) but what's even more jarring is how does she know what the alien robots eat? I think the film could have done with more comedy because there hardly was much in the film, it's like it could have done with batteries included... Overall it's not a terrible film but it feels poor and it could have been done a lot better.