We're diving into the heartwarming yet quirky world of "Starman," where an alien takes on the form of a deceased husband to reconnect with his widow. This episode is all about exploring the complexities of love, loss, and what it means to be human. As we meander through the story, we laugh and reflect on the absurdities of life, like how two kids ended up with three copies of "Steel Magnolias" during a sidewalk sale! We also touch on the significance of Pride Month and how the film reflects themes of acceptance and kindness. So grab your favorite snack, settle in, and let’s take a nostalgic journey back to 1984, where we’ll unpack what makes "Starman" a unique gem in the sci-fi genre.

We're diving into the cosmic romance of "Starman," where an alien takes on the form of a deceased husband to reconnect with his grieving widow. As we wander through this whimsical tale, we chat about the complexities of love, loss, and the unexpected connections that bind us. Amidst the lighthearted banter, we also tackle the deeper questions of what it means to be human and how we navigate the quirks of relationships, even when they come with an extraterrestrial twist! With some laughs, a few puns, and plenty of nostalgia for the 80s, we explore how kindness can bridge the gap between worlds. So grab your favorite snack, settle in, and join us as we embark on this adventure through the stars and the human heart!

Takeaways:

• In this episode, we dive into the whimsical world of Starman, examining how love and connection can transcend even the most alien of experiences.
• We chat about the unique humor that arises when an extraterrestrial tries to navigate human emotions, resulting in both heartfelt moments and hilarious misunderstandings.
• The film's exploration of grief and healing is beautifully portrayed through Jenny's journey with the Starman, who embodies both her lost love and a new hope for the future.
• We discuss the importance of being open-minded towards the unknown, as the Starman's arrival challenges societal fears and prejudices against those who are different.
• As we reflect on the character of the Starman, we realize that he represents the kindness and curiosity we should all aspire to, especially in a world that often feels hostile and divided.
• Lastly, we tackle the nostalgia of 1980s cinema, highlighting how Starman captures the essence of its time while still delivering a timeless message about love and acceptance.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Amazon
• Netflix
• Ford
• Denny's
• Doctor Who
• Kmart
• Patreon
• Columbia Pictures
• Star Trek
• Dolphin Tale

Grab your popcorn and settle in because we’re diving into the cosmic drama of 1984’s Starman! This film, directed by the legendary John Carpenter, takes us on a journey that’s as heartwarming as it is thrilling. Jeff Bridges plays an alien who crash-lands on Earth, taking on the form of a recently deceased man to connect with his widow, Jenny, played by Karen Allen. As they embark on a cross-country adventure to reach a rendezvous point in Arizona, they face military forces and develop an unexpected bond. This film explores themes of love, loss, and the enduring human spirit, all wrapped up in a delightful sci-fi package. We discuss how the film reflects the era's cultural attitudes, the chemistry between the leads, and whether Jenny truly falls for the Starman or simply for the memory of her husband. Join us as we reminisce about the magic of 80s cinema and the heartfelt moments that make Starman a timeless classic!

Takeaways:

• In this episode, we take a nostalgic trip back to 1984, discussing the classic film Starman, directed by John Carpenter, and how it blends sci-fi with human emotion.
• The characters in Starman face real challenges, including government pursuit, which mirrors the struggles we often feel in our own lives when faced with judgment or misunderstanding.
• We dive into the themes of love and loss, as Jenny finds herself torn between her late husband and the alien who embodies him, leading to deep reflections on grief and connection.
• Through playful banter and humor, we explore how the film's portrayal of an alien learning about humanity reflects our own struggles to understand each other and ourselves.
• As we laugh and joke, we also acknowledge the film's poignant moments, reminding us that kindness can come from the most unexpected sources, even from extraterrestrial beings.
• Finally, we wrap up with some key insights about the actors' performances, particularly Jeff Bridges, who received an Oscar nomination, showcasing his incredible ability to portray vulnerability and depth.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Amazon
• Netflix
• Ford
• Denny's
• Columbia Pictures
• Romancing the Stone
• National Lampoon's Animal House
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• The Big Lebowski
• Crazy Heart
• The Karate Kid
• Starman
• Ghostbusters
• Gremlins
• Steel Magnolias
• The Electric Company
• Doctor Who
• Katy Perry
• Scarlett Johansson
• Indiana Jones
• The Temple of Doom
• The Fog
• Escape from New York
• Escape from L.A.
• The Fabulous Baker Boys
• The Gilded Age
• Will and Grace
• Pecker
• The Burning Bed
• Big Trouble in Little China
• Dolphin Tale
• The Voyage Home
• The Last Picture Show
• The Man from Earth

Oh, it's just so nice out here.

We decided to continue the sidewalk sale.

You mean the sidewalk Steel.

Well, there was.

Yeah, there was those two kids.

But hey, how many copies of Gene Fonda's Workout can you have at home?

I don't know, but those two kids, they may have thought that they were real sly stealing stuff, but they got, what, three copies of Steel Magnolias.

And what was the other stuff that they got?

I don't know.

It was all like, if you have to.

If it's out here on the sidewalk, we don't care.

I mean, there are a few Bill Murray movies that I could do without.

Yeah, well, so here we are.

It's Pride month, actually, in a lot of places.

And we're due to officially recognize that shortly and.

No, we get to record our Pride show after Pride Month.

Yeah, I mean, well, I mean, there is an element of time travel involved, of course, but let's just say I've got it on good authority that we have a tribute to a certain body of work today.

But we'll get around to that in a moment.

And.

Oh, isn't it fun playing with these bubbles?

Bubbles?

Oh, those bubbles.

I thought you meant like bubble wrap.

And I was remembering the Doctor who episode where they were playing with bubble wrap.

Remember that?

Was that the one where they basically were making fun of Amazon?

Well, yes, but when they, when they would pop the bubbles, like it would explode.

And then they had the robot deliveryman.

Yes, let's have 1,000 robot deliverymen hit the thing and explode all at once.

10% Human labor.

Well, speaking of human labor.

Well, I guess we should go in for a moment because we got something to play.

That's what we do here.

See, I thought that he'd just burst into flames if he touched the sun.

I mean, he usually does have sunglasses on when he goes outside.

I've never seen him outside.

It wasn't night time.

So we got a job to do here and.

Well, I guess we ought to go ahead and do it here.

So let's figure out.

Woohoo.

I can't get over how much that tickles even still.

Well, let's see if we could figure out when this is.

I. I see what I'll.

It's like Romper Room.

I don't know if you ever saw that show, but they.

There used to be a, like a school teacher and she.

At the end of the show, she would hold up her mirror and she'd be like.

And I see Cindy, Jody and Bobby and Mark and basically trying to say that she's seeing all the children watching her.

Yeah, no, I. I mean, I know what you're talking about, but I. I never watched Rubber Room as a kid.

Oh, yeah, we had electric company out here.

Yeah, I'm okay.

All right, so now we're going to figure out what year we're in.

I. I smell some aqua nets.

So I think that we're probably, maybe, probably 80s.

I don't know.

Good afternoon, time travelers.

Today you are.

In stark contrast, India was rocked by the assassination of Indira Gandhi, triggering widespread violence and grief.

Later that year, the Bhopal disaster in India became the world's deadliest industrial accident, exposing devastating corporate and environmental failures.

The year also marked the loss of influential cultural figures, including writer Truman Capote and actor Richard Burton.

Amid these defining moments, the future arrived with the births of pop star Katy Perry and actor Scarlett Johansson, signaling the rise of a new generation poised to shape entertainment for decades to come.

1984.

Well, I mean, if we were a little snottier and had a bigger budget, we would.

Good afternoon, time travelers.

Today you are.

In stark contrast, India was rocked by the assassination of Indira Gandhi, triggering widespread violence and grief.

Later that year, the Bhopal disaster in India became the world's deadliest industrial accident, exposing devastating corporate and environmental failures.

The year also marked the loss of influential cultural figures, including writer Truman Capote and actor Richard Burton.

Amid these defining moments, the future arrived with the births of pop star Katy Perry and actor Scarlett Johansson, signaling the rise of a new generation poised to shape entertainment for decades to come.

But I'm pretty sure that.

Do we have to.

I'm pretty sure that's not what we're going to discuss, but some folks are more outgoing.

I mean, we.

This used to be the place people went when it was a date night.

They'd come and they'd figure out what was new and what you wanted to see.

And Netflix and Chill.

Netflix and Chill kind of was born in places like ours.

Which reminds me, did you remember.

I mean, it's Pride month.

Did you refill the.

The machine in the men's room there?

The one with the prophylactics?

Nobody ever comes in.

No, I mean, honestly, if I did that, Hector would just pick the lock and use them all as balloons like last time, so.

No, no, they can go somewhere else.

Well, I tried.

There's a clinic down the street.

Yes, and Lula May has a tab.

Please use our Patreon, I believe.

Well, obviously we had larger papers back then.

All right, what we got here?

Oh, Beverly Hills Cop with what?

Bronson Pinch show, like we just talked about in the last show.

We have Ghostbusters with your favorite Bill Murray.

Right.

And then Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, of course.

Oh, Indiana Jones.

The Temple of Doom, One of the leading Indiana Jones movies.

I just love that one.

Watched it over and over and over and over and over.

Han Solo in a movie that wasn't Star Wars.

Oh, he was so dreamy.

Yeah, Harrison Ford.

And then, oh, we've got Gremlins that Zach Gallagher and Phoebe Cates.

Whatever happened to them?

I mean, speaking of the kids in the arcade there, we.

We try not to.

We try not to feed little Mace kids after midnight either.

Try not to feed them at all, but they keep breaking into the machines in the back, so.

Okay.

And then we also have the karate kid with Mr. Ralph Macchio, who still looks 14 years old, and Pat Morita, who we sadly lost a few years.

Ah, well, I mean, I loved the Karate Kid series of movies.

It's just.

I don't know.

Have you heard that Ralph Macchio has drank the Kool Aid?

No, I didn't.

And I'm.

I didn't need to hear that either.

So sad there.

Why are all these older actors who have, like B, B or C, or that's frankly, F careers being like, hey, I know how I can get relevant.

Let me get on the wrong side of history.

But no, I. I liked the first two Karate Kids.

I thought they were really great.

I got to see the second one in the theater, but after that, I'm like, man, how many times can you do a crane kick and it be fresh?

Right?

I think of the CR of the initial Karate Kid movies.

The second one was my favorite just because it had so much more story and culture.

Oh, yeah.

Like back when we didn't know anything about Asian cultures or Japanese culture, and we got to see them do the tea ceremony.

We're like, oh, it's so sophisticated.

Right?

I mean, when you don't see yourself on tv, you're kind of like Whoa, that's cool.

Yeah.

Right.

Now, I for one, did not see Ghostbusters in the theater.

I have a real short story.

I'll tell that Ghostbusters was the first movie my family rented on vhs.

My aunt told us the story about how she went out with some friends and saw the movies.

Now, of course, we wanted to see it ourselves.

That was one of the first times we saw a movie at home on the vcr.

Story of my life.

Yeah, I don't, I don't know which one I would, I would see.

Although I had a little rubber gizmo doll, even though I had not seen the movie, had no clue what it was about.

But I read the book and then I got this little gizmo doll when I was a kid.

So I did read the book.

Interestingly enough, when I turned, When I.

Turned six, I was faced with the decision that no child should have to.

I had birthday money and I was in Kmart.

Yes, Kmart.

And I, I had to make the.

Between Cyndi Lauper's solo debut album She's Some Unusual, or an Ewok or.

No, not an Ewok Gizmo from Gremlins.

So I, I of course chose the cassette and.

Good, good answer.

Good, good answer.

But one of them probably would have fetched more on ebay these days.

Which one?

Which one was which?

What was your first cassette?

Oh, I was.

She's so Unusual.

So same.

So she's so Unusual was my first cassette and I got it at the same time as I got Bruce Springsteen's Born in the usa.

Oh, I was the weird kid that always that when I started taking a liking to a band And I found out that the music that I had heard was like maybe their third or fourth album.

I had to go and make my hobby collecting the other ones.

So I would go to the quote unquote record store and I would order copies of.

I, I had the whole set of all of everything the rhythmics made.

And then did the same thing with the B52s.

Yeah, I was kind of the same, but like with Corey Hart and Tears for Fears and Madonna, I mean, that's what I had to do.

You remember Record Runner?

No.

So there was this place in New York, it was called Record Runner.

And they didn't actually put out catalogs of what they had.

What they would do was you would, you would write them a letter with a self addressed stamped envelope and you would ask them for every.

Everything with what bands you or singers you wanted.

And they would send you back a datum, like, what is it, an old dot matrix printout of like all the albums that they had a copy of.

And they specialized in imports, so you would get them from like.

So you would have all these English imports from like, or Japan imports from Corey Hart stuff.

You, you wouldn't see their pictures.

You didn't know anything about them.

You didn't know what songs that were on, on them.

You just knew the name of the album that they had.

And you would send them like $20 or whatever and then they would send you the album.

I know it was like old school, like, I don't know, Teemu.

But only they, only they were like really good albums.

They weren't, they weren't bad anyway.

So.

Okay, I wonder what we're gonna watch today.

I wonder.

It's got to be something in the top of the returns pile.

I've got an idea.

Well, let's let him tell us.

Today you're watching a film about a space being who tries to contact mankind.

But an American missile grounds his ship.

Scrambling, the alien inhabits the body of a woman's late husband and kidnaps her.

Determined to reunite with a vessel from his home planet at a predetermined site, they travel to Arizona while pursued by military officials trying to kill him.

Oh, I've heard about this one.

I have been wanting to watch it.

Isn't it always the way, like.

Okay, okay, so we're getting into the setup.

So let me just say, isn't this always the way that like the Earth sends out this invitation through their, like their whatever, their probe?

They're like, oh, hey, here's Here's a record playing.

A record, right?

Playing.

It's all like, oh, come visit us.

And then they visit us.

And then the military is like out to try to kill them.

Like, like, what the fuck is wrong with you?

Oh, what the heck is wrong with you people?

Anyway, So I wonder what this.

Go ahead.

I was gonna say, as my ex used to say, when we would like make a wrong turn and turn around in somebody's driveway.

Don't put the coffee on.

We're not staying.

That's funny.

Actually, I just saw a thing where like there was this place that.

Where in.

In a town where people used to illegally park next to this person's house.

So they set up a sensor and it would start spraying their car with like, like, like big things of water whenever they would park there for longer than.

So anyway.

Well, those kids are playing their music again.

Rewind through time into movie night blockbusters, indies in black and white.

From 80s thrills to silver screen dreams.

Trapped in the past by a time machine.

Each time, the door for DJ And Matt to explore the lore.

The past is present.

Thank you.

Saved by the bell.

This kind of is like very poignant.

It's like how I feel about life.

It's the setup and the problem.

Kind of like working for Lula May.

You sign the paperwork to take the job and then you find out what you're in for.

I don't remember anything about time travel in the fine print on that, but hey.

So how would you feel if someone who looked exactly like a loved one you had lost suddenly appeared in your life?

Would you trust them, fear them, or be unable to let go?

I don't know.

But maybe we should tell people what the story is about, what the problem is.

Oh, yes.

Well.

So, okay, as you heard the.

It's about an alien visitor that comes to earth after receiving NASA's invitation to make contact.

You see one of the Voyager probes and the infamous golden wreck.

Now, when his spacecraft is shot down by the military, he takes the form of Scott Hayden, John Smith, basically a man who has recently died by cloning himself from a lock of Scott's hair conveniently in the scrap.

And the alien then seeks out Scott's widow, Jenny, who is shocked and frightened to see what appears to be her deceased husband standing before her.

He explains that he must reach a rendezvous point in Arizona within three days or he will die.

Sounds like a drug.

Reluctantly, Jenny accompanies.

Accompanies him on a cross country journey while government agents and military forces pursue.

And along the way, she begins to see the humanity in kindness within the mysterious visitor.

Okay, so I take a couple of objections with this.

So first off, she begins to see the humanity in him.

No, girl, it's just kindness.

It's not humanity.

It's just like this overarching kindness and like connectability.

Anyway, but what was it?

A couple things.

Oh.

So he seeks Jenny's widow out.

Girl, she's already there, right?

She's drunk, she's got a gun.

And she appears.

Okay, and what appears to be standing before her, her deceased husband.

Now they leave out the fact that, that she literally gets up to see him as this tight as this little baby, creepy looking infant baby who grows into like a kid, a teenager, and then her fully formed husband, all in the span of like 1 minute.

It's not like he went and it's like, I have cloned myself from Scott's hair.

Now I must go find her his widow.

No, she sees all this and freaks out and passes out.

Mind you, she's reminiscing of her old memory.

She's got the photo album out and she's had a glass of wine.

Now one, one glass of wine.

She's had three bottles.

I mean, the bottle was on the coffee table and she had a glass poured.

So up to interpretation how many she's had.

And she's watching that.

She's watching old videos of him and she's like.

And she's like, of course.

In the middle of a forest, next to a lake, in the single cabin where there's no one around.

Nothing creepy about that.

And.

And then she's all like, do this to yourself, Jenny.

And she goes and cries and falls in the corner.

And yeah, so I mean, she's probably wondering if her dreams are coming true or if this is a nightmare.

But to, to pretend I didn't jump ahead here.

So that was the setup.

And here's the problem.

How would you feel, Matt, if somebody who looked exactly like a loved one, probably one that you didn't loathe because they were hopefully that you had lost, suddenly appeared in your life, Would you trust them, fear them, or be unable to let go of the past?

I think a little combination of all of that probably.

But the one thing is, if I saw some creepy stuff go down, like an infant turned into my husband who had just died like a year and then realized that it was like an alien and stuff like that, I think the one thing I wouldn't probably do is completely freak out and, and try to, like, get them killed at every other turn like she does until, like, the very end when she's all like, but we'll talk about that.

But yeah, I don't, I just, I don't get this.

I've seen enough of these movies to know.

Don't, like, don't be the jackass.

I understand that they had her grow in front of her eyes is just part of the wonder of that experience.

But I think in some ways it would have been better if that that had happened sort of around the corner and she didn't see it.

Maybe the audience could have seen it and she didn't and make it part of the unbelievable thing that this man has appeared in her home and she's been drinking.

Is this man really her husband come back?

Because it could have been a ghost or it could.

Maybe she didn't know her husband had a twin brother and he just got out of jail.

So, yeah.

Standing there naked in her, her front room.

Oh, let me tell you what I really wanted to happen was him to use his alien balls because that's, he's got, he's got these seven little metal alien balls that do miracles, right.

I wanted him to take one of those and actually clean her cabin because it was such a horrific mess that I was like, oh, how can you live there, girl?

And how did you get all that stuff in the backwoods up there at that lake where there's no one else around?

I mean, just from the perspective of being able, being treated to Mr. Jeff Bridges backside there, I don't think I probably would have been allowed to watch this movie.

I'd like to think that if this was done in more recent years, he might have at least turned to the side so we could have seen some of the goods.

But, well, I mean, he was a very beautiful man.

His voice was a little.

But he was being an alien.

So as far as me and whether I would trust somebody that looked like a lost loved one.

Yeah.

I would be wondering if I was having a drink.

Yeah.

If something was happening.

I mean, maybe something was in the wine.

Maybe she was doing more than just having a drink of wine.

Maybe she, she had a little ganja going there too.

But that brings us to the next question.

I, I is Jenny and the alien grow closer during the journey?

Do you think her feelings are really for the alien, for the memory of her husband, or combination of both?

Actually, I think probably A combination of both.

I mean, obviously the familiarity of her husband makes it easier and.

But I think that she does.

As they go on, I think that she sees the alien and connects with him and his wonderment of exploring what it feels like to be human and to be on Earth and to.

To do all that.

And I think that she.

Once she stops trying to get away from him and being crazy.

So, yeah, anyway, I mean, I. I.

Mean, I'm a big sci fi nerd, so personally, if I found out an alien was trying to look like a loved one, for me, I'd be flattered.

And then on the other hand, too, as soon as I learned that they weren't on a murderous rampage, I'd be like, please take me with you.

What's it like on your world?

Do you have peace?

Do you have politics?

And are things better there?

Everything okay, Matt?

Yes, I agree.

That all sounds great.

So, I mean, it.

It doesn't hurt that there's a.

A nice host for this alien there.

I mean, I probably.

I probably would have had fewer upright moments, but I know, right?

I'm like, you're looking at your.

Your ex, your dead husband, completely nude, standing in front of you, and all you're doing is just freaking out, and you don't even look down.

So.

Right, like, oh, I don't remember it being like that.

You didn't have that birthmark.

Yeah.

So as we know, it takes a whole gaggle of talented people to make something like a movie.

And there was somebody creative in charge of telling the story, capturing the moment.

Well, you are not gonna believe it, but it was actually John Carpenter.

Yeah.

Who has.

What is he labeled as, like the king of horror films or something like that?

Hi.

We'll forgive him.

And he was born in Carthage, New York, and basically he is one of the most influential filmmakers in modern cinema.

Now, he was the son of a music professor, and he grew up in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Why?

We don't know.

But it was there that he developed a love of movies and science fiction and music, because they're probably wasn't anything else to do except want to get out of there.

Yeah, but.

Carpenter studied film at the University of Southern California and first gained attention with the student film dart star.

But anyway, he.

He went on to direct Halloween and the Fog and Escape from New York, and of course, Starman.

I mean, all class known for composing music for his.

Many of his films.

And he was married twice.

He had one son.

Very distinctive blend of suspense and.

And science fiction.

Memorable music and.

And all of that together really made him a legend.

Well, I know I'm not as much of a fan of horror films as Hubby.

He could tell you more of those.

He's like.

Although there is an honorable mention for that.

Because, of course, without Halloween, we wouldn't have the grand John, Jamie Lee Curtis, probably as high on the shelves of our lives.

But another movie that John Carp did that's near and dear to My Heart, also stars one of the actors from his adventures there, Escape from New York and then later on Escape from la.

Goldie Hawns Hubby.

Kurt Russell was in those, and he was also in a movie John Carpenter directed, Big Trouble in Little China.

Yeah, I believe that he may have been in the running to play this part, too.

Big Trouble in Little China, of course, has a special place in my heart because it's got Kurt Russell and Kim Cattrall recently off of doing Mannequin.

Actually, I think it was the film she did just before Mannequin.

So now, is this place in your heart, is it deep, like the hole that goes all the way to China?

As deep as those 501s that Kurt Russell was probably wearing?

Like a hole in my heart that goes all the way to China.

Okay.

I mean, this is our lunch break, folks.

That's why you hear those little dings and dongs.

Lula May is keeping track of the time that we spend doing this show.

Is that what that was?

So we have to do this on our lunch break.

So.

All right.

We just learned about the director and our leading man who was just poured into the body there of the dearly departed.

Actually, that could have been a Weekend at Bernie's moment.

I'm glad they didn't do that.

Now, I know that Capricorn starts somewhere in December, but I don't think it's that early.

Right?

December.

No, that would be Sagittarius.

Okay, so he was born in 49.

So he was after the war, but he was in the City of Angels, la, California, into a prominent Hollyweird family.

Yes.

His father was actor Lloyd Bridges and his brother is actor Bo Bridges.

The Bridges of Madison.

There's a movie I would like to.

See over and over.

Jeff began acting as a child and earned his first Academy Award nomination for the Last Picture show, which we've discussed in a prior episode.

That was a George Lucas film, by the way.

Don't.

And over a career spanning more than six decades, Jeff Bridges starred in films such as Starman, the Big Lebowski, Grit, and Crazy Heart.

Wow.

Winning an Academy Award for the Lab.

Not the Lab.

Crazy Heart.

Bridges has been married to Susan Gaston, kind of like the character Beauty and the beast, since 77.

So the year I was boy.

And they have three daughters, so there.

There's.

He is also a musician, a photographer, and an environmental advocate known for his laid back personality and enduring popularity.

I bet she knows that Begley Jr.

I bet he's like Bugly Jr.

So Mr. Bridges was a busy man.

He's still acting, and he's had 99 acting credits to this day.

Wow.

Of the top films in his portfolio, there is the aforementioned the big Lebowski in 98, which is considered a pop culture phenomenon.

And as we mentioned, George Lucas's film 71, the Last Picture show, he, Jeff Bridges got a first Academy Award nomination, then a movie.

I know.

Such a presence.

Such a presence with so few words.

You're pretty, don't speak, and when you.

Do speak, sound really awkward.

So.

Right.

Like the high school quarterback.

Oh,.

Say with that name, it's got to be a remake.

It sounds like a John Wayne film.

So of all those 99 films that's kept the lights on at the Bridges house there.

Well, I have only seen six, but I want to say that our first film that we're discussing right now, Starman, is one of my favorite.

And I want to say that the Fabulous Baker Boys is possibly one of the other ones, although I've got to watch it again just to see it.

I mostly watched it for Michelle Pfeiffer because, of course, that was the early days of that.

I don't.

I just.

I was glad when that movie was over.

Well, you won't believe it.

Go ahead.

Oh, I was like, coincidence.

You've got an actor who's got a brother who's an actor.

Eventually they're going to do something together, man.

So I've actually seen 15.

Oh, stalker.

Yeah, I know, right?

Although Starman was probably the.

I'm gonna say it's probably the first one of his that I saw and probably the one that I love the most.

I actually really do love this film.

And it was kind of nice to see it again.

And even though, let's face it, you're like, we could do better, I think that it was a perfect, perfect film for its time.

And also.

So that would be my favorite.

And then my second would probably be Tron.

Yeah.

And I think that would be from more nostalgia than actually like his.

I mean, just from the perspective of a.

Creating art of cinema.

They did.

They did things first, Tron, that were new perspectives for filming.

I mean, there was.

There was black light use and the implication of special effects that we take for granted nowadays because you could just blue or green screen it and bing bang in a program on your computer.

It's there.

But back then they had to imagine things.

Yeah.

They had to figure out how to do stuff back then.

But so let me tell you.

Yeah, here's the conflict in.

In this lovely film.

Okay?

Now there is some innuendo, though, here too, because, I mean, here we've got a naked man in her living room.

And in addition to the conflict, what do we have?

Rising action.

Well, that doesn't.

That's not until later in the movie, if you mean.

But, but, but.

So as Jenny and the star man travel across the country, they face growing danger from government agents and military forces determined to capture the alien, right?

And, like, literally strap him down and dissect him.

Like, what's that matter with people anyway?

The star man's unfamiliarity with human behavior creates challenges.

But his kindness, curiosity, and developing understanding of humanity gradually wins Jenny's trust.

After she tries to leave him and say that she was kidnapped, like 3, 4, 5, 6, 10 times, right.

Like before, you're like, okay, just go with it, girl.

Come on.

He's shed.

I'm not gonna harm you.

I'm not gonna do anything.

I don't understand anything.

And you're just like, no, I'm gonna get away.

Whatever, just go with it.

Anyway.

But along the journey, the pair actually end up evading, like, roadblocks, literally, like, just driving right through them.

They survive dangerous encounters and form a deep emotional bond.

Now, at the same time, the clock is ticking because the starman must reach his destination to rendezvous with his alien peoples and be beamed up in Arizona within three days time.

And if he doesn't meet them at that Time they'll leave him and he'll die.

So their situation becomes increasingly desperate because federal authorities close in.

And we'll talk about that in a minute.

Jenny finds herself torn between helping the aliens survive and protecting herself from the powerful forces pursuing them now.

Pursuing them.

Those cops, remember that scene, were specifically told back off.

And they are.

And.

And they're very typical cops for that era.

They're like, oh, no, we're gonna go in and try.

Like, you don't know what you're facing, but you're like, oh, no, we're gonna go in and start trouble.

And the whole chase and everything else happens because of those two cops being complete penises.

If you think about it, though, there are elements of this film and the different act of the film as we're discussing that resemble a first date gone wrong.

Because she doesn't know much about him.

She just got his background.

All she knows is laws after them.

And they're on the run now, right?

Oh, and he's an alien.

Okay.

But like.

And then when he heals that deer, remember that.

So they come across.

Let's pause for a moment.

So it's no secret, because Matt and I have talked about in the past, there.

There are some films that when you talk about different periods of time, we are not, as, for lack of a better term, evolved with attitudes on being decent, nice, being decent, and treating things with respect.

Certainly animals deserve respect.

So there.

There is a moment in this film which sort of defines human decency.

While, yes, an ordinary person would not have his abilities seized an opportunity, he saw a moment where life had been taken for granted.

And as you were about to say, there was a moment where, since he is not of this earth, he had certain abilities and.

Go ahead with that thought.

This hunter, I'm assuming it was a hunter, killed a deer.

Frankly, I'm thinking he just drove into it accidentally because he was such a quad.

I don't see how he could actually shoot straight.

But.

So he had this dead deer tied to the front of his car.

Horrible to me, but whatever.

And Jenny had to kind of try to explain to him what that was and what was going on.

And he was so into it that he went out and he healed it with one of his balls and it got up and went away.

And that was a wonderful thing to do.

And you're just like, oh, my God, he's so amazing.

I love that.

Oh, the guy who hit it didn't love it.

And neither did four of his friends, who probably weren't even his friends.

But just.

Are truckers looking for a fight?

Because back in the 80s there was always a gang of truckers hanging out somewhere that wanted to fight for no reason.

Right.

And so they go beat him up because he healed a deer.

But.

Well, I was gonna say they, they're, they're looking to pick a fight because of course they know that at home they're not going to pick a fight because maybe their woman's got a gun.

Yeah.

We've seen some Geena Davis's movies and we know that women have rights and they could stand up for themselves at this point.

So Burning bed.

The burning bed was made for a reason.

Right.

So these guys knew that they couldn't pick a fight at home.

They had to go out and go to someplace like this where they picked a fight with the, the odd guy who was sensitive.

But.

Well, not only sensitive, but the man healed a deer.

Yeah.

From the dead.

And you're gonna go pick, you're gonna go beat him up for it.

Like it's like you're hitting Jesus.

Right, Right.

If you were smart you would step away because if he could do that, you could, he could turn your insides out.

Right.

Like something going on.

But so they beat him up and then suddenly Jenny's like, oh, oh my goodness, I guess I'll stay after all.

But who really stole all that scene was the waitress.

Oh yes.

Now, yes, in the 70s women were finally able to have their own bank accounts without a male co signer.

But, but by 84 now we are getting an understanding that women need to look out for each other because women don't always have the, the, the best moral compass when it comes to the company they keep.

And so Jenny, Karen Allen's character, who we'll get to in a minute, the leading lady, she's not quite sure she wants to keep company with this alien because she doesn't know what his intentions are are.

And she actually makes an arrangement to basically escape the scene.

She asks this waitress played by wonderful character actress Lou Leonard.

And not only any ordinary, any skinny mini, but this was a lady who was a full figured, plus size woman.

And the characters that she played had as big a heart as did.

But she talked to this Jenny who seemed to be in fear for her life and she didn't, she didn't brush her off and say get away from me, you crazy woman.

I don't want anything to do with this.

She was like, okay, honey, I'll take your keys and your card and the money, whatever.

You get yourself to a safe place and this is the way out the back.

So she, she's working as her wingman, basically trying to stand up for her because she doesn't know what's going on until the moment when the deer.

Because of course, at that point she learns that.

And this is just a trope of science fiction in a way, but if there are other beings out there in this universe who are intelligent enough that they can travel beyond their own stars, then they have evolved to a point where.

Where are they really gonna bother with killing a few ants on a hill?

The Starman is somebody who comes from a people who obviously appreciate life because there was a senseless death and he intervened.

Yeah.

So that's, that's when the tables turned.

She realized this man is decent.

I don't know if I should be scared of him, but now I know he's a good person.

Well, so as Jenny grows to trust Starman, how would you feel in her situation?

Would you risk your own safety to help someone being hunted?

Or if you believe that they were kind and harmless?

If I believe they were kind and harmless, I would probably.

What I could.

There, There would come a point where I would probably think to myself, do I want to cross state lines with somebody that I don't hardly know?

But that's part of the journey.

The To.

To.

To use an overused phrase, it's a leap of faith.

She's got to decide if it's worth it to look out for somebody who may not be able to defend himself.

Because while this man is capable of bringing a deer back to life, does that mean that he knows enough?

I mean, he's not Superman.

He's not going to be able to stop a bullet.

Well, no, we know he did end up bringing her back to life not long after that.

And, and part of what he did would certainly would have brought me to life.

Well, yeah, but that's the thing.

It's like, I mean, and, and there's another thing.

Is those, those two idiots, okay, number one, honestly, he shouldn't have raised the gun where the policeman could see it.

But they were the instigator.

They were the ones making this happen.

And when they showed, shot at him and hit her, that whole thing should never have happened.

And it's like at that point, and those two police officers got off scot free without anything happening to them, blah, blah, blah.

But unlike you guys, are you're you just murdered somebody for nothing.

And if it, if it didn't involve an extraterrestrial being something potentially on the federal level, they might even know that.

Yeah, but to your point, normally they would have to have filled out paperwork to explain how it is they killed an innocent civilian.

But there were, there were other things involved.

So of course they weren't going to be held accountable.

No.

So the government sees the Starman as a potential threat, while Jenny sees his humanity.

Do you think the authorities were justified in pursuing him, or should they have tried to understand him before deciding to capture him?

Well, obviously they should have.

I mean, we know that anyone that was watching the movie with half a brain knows that.

But again, what I said in the very beginning, you send out a spacecraft with a little gold record playing, it's like, here's everything you need to know about Earth.

Come visit us.

You open an invitation, they accept the invitation.

And then you're all like, we must find you and kill you and dissect you while you're awake so that we can find out everything about no, no girl.

They should, they should, they should have had somebody like the, like the guy that turns out to be a good guy pursuing them, but turns out to be a good guy who's like, I want to talk to you.

I want to know everything about you.

I want to know everything about your people.

Tell me, let's, let's connect.

And that's what it should be.

But.

And now granted, most everything that we know in this situation usually comes from movies, TV shows, where it's always some jumped up desk jockey who goes out there on a high trying to kill when they don't know what the heck is going on.

And they end up.

So I don't know if we've had this life experience, but if we do have something going on like that, they should be going to try to connect and figure out and, and greet, not just go in guns blazing saying, we're gonna destroy you.

Yeah.

And to sort of tip the conversation that we'll get to in a little bit here, there was a nice turn in the story where the scientist that was involved from the beginning, I think I can.

I think the character's name is George Fox.

He sort of has a change of heart towards the end, and we'll talk about that in a minute.

But it's, it's a nice change because you don't expect it necessarily what happens.

And we'll leave it at that.

So, okay, we, we have talked about the leading man, of course, the direct.

Now we've gotten to the middle of the story there.

The implication, because he's, he's got to catch his ride.

They got to get there.

Yeah.

Cross country.

Now the person that we actually meet first is not the starman.

Play this.

No.

Get to meet Jenny, the grieving widow who's sequestered out in the cabin in the woods there on the, on the shore of the lake in Wisconsin.

That's played by Ms. Karen Allen, who was born in October 51 in Carrollton, Illinois.

She's the daughter of an FBI agent, so a federal man.

And she spent much of her childhood moving around the US but before studying theater and performance in New York, Alan made her film debut in National Lampoon's Animal House.

Talked about a little bit, not a whole episode.

We are about the halfway mark on our show.

We're going to take a brief break from some ads, some jingles, some nostalgia from days gone by.

Something that tells you we're in the middle of the 80s and Reagan and some good things were happening.

I mean, I do not remember sleeping with that woman.

Mr. Gorbachev.

On June 1st, Admiral James T. Kirk.

And the crew of the Enterprise take.

Off on their greatest mission as they.

Risk everything for the one thing that really matters.

To fight their friend.

Join the search Star Trek 3 the Search for Spock.

Rated PG.

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Have you driven a four lately?

Denny's introduces a weekday morning special.

Denny's Build a breakfast only a dollar 99.

Choose your favorite juice, your favorite style of eggs, your favorite breakfast meat and your favorite breakfast side dish.

Then put them all together for only $1.99.

Denny's Build a Breakfast is only available on weekday mornings and only at Denny's where you'll like our prices and you'll love our food.

I will say the best thing about the 80s is that straight men dressed more like gay men.

Well, that hair is more like straight women.

So one of my favorite video clips that I saw recently on social media had these two guys that were dressing as well, they are gay men.

But that was the, the trope was how men looked in the 80s versus gay men and, and how allegedly gay men in the 80s looked more like straight men.

Would than straight men looked more like gay men because of all the, the big hair and the tight jeans and the wanting to look like the rockers.

But thank you Ozzy Osbourne for the painted nails.

Oh yeah.

They ran, they ran so far away.

And then they, then they met that small town boy.

Oh, that's a good song.

It was.

And it's in one of my favorite movies, Edge of Seventeen.

That was my.

I never watched that.

Oh.

Oh my God.

I don't think I did.

Anyway, it's done and I can't remember.

I'll edit.

Well, I don't have to edit this out because it's Pride month.

But it's, it's, it's done by a well known gay director from.

Well, we probably got it over there in the use use movie bin.

Right?

Ew.

Used.

I, I hope that's, I hope that's peanut butter and jelly on it.

Hector.

Damn it.

The director's name is David.

Oh.

The writer was Todd Stevens and Freeman Craig.

Yes.

Todd Stevens is from Sandusky, Ohio.

So Sandusky is where Swan Song with that Udo Kier was in was filmed in.

And Edge of Seventeen was also filmed partly in the Sandusky area.

So.

And it was also a Stevie Nick song.

Yes, but, but speaking of small town boy, that was my first introduction to that song because I wasn't old enough to buy my own cassettes and all that when it was new.

But I learned, I heard it for the first time in Edge of Seventeen because the, the closeted high school kid went off and went to a club and went on his first male date with a college freshman.

So.

Wow.

And Leah Delaria was performing at the Fruit and Nut Club that was in Edge of Seventeen.

So if you haven't seen, if you haven't seen Edge of Seventeen yet, folks, what are you doing with your life?

Was the start of a lot of.

And he became widely known for her role as Marion Ravenwood opposite Harrison Ford in Lost Ark, which was actually the first Indiana Jones story before they decided.

She later starred in Starman that we're talking about today, earning praise for her emotional performance.

And beyond acting, Alan is taught acting.

She's got quite the range, learned help others in the craft directions and operated a textile and design business.

So she's very ingenuous and she's had.

She has a son, Nicholas, and is known for maintaining a relatively private wel in film.

And I have to be honest, there was a point in my life probably because, well, I wasn't old enough to see this in the theater.

But I used to, I used to confuse actresses that played similar roles with each other.

So there was a point in time where I couldn't tell the difference between Karen Allen and Margot Kidder.

Oh, my God.

And of course, Margot.

And then, of course, Margot Kidder played Lois Lane in the Superman films.

Okay.

Whenever I swear through this whole script, all that's been going through my head is, I've got.

You've got me.

Who's got you?

And I'm like, wait, no, that's Margot Kidder.

That's Superman.

But I swear, same, absolute same.

Well, and then come to find out, several of these actresses that I used to confuse with each other have played similar roles.

So I think that Karen Allen may have actually been in the running to play Lois Lane when Christopher Reeves was in that role.

But also, of course, in the 90s, when we finally got gay, present a gay presence on network television with Will and Grace.

Leslie Ann Warren played Will's dad's girlfriend.

And Leslie Ann Warren is another actress who I would like and with types like Karen Allen and Margot Kidder.

And come to find out, Leslie Ann Warren actually auditioned for the role of Lois Lane officially.

So as we get out our nerd lunch boxes here and we match up our cards, Karen Allen has had 75 acting credits and in the top of those films included Raiders of The Lost Ark, 1, Starman in 84.

National Lampoon's animal House was the beginning of her career.

In 78, it defined a generation of movie humor.

And honorable mention For Scrooged in 88, one of few bill Murrays and the Perfect Storm.

I'll watch it because she's in it, but that's the only reason I'll watch it, right?

So of all of these films that Karen Allen has been in, and I need to see more because I love everything I've seen with her in it.

And she is the one who got away because she was sweet and kind and her heart drove her decisions.

Whereas her, her love interest that was played by Bill Murray, which is basically the Ebenezer Scrooge story, was motivated by greed and anything that would get him fame with East Station.

So it was, it was just such a charming character that she played.

And I, I, I'm gonna go out on a wing here, on a limb here and say, I think that if I were the sort of of man who enjoyed the company of a woman between the sheets.

I think, I think Karen Allen would have been my type, I think, whereas other people prefer pinup girls and they say, are you a leg man or a blah blah, blah man?

I want beauty and brains.

And to quote a line from the Music man with Robert Preston, I like the sadder but wiser girl.

And Karen Allen's got brains, of course, because she teaches acting and has run businesses.

So my little nerd boy hat off to Karen Allen because she's sweet as apple pie and there's just a goodness in her that reminds me of so many of the characters that she played.

I'll leave it at that.

She, it's like if Stranger Things had been made back in the 80s, I think Karen Allen would have played the girl that wanted to be in the newspaper.

Oh yeah, okay, well, forgot the character's name, but anyways, yeah, I, I don't remember either, but yeah, I, I know he, okay, well, I actually watched National Lampoon's Animal House a few months ago and I didn't think it was all that great of a film, but I can understand how it was like the kickoff for like a whole new generation of films because you can see like a slew, just like a decade of films that came from that.

So I can see how Wyatt was pivotal but wasn't really.

I was like, eh, she was good in it.

But I've seen 10 of her films and that and my favorites of course are Starman, which actually re watching Starman gave me a new respect for her.

I was like, she's, her acting in this is really good.

So I mean, it's not over the top.

It's not even 80s acting.

I mean, it's like I can't see somebody really responding the way that she, she did, she did a good job.

The character of Jenny had a broad emotional range.

She, yes.

You went through a journey watching the film because you were supposed to identify with her.

Yeah.

And then Raiders of the Lost Ark would be my second favorite.

I, I, I think that she was really good in that.

The thing.

Okay, one quick thing though, that I wanted to add to the whole, the second part of it when they're on the run and everything and then they get to the part was kind of toward the end, which leads into the climax and Rebel Resolution that we're going to talk about.

But so they go, they end up in Vegas because they've been on a train.

They overshoot where they're supposed to go.

By 300 miles.

How that happened?

Oh, yeah, they were having sex.

But so she.

So they end up getting there.

He uses his little trickery to get them a whole bunch of money.

And then they want.

She.

She says, okay, we want to make sure that we keep a low profile and.

And are very discreet and don't stand out.

And they end up 1.

Getting a new car, which.

How the hell they got a new car with no license.

No.

Anything else?

Only in the 80s in Vegas.

Because no photo ID.

Yeah, because I was like, she's lost everything.

She's lost her wallet.

She hasn't.

They.

Neither of them have any id.

No driver's lights, anything else.

But hey, we're gonna get a brand new car.

And not only that, but let's get one that has to be probably for its time, probably like 30,000 or more.

Which nowadays would be probably like 75 or up.

I mean, they probably.

Let's face it, it'd be probably like 100,000.

They probably just borrowed the director's car,.

I was going to say, but that is like for.

That is like a great big flashy standout, like, here we are.

Car too.

So I'm like, yeah, that's being discreet, isn't it?

You couldn't have gotten like a Jetta or something?

So.

But let's rewind for a brief second.

Okay.

You said that she had.

They had sex.

Let's not cheapen the moment, Matt.

Let's be honest.

He breathed life back into her.

Well, I was gonna say it's.

It's coming.

It's coming.

Yeah, because, I mean, we're talking about a young Jeff Bridges here.

And if I just happen to be laying under a blanket with a stranger in a modular home that's being transported because we're on the lam, because we.

Went 300 miles over where we're supposed to be somehow.

I mean, if I was staring into Jeff Bridges eyes back then, I might have overshot my stop.

Oh, honey, let's face it.

I would have done him in the cabin.

So.

But anyway, so let's talk about the climax girl.

Okay.

Well, yeah, speaking of breathing life back into things.

And.

And there was a climax of Starman.

So basically, Jenny and the alien.

The alien finally reached the remote Arizona rendezvous point.

But government forces close in and attempt to stop them, of course, because that's what they do.

But with time running out, the star man's health begins to fail, making his escape even more uncertain.

A sympathetic scientist who we talked about, apparently George Fox, helps delay the Military long enough for the aliens people to arrive.

Right, right.

But anyway, as a brilliant.

As a brilliant spacecraft descend, Jenny and the Starman share an emotional farewell, knowing that they cannot remain together before leaving.

Okay, so this messes it up a little bit because actually he told her this, like earlier when they were still on the train.

But before leaving, he reveals that he has given Jenny a child, allowing a part of him to remain on Earth.

In the Resolution, the Starman departs with his people while Jenny is left heartbroken but hopeful, carrying both the memory of their journey and the promise of a new future.

So, basically, Jenny, they.

Jenny and her first husband, Scott, they never had kids because she was like, infertile or something, so she couldn't actually have a baby.

And so after they had sex, which.

He has some of the dingiest expressions on his face while they're doing it.

But at the same time, I'm like, if I was an alien having sex for the first time and he was human body, I'd probably be looking like that too.

Right?

But, yeah, and so that was fun.

And then, of course, she.

Then he tells her, I've given you a baby.

And she's like, no, I can't.

And she's like, no, I've given it, but let me know now because I'll perform a miracle abortion as I've just given you in a miracle birth and turned you into Mary.

But so anyway, so now she's pregnant and.

Which will lead to a series a couple of years later.

And it was, it was, it was really, actually really well done.

Now, I mean, when I was a kid, I didn't see that coming, of course, but as an adult, you're like, of course that's what's going to happen.

If that's part of the story, that's what's going to happen.

But it was wonderful.

And the fact that George Fox pulled his head out of his butt, but what.

He was showing signs of that before.

He wanted to meet the alien.

He wanted to talk.

To talk to them and, and, and see what was going on.

Not blow them away, dissect them, whatever.

And he did.

He disagreed with what they were going to do.

So I loved how he played a part in letting them go.

I mean, I mean, he wasn't calling the shots just like anybody else in government.

He was the scientists.

Of course, he wasn't the one paying the bills.

He didn't get to make the decisions.

Right.

He.

He had a change of heart because it's like, I'm never going to have this opportunity again in my lifetime.

Possibly this being from another world.

Let's actually be decent people and not destroy the only other life count.

Right?

And we invite.

And like he said, we invited him here and now you're just going.

But they were literally blowing the.

Jenny and Starman are, are trying to leave.

They're trying to get to the ship.

He's.

He wants to go home.

He's not going to be here anymore.

But no, let's literally try to blow them up.

Right?

I. I was like, what is wrong with you people?

Well, had something to do with the people in the White House because we were putting nukes in space.

Allegedly.

Yeah.

What the fuck?

So how did you feel about the ending of Starman?

Did the promise of Jenny carrying Starman's child make the farewell more hopeful or did it make their separation even more bittersweet?

I think it did both in a way.

In.

In its own way.

But the thing that got me is I'm like, okay, these crazy people tried to stop him from getting back on a ship, tried to blow him up, and now Jenny's just left behind pregnant.

You think that they're not going to nab her her and do all the crazy stuff.

Excuse me.

This crazy stuff that they can do to her.

And if they find out that she's pregnant girl, Come on.

I mean, she would become the start of the, The Stranger Things secret project.

Right?

So.

But she's, but he's like, he will grow up and be a good man and he will be a teacher and behalf of me.

And I'm like, if he makes it that long and isn't stuck inside of a laboratory, right?

I mean, humanity in the fly swatter, right?

And we all know what happened to that four years later when the series came out.

So.

Right.

So I feel like it was bittersweet.

But the ending, of course, it's.

It's like the stories that you were told as a child.

The, the fairy tales, the fables.

There's always supposed to be a moral or a truth at the end that helps you or makes you think about things.

So the ending of Starman makes you think of whether or not we value life.

Just because something is strange and unusual.

Is it worthy of being preserved or do we just get rid of it?

Oh my God, we've got a redheaded child.

Oh, let's hide them in the basement.

Right?

But I think that it was wonderful what happened because it's just assumed, especially when maybe we weren't as advanced with medicine as we are now.

But it was implied that problem.

The reason why they didn't have children, Scott and Jenny, was that it was Jenny.

Well, back then, I'm sure there's something to be said for medicine because they didn't necessarily do a physical on the man, and the woman possibly got blamed as the reason why they couldn't have children.

So I'm thinking that the reality probably was that Scott was the one who was infertile and that Jenny could have had a kid.

And it wasn't any miracle of conception that the Starman gave her a baby.

She could have had one before, but it was still a gift, because that was sort of the evolution of the character.

In the same way that Jenny didn't know whether or not Starman was a moral or ethical being until he saved the life of the deer.

We also didn't know how kind and evolved and intellectual he was until he took his experience of being in the presence of Jenny and understood that possibly the saddest part of her life was not the fact that her husband wasn't with them anymore, but that she didn't have anything to remember him by, AKA a child together.

All I know is she said, I can't have kids.

And he took one of his.

He took his spaceballs and got her pregnant with his little space baseballs.

Right.

All I know.

Or marbles.

It can be funny, too, if you think that he lost his marbles, but he used them.

Okay.

What I think is funny, speaking of his little Spaceballs, is that he has to use, like, one of them.

Like, one of them gets they completely.

Every time he uses one of them, it's gone.

Right?

Right.

How the hell he made it to Seven Miracles, I don't know.

And then at the end of it, he's like, I have one left.

Give it to the child.

He'll know what to do with it.

And then when we see the series four years later, they each have, like, one spaceball left, right?

And it just keeps going on and doing everything that they want to do.

It just keeps going on and on and on.

So I'm like, well, they invented rechargeable ones at that point, apparently.

Apparently.

I'm like, why didn't you just use that one rechargeable one the whole time instead of wasting all your other balls?

Exactly.

So Matt the Starman, ultimately leaves Earth despite finding love and acceptance with Jenny.

If you were in his position, but would you have returned home with your people or choosing.

Chosen to stay on Earth.

And why?

Now, that's interesting, though, because, like I said, if I found out that there was an extraterrestrial being and they had a means to leave, I'd be like, take me with you.

But he actually addressed that.

Yeah.

She didn't even ask, I don't think.

Because he told her that she couldn't live there.

Right.

Yeah.

Their world was.

They were different.

I think he.

I think his people were like energy, like they were light beings.

So.

Yeah.

Or maybe they breathed methane.

Yeah.

So, I mean, and.

And so that worked.

But as far as.

Would you have returned home with your people or chosen standard.

He couldn't.

He.

He was dying.

His hit.

The body that he created had a short shelf life, so.

So he couldn't.

He got the TEMU version of that body.

And so, yeah, he couldn't have stayed so that.

But, I mean, I. I don't think if.

If I had all the government stuff chasing me, I don't think I would have stayed up, like, I'm going home, girl.

Bye, bye.

I got you pregnant.

Now I'm leaving.

Right.

I mean, you know, that wasn't even his real name.

He performed.

He performs under an alias, and you can find him in lounge acts in Reno.

Scott.

Hey, Dan.

I don't know.

Maybe if he needed to disappear, it would be under assumed names and they could, like.

Like, go camping in the Canadian Outback.

Well, she.

They chased him when he landed pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

I mean, there was nothing going on.

There was, like, one house in a lake.

Well, and he did set the world.

He did set, like, the entire forest on fire.

But that's.

Well, yeah, but that was naked.

Jeff Bridges.

He couldn't help it.

But, no, I. I did enjoy the fact that.

Fact that they pointed out that his rendezvous point was a historical place.

It was a crash site of a crater or a.

Of a comet or something from a long time ago.

Yeah.

And there was a moment when Jenny talked to him, and it was almost like in the third person, she was talking about his.

And that place where they rendezvoused was special because they've been to Earth before, right?

Yeah.

And.

And the guy.

And George asked him, you've been here before?

And he said, yeah, we've been.

We've been.

We're interested in you.

You're an unusual species.

And then he's.

And then he saw, like.

And there are a lot of other species out There.

And there are some that are.

He said.

What would he say?

He said, very savage.

And I'm like.

And you're saying that as you're being chased by our government and about to have bombs dropped on you.

But apparently, if other.

If there are other aliens out there that savage.

I mean, more than that, like, run,.

Girl, the Klingons are out there just saying.

Yeah.

But I've always enjoyed this common element of science fiction when it's been.

And what I.

More on this is the fact that he chose to embody a familiar form.

It was explained early in the story, after they're on the run, after he started her car and before she's decided that she's been kidnapped.

She says that she's a little jumpy.

She's.

She's.

Yeah, she's scared.

She's frustrated, whatever.

But she uses the word jumpy.

And he's still learning the language because, of course, one of the things that you learn in the beginning of the movie is how he knows English is.

Well, he actually brought the record from the Voyager probe with him.

So he's got the home version of the board game.

But.

So he tells her when she explains that she's a little jump.

He said, this is why I look the way that I do.

So that you.

You're not.

And so it's a.

It's a common thread among science fiction writing that if encounter extraterrestrial life, a first contact scenario, if you will, to soften the blow, they will choose a familiar form, not unlike in Dr. Carl Sagan's contact, because when Eleanor Erin Away counters extraterrestrials, they take the form of her late father.

Yeah.

And like in what was it?

What's.

What's the one.

No batteries included.

Yeah.

But they ended up being cute.

They didn't take the form of somebody that we know, but they were so small and cute that you're like, okay, they're harmless.

I could probably hit him with a baseball bat if I really got right.

Oh.

So.

Alrighty.

But this was not horrible at all.

So there are a few other people that shared the screen with Ms. Karen Allen and Jeff Bridges, and they were some character actresses, of course.

One of them I mentioned, Lou Leonard, that played the roadhouse waitress, she.

Yes.

7.

And one of the characters that I remember most, because when I saw her in Storm, I had of course, already seen Annie with Carol Burnett in it from the 80s.

She played, she played one of the employees at Daddy Warbucks's estate.

She was Mrs. Pew, full figured lady in the.

In the kitchen, the cook.

So Lou Leonard was one of the characters, character actors that peppered in this cast.

But who are some of the others, Matt?

Well, okay, for starting off.

So we were calling him George Fox, but actually the character's name was Mark Sherman and that was Charles Martin Smith.

He played the sympathetic Seti scientist who helps starmen evade capture.

He's actually was in American Graffiti, the Untouchables and directing Dolphin Tail.

Okay, I know that film.

It was like a huge hit.

Dolphin Tail.

Don't forget that George Jekyll actually was the one who played George Fox.

And he was the determined government agent pursuing the strawman.

And he actually earned an Academy Award nomination for a movie called Sometimes A Great Notion.

I know that one.

Right.

And then of course, Michael Phelan, who's in everything, right back then.

And he was, he played Major Bell, the officer who was basically just in search of the alien.

And then there was Tony Edwards who played cop number two.

I know that part.

And he was in a smaller.

That was a small early career role for the.

For him because he was later in er.

Now lastly, we have Mickey Jones as the truck driver.

I know who he is, right.

Because he was literally in pretty much everything back then.

If you needed a big bearded guy, it was him.

And he was of course later known for roles in Home Improvement, Sling blade and like 150kajillion television appearances, including, I believe, if I'm remembering right, he played one of the beat her up guys in.

In V. He was like Ham's second.

Second, like the big bearded guy, Chris something or other.

Anyway, yeah, Mickey Jones in Starman, the guy who.

Into the.

The Roadhouse scene, he was the truck driver.

He was sort of the introduction to the good old boys.

So that he taught him how to flip.

To flip people off.

Yeah.

Right.

So if there was any innuendo of banjo music, he started.

So.

And it, it wasn't super nice that they're in the men's toilet and he's like, ah, there's one in everything.

And he's like, he's being mean to him.

He didn't beat him up or anything, but.

Well, because Jeff Bridges character, the starman, didn't know how to behave as a human.

So maybe he might have been looking a little bit more than we should in the men's room.

And yeah, straight men in the men's room.

As they'll tell you, there's never anything that goes on in there.

You just wash your hands and get out.

You don't talk about, you know, what was on TV last night or anything.

Right.

Or stare at each other's, oh, wait till we go the same path Anyway.

But tell us about the Star Trek connection, girl.

Well, because of course we share more in common than just our nerd lunchboxes.

Our favorite sci fi franchise there always have or often have have someone in the crowd facing the background.

Now you might not have recognized him because hair and makeup in that, but his other roles in the franchise include character known as Thrax who was a Cardassian, so of course more makeup.

In Deep Space Nine episode thing.

He also played Anorax which was a scientist in a two part Voyager episode.

Hell.

And then he also was Tony Edwards, or sorry, another actor in this film, Starman, who had a connection with our favorite franchise there.

So he's the one who talked to Sulu about the old days of flying, possibly in Vietnam.

Hello, computer.

Yes, so, all right, all right, well,.

Hey, real quick, huh?

Was there a character you wish you had more screen time?

Well, I, I think, I mean it would have been a re, a stretch because it was a fleeting moment, but the waitress, I mean.

Oh yeah, it would have been interesting if, I don't know, maybe she was married to the cook, I don't know, but it's hard to say who needed to have more screen time.

Maybe the scientist who had the change of heart, the one that wanted to meet the starman, maybe we could, maybe we could have had something cute to make him honest, like maybe he had a child at home.

Maybe to make this movie pass the Bechtel test, which we have never done before, but maybe to make this movie more in lean with the Bechtel test, maybe the scientist who was wanting to meet the starman had a daughter who was just as much into science as him and she couldn't, he couldn't go home.

At the end of the day he had to tell his daughter that they killed the alien.

Of course, interesting.

He shouldn't be talking about that at home anyways.

But that.

Right, yeah, I, I think everybody, I think for everything that was going on, everybody kind of got a decent chunk of time, so.

But did you feel the ending of the film was satisfying?

Oh, well, that depends on your definition of satisfying.

I mean, I could have had some more Jeff Bridges nudity.

It was satisfying in the sense that there was sort of closure.

You were happy for Jenny now that she was going to be a mom.

You're not going to be able to take part of that.

That experience for her, but you're happy for her like a friend who's gotten a promotion.

You may not work together anymore, but you're happy for this person because they're going to be doing what they want to do.

And so I guess that's my way of putting that.

But as far as satisfaction as an audience, I'm happy the good guy got away.

Yeah, exactly.

I. Yeah, I was fine with it.

But we do have some miscellaneous film facts.

Oh, yeah, you take the first one.

All right.

So the film's two leads, Karen Allen and Jeff Bridges, sang a duet in a new rendition of All I have to do is Dream, which was included in the movie's soundtrack.

I mean, might have to go to that secondhand store.

The movie actually represents a rare interest instance where the film from the science fiction genre received an Academy Award nomination for acting, which was, of course, best actor for Jeff Bridges, who lost out to F. Abraham Murray for Amadeus.

Oh, well, there's a Star Trek connection too, because F. Murray Abram was in Insurrection is one of the aliens that wanted to reclaim their.

Yeah, I remember that.

He went around going, I have to be young.

Amadeus.

Amadeus.

So the director, John Carpenter, met with Tom Cruise because we have to involve some element of tinfoil when it comes to Aliens in consideration for the film's title lead role.

Carpenter liked him some.

That's up to interpretation.

Some people think Tom Cruise might have liked the liking.

But Cruz was busy making Ridley Scott's Legend, the movie we discussed already that had an infamous fire that almost took the studio down because of all the artificial forestry.

So he wasn't available.

Go figure.

Yeah, I was gonna say, how'd that go for your Cruise?

So.

Well, I'm glad that he was not cast in this because he would have been horrible.

I mean, I wouldn't have.

If.

If Tom Cruise had been in it, I. I wouldn't been able to have watched it again.

Yeah.

Just on principle.

Well, he and Karen Allen wouldn't have had the chemistry that Jeff.

She did.

So anyway, the role of Starman originally went to Kevin Bacon.

Oh, interesting.

Yeah.

Now, again, I just.

The right person got the role in the end, so.

And in.

On a show where they had more time.

We would know what Kevin Bacon did instead of Starman.

But hey, that's a question for next time.

Well, you, you, you pedal.

Yes.

Through the next one here and I'll get that answer.

All right.

Well, the picture was in development for four years at Columbia House, Columbia Pictures Studio, before it actually stretched started production.

Executive producer Michael Douglas had several projects going simultaneously, one of which was his then recent hit Romancing the Stone, which was another movie.

Like that whole period right there, right around there, had some of the best movies.

And not just because they were like nostalgia movies, because they were really good movies.

Oh, and you, you, you hit the nail right on the head there.

Kevin Bacon did Footloose instead of Starmini.

Yes, Queen.

So he was, he was shacking up with.

Well, on screen anyways.

With love with John Lithgow's daughter, played by Laurie Singer.

Oh, Laurie Singer.

She was so cool back then.

Well, and then of course, she ended up being in VR5 in the 90s.

And that.

That's a classic.

Yes, I know.

You guys don't stop talking about it.

Oh, that and what's her name.

I'm surprised this film didn't have Louise Fletcher in it too.

Well, she was probably dating the direct.

Yeah.

All right, so now's the time when we like to recommend a little something that if, if you like this film, you might want to check out.

What.

What did you do?

Well, it's interesting that there, There is a.

A name sort of tilts towards this movie.

So Starman, if you might imagine.

I'm gonna recommend a movie from our nation's bicentennial.

There's emphasis on the word by right.

There's another anniversary of our country, but we don't really feel much like celebrating right now.

Anyways, I'm gonna Recommend him from 76.

And this is about.

An alien must pose as a human to save his dying planet.

But a woman and greed of other men create complications.

Starring Mr. David Bowie, which in the 70s was Mr. Ziggy Stardust and Ripped Torn, who of course was the big boss in the Men in Black movies.