It Came From the Sky (1999)

Fresh and Exciting

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

This is one of those independent movies where you can tell by watching just how much the actors got into the material. Arguably, they all shine magnificently here in this intriguing piece. The vast majority of the action in this movie takes place in the living room and kitchen of a house, and the close proximity of all the characters to one another heightens the tension incrementally, making their moments seem much more real and easy to relate to.The movie follows a couple, the Bridges, who are growing apart under the stress of taking care of their disabled son. While their marriage is on the brink of collapse, their living room roof literally collapses when a plane carrying a mysterious and wonderfully romantic couple crashes on their house. What happens in the next few hours in the characters' lives is a transformation as they come to terms with their secrets and insecurities.The acting here is solid by seasoned pros. Bleethe is surprisingly good (I had always assumed she wasn't particularly talented given her "Baywatch" stint, but the girl can actually act), and Ritter and Williams are so convincing, you feel like they are a real estranged couple. Lloyd proves he is even more effective as a dramatic actor than a comedic one (if you can imagine that), and Zegers brings real compassion to his portrayal of a disabled boy without falling into schmaltzy stereotypes we see so often on film.Kudos to the writing and the casting.

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)

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.

I really enjoyed this movie! Christopher Lloyd and Yasmine Bleeth were perfect together. John Ritter and JoBeth Williams were so good together as the couple who were about to break up. My heart was breaking for them. I think that Kevin Zegers is the only one who could have played this part so well. Great story of a troubled family and the strange house-guests who drop in on them and help them rekindle their romance and zest for life. Very well filmed and directed. I kind of got lost at the very end. I am not sure if the strange house-guests were aliens or not. There were a lot of unanswered questions. But all in all it was a great movie. It looked like this could be a pilot for a weekly series with Christopher Lloyd and Yasmine Bleeth mysteriously showing up and helping folks in trouble. See it if you get a chance. A beautiful picture!