--- title: "*batteries not included" year: 1987 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/batteries-not-included" fi1m_id: "batteries-not-included" imdb_id: "tt0092494" tmdb_id: 11548 wikidata_id: "Q1170818" fi1m_score: 63 critics_score: 52 critics_reviews: 5 published: "2026-10-04T20:10:50.942092+00:00" updated: "2026-10-04T20:10:51.370059+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # *batteries not included (1987) Directed by Matthew Robbins · 1h 47m · MPA PG · Family, Comedy, Fantasy, Science Fiction ## Identity *batteries not included - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/batteries-not-included - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** batteries-not-included - **IMDb ID:** tt0092494 - **TMDB ID:** 11548 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1170818 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092494/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/11548, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1170818 **Fi1m score: 63** · Critics 52 (early) from 5 reviews *In a sentence:* Jessica Tandy does the hard work; the tiny flying saucers get to be cute > Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn give this gentle fantasy enough feeling to justify an evening for the sentimental. The tiny saucers charm, but Matthew Robbins asks for more tears than the story earns. ## Synopsis Five ordinary people need a miracle. Among them are Frank Riley (Hume Cronyn), Faye Riley (Jessica Tandy), Harry Noble (Frank McRae), Marisa Esteval (Elizabeth Peña) and Mason Baylor (Dennis Boutsikaris). Faye’s memory is fading, and the people around her have troubles that ordinary help cannot seem to put right. One night she leaves a window open. Pocket-sized flying saucers enter their lives, bringing an alien encounter to people already struggling with human problems. Their arrival offers the five an unexpected possibility of help, though Faye’s confusion remains part of the daily life around them. ## Review Matthew Robbins’s **batteries not included* is a decent family fantasy, helped through some overbearing sweetness by its actors. Its pocket-sized flying saucers are a clever invitation to wonder, and the human cast gives us reasons to care beyond waiting for the little things to turn up. The difficulty is that the director keeps pressing for tenderness after the actors have already done enough to earn it. There is pleasure here, particularly for younger viewers, but adults may find themselves wishing the film would trust them to respond without so much encouragement. Jessica Tandy is the main reason it gets away with as much as it does. As Faye Riley, whose memory is fading, she keeps humour within the confusion without making the confusion itself a joke. We were moved by Faye’s bewilderment, because she makes it possible to recognise the person even when that person struggles to understand what surrounds her. Hume Cronyn gives Frank Riley enough weight to keep their scenes from becoming exercises in audience reassurance. The performances deserve the time the film spends with them. The other personalities help, even when the writing gives them little room to surprise us. Frank McRae’s Harry Noble, Elizabeth Peña’s Marisa Esteval and Dennis Boutsikaris’s Mason Baylor are welcome company, though the film is less interested in their complexity than in our affection for them. The screenplay, credited to Matthew Robbins, S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock and Brad Bird, too often assumes that making its characters sympathetic is enough to sustain a story. We want them to receive help, but the repeated requests for sympathy become wearing. The small scale of the visitors is the film’s soundest visual decision: it encourages curiosity rather than awe. John McPherson’s cinematography and Ted Haworth’s production design make the fantasy easy to accept alongside the actors, without asking us to admire the technology at the expense of the people. We can enjoy watching the saucers without needing the film to grow louder or larger. That modest pleasure is enough for stretches of the running time, and the technical work is more persuasive than the writing that surrounds it. Cynthia Scheider’s editing is less successful at disguising how often the film returns to the same emotional appeal. At 107 minutes, this is not an especially long family film, yet its insistence makes it feel more protracted than it needs to. James Horner’s music contributes to that problem, encouraging an emotional response when the performances would have been sufficient. Jessica Tandy can make vulnerability clear without extra help, and the film would be stronger if it were more willing to leave her to it. Matthew Robbins understands the appeal of a friendly alien encounter, but relies too heavily on familiar family-fantasy sentiment. The gentle absurdity of tiny flying saucers remains appealing, and the central performers give the human troubles a seriousness the screenplay cannot consistently support. We would keep this for an evening when softness is part of the attraction, rather than expecting much invention beyond the visitors themselves. A tolerance for being nudged towards tears will help. *Fi1m score 63, published 4 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is *batteries not included worth watching?** **batteries not included* is worth an evening for sentimental family-fantasy viewers, though its insistent sweetness keeps our score at 63. Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn give the human troubles real feeling, and the tiny saucers charm; we find the repeated appeals for tears more wearing than the film needs to be. **How long is *batteries not included, and what is it rated?** **batteries not included* runs 1h 47m and is rated PG by the MPA in the US. It is a family and comedy film. **Where can I watch *batteries not included in the US?** **batteries not included* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does *batteries not included compare to Cocoon?** **batteries not included* shares [*Cocoon*](https://film.one/film/cocoon)’s gentle alien encounters and affection for older characters, but we give *Cocoon* the edge for warmth and humour. Both press too hard for sentiment and benefit from their casts. Choose *Cocoon* for its older ensemble; choose **batteries not included* if tiny flying saucers and Jessica Tandy’s sensitive performance are the greater attraction. **What should I watch after *batteries not included?** After **batteries not included*, try [*Cocoon*](https://film.one/film/cocoon) (1985, Fi1m 75): Another gentle alien encounter in which the older people matter most. Then [*The Iron Giant*](https://film.one/film/the-iron-giant) (1999, Fi1m 88): A mechanical visitor, human vulnerability and sentiment more firmly earned; and [*My Neighbour Totoro*](https://film.one/film/my-neighbor-totoro) (1988, Fi1m 89): Strange visitors and family worries, handled with more patience and less insistence. ### Reviews we read (5) - **Los Angeles Times**, KEVIN THOMAS (80/100, inferred): Thomas calls the film an enchanting, spirit-lifting fantasy that raises serious questions while remaining thoroughly entertaining. He especially praises Jessica Tandy’s humorous and moving portrayal of Faye as her memory fades. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-18-ca-19769-story.html) - **Radio Times**, John Ferguson (3/5): Ferguson finds the film overrun by sentimentality, though still worth watching. He praises Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, who rise above the material. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-nbtt2u/batteries-not-included/) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (55/100, inferred): The critic finds the film suitable entertainment for children, though less imaginative than comparable Spielbergian stories. They praise the mix of personalities and the technical credits. [Read](https://variety.com/1986/film/reviews/batteries-not-included-1200427310/) - **Time Out**, EP (35/100, inferred): The review is negative about the film’s schmaltzy storytelling. It singles out the clever idea of pocket-sized flying saucers for praise. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/batteries-not-included) - **Empire**, Ian Nathan (30/100, inferred): Nathan finds the film a cute but pointless and heavy-handed rehash of alien-sentimentality stories. He credits Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy with giving the fairy tale a degree of plausibility and purpose. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/batteries-included-review/) ## Details - **Director:** Matthew Robbins - **Director:** Matthew Robbins - **Screenplay:** Matthew Robbins, Brad Bird, Brent Maddock, S.S. Wilson - **Story:** Mick Garris - **Cinematography:** John McPherson - **Editor:** Cynthia Scheider - **Music:** James Horner - **Production design:** Ted Haworth - **Producer:** Ronald L. Schwary - **Cast:** Hume Cronyn as Frank Riley; Jessica Tandy as Faye Riley; Frank McRae as Harry Noble; Elizabeth Peña as Marisa Esteval; Michael Carmine as Carlos; Dennis Boutsikaris as Mason Baylor; Tom Aldredge as Sid Hogenson; Jane Hoffman as Muriel Hogenson - **Runtime:** 1h 47m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG - **Release (the US):** 18 December 1987 - **Genres:** Family, Comedy, Fantasy, Science Fiction - **Budget:** $25 million - **Box office:** $65 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgLH6ZUg14Q ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-10-04.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Cocoon* (1985), Fi1m 75: Another gentle alien encounter in which the older people matter most. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/cocoon.md) - *The Iron Giant* (1999), Fi1m 88: A mechanical visitor, human vulnerability and sentiment more firmly earned. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-iron-giant.md) - *The Man in the White Suit* (1951): A sharper British comedy about an invention and the people it unsettles. - *The Red Balloon* (1956): A small, wordless companion makes ordinary streets feel briefly less lonely. - *My Neighbour Totoro* (1988), Fi1m 89: Strange visitors and family worries, handled with more patience and less insistence. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/my-neighbor-totoro.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/batteries-not-included