Batteries Not Included facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Batteries Not Included |
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Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan
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| Directed by | Matthew Robbins |
| Produced by | Ronald L. Schwary |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Mick Garris |
| Starring | |
| Music by | James Horner |
| Cinematography | John McPherson |
| Editing by | Cynthia Scheider |
| Studio |
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| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 18, 1987 |
| Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million |
| Money made | $65.1 million |
Batteries Not Included (also known as *batteries not included) is a fun science fiction movie from 1987. It's about tiny aliens that look like flying spaceships. These friendly aliens help save an old apartment building from being torn down by a mean property developer. The idea for this movie was so good that Steven Spielberg decided to make it into a film instead of just a TV episode! It was the first movie written by Brad Bird, who later directed famous animated films like The Incredibles.
The Story of the Movie
Frank and Faye Riley are an older couple. They manage an apartment building and a café in New York City. A big company wants to build new buildings nearby. The company manager, Lacey, sends a tough guy named Carlos and his friends. They try to make Frank, Faye, and their tenants move out.
The tenants don't want to leave. Carlos's group breaks artist Mason Baylor's door. They scare Marisa Esteval, who is expecting a baby. They also break retired boxer Harry Noble's jar of tiles. After Frank says no to moving, Carlos damages the café.
Because of this, three tenants decide to leave. Mason's girlfriend, Pamela, thinks the building is old and sad. She also feels Mason's art career isn't going anywhere. She breaks up with him and tells him to get a regular job. Frank and Faye's friends, Muriel and Sid Hogensin, take money from Lacey. They decide to move to a retirement home. Frank feels a bit sad that his friends took the money. But they explain that the building doesn't feel like home anymore. They suggest Frank and Faye join them. With all the trouble and Faye's memory problems, Frank starts to think about giving up.
Things look bad until something amazing happens. Two small, living spaceships appear in the Rileys' apartment one evening. They start fixing many of the broken things. They also repair the damaged café, helping Frank and Faye get back to business. The two aliens move into a shed on top of the building. The residents call them "The Fix-Its." Carlos comes back to threaten the tenants again. But the Fix-Its trick him into going to the shed. They scare him away for good.
Faye and Marisa learn that the "female" Fix-It is going to have babies. After eating lots of metal and electrical items, she gives birth to three baby Fix-Its. Sadly, one baby is stillborn. Faye buries it in a flowerbox. But Harry digs it up and takes it to his apartment. He fixes it by taking apart his TV, bringing the baby Fix-It back to life! Frank and Faye's café gets busy with workers from the demolition crew. The Fix-Its even help out in the kitchen.
Mason and Marisa become closer. Marisa tells Mason his paintings are beautiful. This makes Mason feel better about his art. He decides not to give up. Marisa's baby is due soon. Her boyfriend, Hector, who is a musician and the baby's father, visits. Mason leaves them alone. When Mason returns, Hector is gone. Marisa explains that Hector's band found a good job in Chicago. Mason wonders why Hector left without her. Marisa says she told Hector to go alone. Their relationship wasn't working out. It seems she has feelings for Mason, and he feels the same way about her.
Carlos can't prove the Fix-Its exist. Lacey is very angry about the delays in getting the tenants out. She plans to replace Carlos. Carlos is desperate and becoming unstable. He breaks into the building's basement. He tries to damage the pipes and electricity. In doing so, he badly hurts the "father" Fix-It. After Harry throws Carlos out, the tenants find the baby Fix-Its are missing. They go looking for them in the city. Faye stays with the "mother" Fix-It as it fixes the "father." When the "father" Fix-It is repaired, the Fix-It parents leave to find their children. They find them with Harry. Then, the whole Fix-It family leaves Earth.
Lacey is tired of waiting. She hires someone to burn down the building. This person tries to make it look like an accident. Carlos finds out about the plan. In a rage, he makes the fire much worse, so the whole building will explode. Then he realizes Faye is still inside! The arsonist runs away. Carlos tries to pretend he's Faye's son, Bobby, to get her to leave. He doesn't succeed that way, but he does rescue her as the fire spreads. The tenants return to see their apartment building collapsing in flames. Faye is put into an ambulance.
The next morning, the building is a smoking wreck. Kovacs, Lacey's helper, is furious. The construction workers refuse to continue. They respect Harry, who is sitting sadly on the steps. Later that night, the mechanical family visits Harry. They have brought countless other Fix-Its to help. By the next morning, the entire building is perfectly restored and looks brand new! This stops Lacey's plans to tear it down. Lacey fires Kovacs. Mason and Marisa start a relationship. Carlos tries to become friends with the Rileys. Faye finally feels better about her son who passed away.
Some years later, new buildings have been built. But they are on either side of the small apartment building. Frank's café is doing very well. This is because of all the new jobs in the area.
Who's Who in the Movie
- Hume Cronyn as Frank Riley
- Jessica Tandy as Faye Riley
- Frank McRae as Harry Noble
- Elizabeth Peña as Marisa Esteval
- Dennis Boutsikaris as Mason Baylor
- Michael Carmine as Carlos
- John Pankow as Kovacs
- Michael Greene as Lacey
- Tom Aldredge as Sid Hogenson
- Wendy Schaal as Pamela
Want to Know More?
In Spanish: Batteries Not Included para niños
