Batteries not included (Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn)

(Amazon UK link)

It’s eighteen years since we watched the DVD of the 1987 film ‘Batteries not included’. I had not remembered much about it, other than that it started rather gloomily, then delved into slightly weird science fiction. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, which is probably why we acquired it in the first place.

The opening scenes are, indeed, decidedly depressing, even disturbing in places. We see building sites in part of New York, where homes have been demolished, with a lot of action. And we see the tenants of a crumbling apartment block, who are being given notice to quit - with a financial offer - but who have nowhere else to go. 

There’s a young, pregnant woman called Marisa (Elizabeth Peña) who hopes her boyfriend will come back. There’s a struggling artist called Mason (Dennis Boutsikaris) whose girlfriend becomes fed up with him, and leaves. There’s a former champion boxer called Harry (Frank McRae) who is quite lonely, and there’s an elderly couple, Frank (Hume Cronyn) and Faye (Jessica Tandy) who are perhaps the most poignant of all. They run a diner on the ground floor of the building, and it’s reasonably popular. But Faye clearly has a form of early dementia, and gets easily confused. She has some friends who also live in the building, who help to look after her. But after some deliberation, they decide to take the offered money and move elsewhere. 

Things start to get unpleasant as the businessmen responsible for knocking the house down become more pushy, and there are some scenes of aggression and violence; I was beginning to think it was a mistake to rewatch the film. And then Frank reaches what seems to be rock-bottom, and puts his head in his hands, praying for help.

Help then comes in the unexpected guise of little flying saucers who have to plug into electricity, and acquire bits of metal in order to keep going. It’s all a bit bizarre, but somehow it works. ? Is the first person to see them, and - of course - nobody really believes her…

The film is rated PG, which reflects the lack of any ‘adult’ content, or bad language. But it’s not a film I would want to show a child, and it doesn’t feel to me like a family film at all. For one thing, there are no children in it. For another, the issues of potential homelessness and loneliness are not really appropriate for a children’s film. And while there’s some low-key humour, it’s mixed with intense poignancy.

The five main actors are very well cast and do an excellent job. Jessica Tandy in particular is totally believable, with moments of total lucidity and others of confusion. She would have been almost eighty when this film was made. Hugh Cronyn, too, is excellent as a husband who adores his wife, but feels that the odds are against him as he has to deal with so much, including her apparent decline into imaginary worlds. The chemistry between the two is moving and believable - perhaps not surprising as the two actors were apparently married in real life. 

I loved the way that the terrible circumstances drew the five diverse folk together despite some initial antipathy. And I liked the way that the little flying saucers were able to help, as if metallic angels, although reality has to be suspended rather strongly in some of the scenes. But somehow, despite the great acting and direction, it didn’t feel like a relaxing or enjoyable film - yet it wasn’t thought-provoking either. I felt angered at the greed of some property developers, sad for the situation, and extremely cynical about the eventual - uplifting, but still bizarre - ending.

I’m glad we watched this again, but it’s one of those films we probably won’t watch again.

Review copyright 2026 Sue's DVD Reviews