Starman (1984)

When his spacecraft crash lands over Wisconsin, an alien (Jeff Bridges in an Oscar nominated performance) clones the dead husband of a grieving widow (Karen Allen). He coerces her into taking him to Arizona where he will be picked up by his mothership in three days. Meanwhile, government agents are hot on their trail. Directed by John Carpenter (HALLOWEEN), it took five years to reach the screen due to script problems and went through five different directors. Similarities to E.T. THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL concerned the producers and an emphasis was made on the romantic aspect of the film, namely the Bridges and Allen relationship. Despite good reviews, the box office returns were modest. Bridges is very good here. He is able to project a genuine innocence without coming across as a backward rube (think FORREST GUMP) and Allen gives a tender heartfelt performance making for a believable love story. Their chemistry prevents the love story from getting too sappy. The film is not without its flaws, namely the cliched military goons as exemplified by Richard Jaeckel's National Security agent and the soft hearted SETI scientist played by Charles Martin Smith. With Richard Phalen and Lu Leonard.