The Cinematheque

“Like a gift from the gods … E.T. is a superlative piece of popular cinema that positively requires sharing with an audience.”

Derek Malcolm, The Guardian

With the fad for ​’80s nostalgia at a fever pitch (Stranger Things, IT, Spielberg’s own Ready Player One), why not skip the next new Amblin throwback and just go back to the source. A certifiable classic and cultural phenomenon (not to mention the highest-grossing film of the decade), Steven Spielberg’s generation-defining masterwork remains a moving, magical experience for the ages—for all ages! Ten-year-old Elliot (Henry Thomas) is a lonely, suburban kid in California who one day finds an alien, scared and alone, in his backyard. Deciding to care for the extra-terrestrial orphan, aptly dubbed ​“E.T.,” Elliot enlists the help of his little sis (Drew Barrymore), big bro (Robert MacNaughton), and BMXing pals to keep the Reese’s Pieces-popping houseguest under wraps and out of the authorities’ hands. Nominated for nine Academy Awards and winning four, Spielberg’s enchanting film was such a triumph that its most iconic moment became his studio’s logo.