*batteries not included -- 1987 -- PG

So we step back a few years to a movie about some people living in a building slated for demolition. They're stubborn and don't want to move. They refuse the evil developer's money and stay put where they are. As could be expected, they get hoods coming round who are supposed to force them out, and said hoods generally wreck the place to encourage them to move on.

So is where the story heats up. These little robots show up for some reason and start fixing everything and helping these people survive this unfortunate event. Well, this perturbs the goons and the developer since they still refuse to move. The old cafe on the first floor goes from run-down nothing to hopping joint in no time with the construction workers spending their lunches there, and the "fixers", as they term the little alien robots, continue to help.

To go much further is spoiler territory, but the plots flows very easily and logically from point to point (and it should...it had five writers on it, and Spielberg as a producer). The characters are fairly well drawn throughout with the old couple who own the shop, the pregnant Spanish girl who longs for her musician boyfriend, and the struggling artist who wants the building relegated to landmark status so it can't be torn down.

It's a clever and fun film to watch, and although the ending is inevitable from the get-go, watching it all play out makes for an enjoyable film experience. Might I also mention that soundtrack with the catchy jazz tunes that keep running through your head...even now, I hear it. Or maybe that's the voices...