A visiting alien is left behind on Earth when his spaceship returns without him, but luckily he's adorable in an ugly pug kinda way and taken in by 10-year-old Elliott who’s been searching for a friend. Naming him E.T., Elliott hides him from his family, worried they’ll alert authorities. Together the duo learn about each other's cultures, covering all the basics like solar systems, beer, snack foods and levitation. Before long Elliott and E.T. start working on a way to send a message into outer space — otherwise known as ‘phone home’ — to call E.T.'s family back to retrieve him. Of course, there’s only so long you can keep a spaceman a secret in suburbia.

An homage to the adventure and sci-fi comics he grew up, E.T. is one of Steven Spielberg's most well-rounded films, with just the right amount of drama, sweetness, suspense, action, and sadness. Upon its release, E.T. beat out Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film of all time (a title it held until Jurassic Park's dinosaurs crushed it). It quickly became a cultural touchstone (ever seen a show, cartoon, or comic strip where someone rides a bike and flies through the air?) Also, it features a supremely cute Drew Barrymore.