The image of E.T. and Elliott flying on a bicycle in front of the moon is one of the most iconic scenes in all of film.  It is fundamentally impossible, but for that one magical moment it feels real.  That isn’t an easy thing for a movie to accomplish, especially a movie with an alien protagonist who has extraterrestrial powers and an intense love of Reeses Pieces. 

  At its heart E.T. is a story about loneliness.  Outcast Elliott finds an important friend in too-far-from-home alien E.T.  The two form an instant bond, and that bond is now a part of all of us.  No matter how lonely you feel, you always have a way to “phone home.”

~ Stephen Russ