The new film “The End of Oak Street,” starring Anne Hathaway, has been described as a masterful exercise in nostalgic chaos.
Inspired by the advertising quirk of Larry Tate from the sitcom “Bewitched,” the movie channels a specific era of cinematic history. In the show, Tate was known for his quick shifts in opinion based on client feedback: when an underling proposed a slogan, he would declare it “ridiculous.” The client might respond with “I find it intriguing,” prompting Tate to exclaim, “Exactly! A ridiculously intriguing slogan!”
Similarly, audiences of “The End of Oak Street” are both Tate and the client. The film is described as ridiculous yet undeniably entertaining—a cinematic experience that at times defies belief but ultimately delivers pure fun.
Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, the film pays homage to Steven Spielberg’s 1982 output. That year saw Spielberg achieve two massive hits: “E.T.” (released June 11) and “Poltergeist” (released seven days earlier). The movie meticulously recreates the visual style of “E.T.” through cinematographer Michael Gioulakis, who draws from Allen Daviau’s work for the classic film. Additionally, composer Michael Giacchino has crafted a score directly evoking the musical themes of John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith.
Mitchell integrates elements from later Spielberg films, including dinosaurs from “Jurassic Park,” to create a hybrid that echoes the unsettling twists of “Back to the Future” (1985). The family in the film combines the troubled dynamics of the divorced mother in “E.T.” with the resilient maternal figure from “Poltergeist.”
The movie stars Anne Hathaway and her husband Ewan McGregor, alongside their children. While the explanation for the dinosaurs’ arrival is minimal—a trait borrowed from “The Twilight Zone”—the film succeeds in its goal: to be a nostalgic throwback that feels both familiar and utterly unique.
Ridiculous. Entertaining. Ridiculously entertaining!