There is little that is original in Starman, but at least it has chosen good models. As amalgam of elements introduced in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. and even The Man Who Fell to Earth, Starman shoots for the miraculous and only partially hits its target.
The Starman (Jeff Bridges) arrives much like ‘E.T.’ – an alien in a hostile environment – but in an elaborate transformation scene he assumes human form. The body he chooses for his sojourn on Earth happens to belong to the dead husband of Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen) who lives alone in a remote section of Wisconsin.
Bridges and Allen set off on a trip across the country to Arizona where the Starman must make his connection to return home.
1984: Nomination: Best Actor (Jeff Bridges)