''Not Quite Human'' is a 1987 American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

directed by

Steven Hilliard Stern Steven Hilliard Stern (November 1, 1937 – June 27, 2018) was a Canadian television and documentary director, producer and writer. Biography Stern attended Ryerson Institute of Technology and served in the Canadian Infantry before inaugurat ...

and starring

Jay Underwood Jay Underwood (born October 1, 1968) is an American actor and pastor. Beginning a prolific career as a teen actor in the mid-1980s, he is perhaps best known for his starring feature film roles; portraying Eric Gibb in ''The Boy Who Could Fly'', ...

Alan Thicke Alan Thicke (born Alan Willis Jeffrey; March 1, 1947December 13, 2016) was a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is the father of singer Robin Thicke. In 2013, Thicke was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. Thicke was b ...

, and

Robyn Lively Robyn Elaine Lively Johnson (born February 7, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the 1989 films '' Teen Witch'' and ''The Karate Kid Part III.'' She is also known for her roles in the TV shows ''Doogie Howser, M.D.''; ' ...

. The story is based on the '' Not Quite Human'' book series by Seth McEvoy. It is the first of three films in a series; its sequels are ''

Not Quite Human II ''Not Quite Human 2'' is a 1989 television film written and directed by Eric Luke and starring Jay Underwood, Alan Thicke, and Robyn Lively. As the second of three films in a series based on the '' Not Quite Human'' novels by Seth McEvoy, it fo ...

'' (1989) and ''

Still Not Quite Human ''Still Not Quite Human'' is a 1992 television film written and directed by Eric Luke and starring Jay Underwood and Alan Thicke. It is the third and final film in a series based on the '' Not Quite Human'' novels by Seth McEvoy. The story, w ...

'' (1992). The filming locations were in Scottsdale and

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

Plot

Dr. Jonas Carson (

) creates an android that looks just like a human teenage boy, and he "adopts" him as his son and as an older brother to Becky (

), who names him Chip. After the Carsons move to a new town, Chip (

) is enrolled in high school alongside Becky. Dr. Carson also goes to the high school, having filled a vacancy as a science teacher, which allows him close range to see how Chip interacts with others. Chip's ways seem to have an annoying or amusing effect on students and teachers, depending on how it is viewed. Chip runs afoul of Coach Duckworth and strict teachers, but his literalist actions surprisingly make him some friends, as other teenagers see it as a way that he is bucking the system. Chip also gains the attention of Erin ( Kristy Swanson), a fellow student. However, Dr. Carson and Chip are being stalked by Gordon Vogel (

Joseph Bologna Joseph Bologna (December 30, 1934 – August 13, 2017) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter notable for his roles in the comedy films ''My Favorite Year'', ''Blame It on Rio'' and '' Transylvania 6-5000''. Life and career Bolo ...

), a former employer who is a defense contractor. A former colleague of Carson's, J.J. Derks, is enlisted to seek out Carson. When asked about Carson's son, Derks says Carson only has a daughter until he remembers that Carson in his younger years had confided in some friends about his idea to make a realistic android, which Derks and the others originally dismissed. Vogel tells Derks they will capture Chip, as Carson had failed to oblige an earlier contract. Since Chip was built with Vogel's resources and while Carson was supposed to honor the contract, Vogel claims he is entitled to ownership of Chip. When Derks questions what Vogel wants with Chip, Vogel replies he intends to reprogram Chip for military purposes. Chip must shake his pursuers while trying to present a "normal" life like a human.

Cast

as Chip Carson *

as Dr. Jonas Carson *

as Becky Carson *

as Gordon Vogel *

Robert Harper Robert or Bob Harper may refer to: * Robert Almer Harper (1862–1946), American botanist * Robert Goodloe Harper (1765–1825), US senator from Maryland * Robert Harper (fl. 1734–1761), founder of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia * Robert Harper (a ...

as J.J. Derks * Kristy Swanson as Erin Jeffries * Lili Haydn as Jenny Beckerman * Brandon Douglas as Scott Barnes *Carey Scott as Paul Fairgate *Brian Cole as Jake Blocker *

Sasha Mitchell Sasha Mitchell (born July 27, 1967) is an American actor best known for his television roles as James Beaumont on '' Dallas'' and Cody Lambert on '' Step by Step'' as well as playing David Sloane in three installments of the original Kickboxer fra ...

as Bryan Skelly *Judy Starr as Dr. Sondra Stahl *Greg Monaghan as Coach Duckworth

Production

Made as a two part movie by

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

, made for the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...

Reception

Received two out of 5 stars by ''Creature Feature'', which called it "undistinguished fodder" ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

'' gave the movie a "C," calling it mild.

References

External links

* {{Not Quite Human 1980s English-language films 1987 television films 1987 films American science fiction television films Android (robot) films 1980s science fiction films Disney television films Films directed by Steven Hilliard Stern Films scored by Tom Scott Films shot in Arizona 1980s American films