"The nominations for Best Picture in the Academy Awards for 1982 were as follows: "Gandhi," "Tootsie," "Missing," "The Verdict," and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial." The award went to Richard Attenborough's "Gandhi," a film that, like "A Bridge Too Far" and other large-scale Attenborough projects, appeared to last twice as long as the historical events it described. "

Or, as one of my professors at the time put it, "They gave it to a guy who walked around in his underwear for 3 hours." This New Yorker review of "E.T." is more dissertation than review, but it's a must-read for lovers of the 1982 movie, which is being re-released into theaters this Friday, as part of its 20th anniversary.