Micky, Sue and Dave lost their parents and have to live with their grandmother Lily, who gets frustrated easily and may even have a drinking problem. Micky (who narrates occasionally) gets into trouble a lot and is even told he might get sent to an orphanage. For example, he steals a car even though he doesn't seem to be old enough to drive, and he pulls a knife on Pete, who promised to raise the kids after their parents died but was never able to do it. Pete was always running with a bad crowd and, though he no longer deals and has a job, his past threatens to catch up with him. This affects his relationship with Mary. Also, Micky blames Pete for his parents' death.
When a meteor falls in their back yard, the kids think it was sent by their parents, who the kids believe are watching over them from the stars. Hugh, the scientist who studies the meteor, thinks it came from Mars, but his girlfriend Carmel isn't particularly impressed with the discovery. The kids want to keep the meteor but the law says it belongs to the government. Hugh later becomes a friend to the children (though with friends like Micky, who needs enemies?).
This started out to be a family film, though somewhat edgy. The worst thing was the cursing, and I didn't even hear the cursing but only references to it. Later, someone's mouth moved and nothing came out, so this must have been edited. But later, the film was too violent to really qualify as family fare.
The film was at its best when the focus was Micky, and the title didn't even make since because it was Micky's meteor. Later, the focus shifted to Pete and the film turned darker, though the title eventually was explained. There were a few funny moments, but this wasn't really a comedy. There was a sweet fantasy scene involving a telescope.
Mike Myers did an adequate job as Pete, but comic roles are more his style. Alfred Molina effectively showed passion for his work and for the kids. Ian Costello was okay as Micky.
Aside from the fact that it turned darker than it had to be, my only real criticisms of the film were the strange whispering and breathing noises (like an Enya song) that must have been the kids' parents, and the strong accents that made it difficult to understand anything (thought the film WAS Irish).
