Can of Worms (film)

Can of Worms
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Written by	Kathy Mackel
Directed by	Paul Schneider
Starring	Michael Shulman Erika Christensen Adam Wylie
Music by	Mark Mothersbaugh
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Marcy Gross Joe Goodman
Running time	85 minutes
Distributor	Disney-ABC Domestic Television
Release
Original release	April 10, 1999

Can of Worms is a science fiction comedy film and is part of the Disney Channel Original Movie lineup. It premiered on Disney Channel on April 10, 1999, and is based on the novel of the same name by Kathy Mackel, which was a Young Reader's Choice Nominee in 2002 and a nominee for the 2001 Rhode Island Children's Book Award.

Mike Pillsbury, a teenage boy who believes that he is an alien and does not belong on Earth, uses a satellite dish one night to send a message to outer space, requesting to be rescued. Two weeks earlier, Mike is telling a fictional story to his friend Nick, and Nick's younger brother, Jay. In Mike's story, a war breaks out between two different alien groups, resulting in a baby alien being sent to Earth to be raised as a human. Nick becomes annoyed with the story, as it represents Mike's unusual feelings that he is not meant to be on Earth. Mike is injured during a football game and sees an alien as part of a hallucination. Mike then wonders if football is the right sport for him, but his father, a former football player, insists he stick with the sport.

Mike is surprised when Katelyn Sandman, a popular girl at school, requests his help in decorating the school for an upcoming Halloween dance party. Mike's foe, Scott Schriebner, who is a player on Mike's football team and a friend of Katelyn, sabotages the light and music equipment during the Halloween party. Mike, upset about the party, abruptly leaves and sends his message to outer space later that night. A thunder strike subsequently destroys the satellite dish. The next day, an alien dog named Barnabus appears, with the ability to speak through a translating device. Barnabus explains that because of Mike, the stargate door has been opened. Barnabus tells Mike that he represents a galactarian organization specializing in disaster relief and rights violations, and that he has arrived to answer Mike's plea to be taken off the planet. Barnabus explains that time is limited, as other aliens with ulterior motives are travelling through the stargate to find Mike.

Mike, who believes he is hallucinating, later meets The Bom, an alien lawyer insistent on having Mike sue Earth for millions of galactic credits on charges of suffering the planet's substandard living conditions. During a telephone conversation with Katelyn, Mike is disgusted by The Bom's way of consuming food, leading Katelyn to believe that Mike is distracted and not listening to her. The Bom angrily leaves after Mike refuses to sue. Nick believes that Mike is going crazy after being told about the aliens.