E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction movie directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It follows the eponymous alien, who is stranded on Earth. A boy and his family keep it hidden from the group of government agents, while bringing it home. "E.T." became the highest-grossing movie of all time, a record it held for ten years. It did better than "".