Not Quite Human 1987

Dr. Jonas Carson (Alan Thicke) builds an android that looks and behaves like a teenage boy, and he treats this creation as both a son and an older brother to Becky Robyn Lively. When the family relocates, Chip (Jay Underwood) enrolls in the local high school alongside Becky, while Dr. Carson takes a teaching post there so he can observe Chip’s social interactions up close and gauge how he fits into the world of teenagers.

Chip’s presence brings a mix of awkwardness and humor to the hallways of the school. His literal interpretations and unpredictable antics frustrate Coach Duckworth and several strict teachers, yet his offbeat approach also earns him a surprising circle of friends who see him as someone bucking the system in a unique, endearing way. Amid the new social landscape, he also catches the attention of Erin Kristy Swanson, a fellow student who becomes part of his evolving high school life.

Behind the scenes, Gordon Vogel (Joseph Bologna)—a former employer with defense contractor ties—begins to close in on Carson. His associate, J.J. Derks (Robert Harper), is recruited to track Carson down. When Derks asks about Carson’s supposed son, he’s told that Carson only has a daughter—until he recalls Carson’s younger confession about the android project. Vogel makes it clear that Chip is his property and that he intends to reprogram him for military purposes, setting in motion a dangerous pursuit.

Chip and Carson are soon kidnapped by Vogel and Derks, who push to reprogram Chip despite the android’s built-in safeguards. Chip was designed with a self-destruct mechanism if reprogrammed without Carson’s password, presenting a race against time as Jonas and Becky trace them to a junkyard. There, Vogel holds Chip in a van and tries to force the password from Carson. When Carson refuses to reveal it, Derks begins the reprogramming, triggering Chip’s anti-reprogramming defenses. At Becky’s urging, Jonas relents and provides the password to prevent Chip’s destruction. Derks presses on, and Vogel attempts to move Chip inside a wooden crate bound for Washington, D.C. to secure a patent for his creation.

In a cunning turn, Chip tricks Vogel into climbing into the crate himself and slams the lid shut, leaving Derks to retreat with a false signal. Chip then executes a daring rescue, pulling the van’s power lines to short-circuit a car-crushing machine and freeing Jonas and Becky. Back at home, Jonas and Becky try to revive Chip, but the initial effort seems to fail. Just as they fear they’ve lost him, Chip stirs on the table and reunites with his family, raising the moment with a poignant question.

“Am I a real human now?”

Jonas smiles with warmth and answers, “You’re as human as they get!” The trio embraces as the credits begin, underscoring a quiet, hopeful triumph of humanity and belonging.