When he invents inter-dimensional video messaging, a friendless whiz kid hides his discovery from his loud and obnoxious adult colleagues to develop a friendship with an alien delinquent in peace (and quiet).

It sounds as if the inciting incident is more the colleague's discovery of the invention, best to describe it as such in the logline and as it stands now the inciting incident is his inventing the interdenominational? face time.

Then the MC's goal can be made to be a reaction to what the colleague does.

The idea is almost there, but does need something that will bring it out and make it truly different from ET. Seeing as inter-dimensional, would it work being parallel universe, where maybe he befriends an alternate version of himself who has everything, but is wasting potential.

A premise in search of a plot.

And what distinguishes this from E.T.? ? I mean there is a slightly different set up, but a similar situation emotional predicament in terms of the kid's relationship to the alien.