The Meteor Man (1993)

A high school teacher from a troubled inner city Washington D.C. neighborhood becomes a super-powered hero and takes on the gang that has been terrorizing his streets.

Director:

Robert Townsend

Writer:

Robert Townsend

Stars:

Robert Townsend, Marla Gibbs, Eddie Griffin

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Townsend	...	Jefferson Reed
Marla Gibbs	...	Mrs. Reed, Jeff's Mother
Eddie Griffin	...	Michael
Robert Guillaume	...	Ted Reed, Jeff's Father
James Earl Jones	...	Earnest Moses
Roy Fegan	...	Simon, Golden Lord Chief
Cynthia Belgrave	...	Mrs. Harris
Marilyn Coleman	...	Mrs. Walker, Reed's Landlady
Don Cheadle	...	Goldilocks
Bobby McGee	...	Uzi, Golden Lord Gunman
Bill Cosby	...	Marvin
Big Daddy Kane	...	Pirate
Frank Gorshin	...	Byers the Mobster
Sinbad	...	Malik, Stacy's Boyfriend
Nancy Wilson	...	Mrs. Laws the Principal

Storyline

One night Jefferson Reed gets hit in the chest by a souped-up chunk of meteor. So he can fly, but he's scared of heights. He can master the information in any book ... for about fifteen minutes. Now his friends and family want him to protect their community from the dreaded Golden Lords.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | spoof | gang violence | written and directed by cast member | telekinesis | 

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Taglines:

He's coming to save the world, one neighborhood at a time.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG on appeal for children caught up in perils of an urban environment

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 August 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Meteor Man

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$8,023,147 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Tinsel Townsend

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Re-rated "PG" on appeal after originally drawing a "PG-13" rating from the MPAA.

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Goofs

When Jeff is fighting Simon the character Goldilocks can be seen goofing around, as if he's coming out of his character.

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Quotes

Byers the Mobster: What? WHAAAAAT?

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Connections

Spoofs Superman II (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Them There Eyes"
Written by Maceo Pinkard, William Tracey and Doris Tauber
Performed by Billie Holiday
Courtesy of Columbia Records
by arrangement with Sony Music Licencing

User Reviews

Doesn't live up to its potential but its fun nonetheless

Meteorman is a fun and entertaining comedy with some big laughs but it doesn't fully live up to the potential of its own great concept of a school teacher becoming an unlikely superhero.

What stops it from being truly great is the large plot holes , mainly those concerning meteor mans powers, and the lack of detail in the story.Another negative factor is the films insistence on overbearingly sentimental and at times very corny .Also the ending isn't really satisfying and leaves a lot of question left unanswered .

Still, its has it heart in the right place and has some first rate laugh out loud moments like the way meteor man fly's low because of his fear of heights and the montage showcasing all of his rejected costumes .Plus its good to see a black superhero on screen .

Meteor man is an enjoyable comedy but if the script has a bit more detail , then it could gave been something more.