Astronomer Dr. Ellie Arroway has long been interested in contact to faraway lands, a love fostered in her childhood by her father, Ted Arroway, who passed away when she was nine years old leaving her then orphaned. Her current work in monitoring for extraterrestrial life is based on that love and is in part an homage to her father. Ever since funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) was pulled on her work, which is referred to some, including her NSF superior David Drumlin, as more science fiction than science, Ellie, with a few of her rogue scientist colleagues, have looked for funding from where ever they could get it to continue their work. When Ellie and her colleagues hear chatter originating from the vicinity of the star Vega, Ellie feels vindicated. But that vindication is short lived when others, including politicians, the military, religious leaders and other scientists such as Drumlin...
Written by Huggo
The sounds heard during the film's opening shot include: - "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind - "Angry Days" by Lagwagon - "Wannabe" by Spice Girls - "God Shuffled His Feet" by Crash Test Dummies - "Obviously a major malfunction..." (Challenger Shuttle disaster quote) - The theme to
Dallas - "Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut..." (chocolate bar commercial) - "Funkytown" by Lipps Inc. - Richard Nixon's "I am not a crook" speech - Walter Cronkite announcing the assassination of President John F. Kennedy - Neil Armstrong's "One Small Step" speech - "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" by Brian Hyland - "I Have A Dream..." a Martin Luther King speech - Theme from
Twilight Zone - Transition music from
Seinfeld - "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister - Senator Joseph McCarthy's infamous interrogation question ("Are you now or have you ever been...") - Douglas MacArthur's "Old soldiers never die..." quote - Franklin D. Roosevelt's 8 December 1941 address to Congress ("a date that will live in infamy") - "The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)" by Al Dubin and Harry Warren - Opening speech by Adolf Hitler at the German 1936 Olympics, being the first transmission in history that was aired with sufficient power to escape the Earth's atmosphere - "White Bird" by It's a Beautiful Day - "Nel blu dipinto di blu" also known as "Volare" by Domenico Modugno - "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" sung by Judy Garland - Theme to
The Andy Griffith Show - "Please, Mr. Postman" by The MarvelettesSee more »
Goofs
Errors in geography:
As Ellie steps down the stairs of the U.S. Capitol after testifying, the limousines drive away on a road that is on the west side of the U.S. Capitol. In fact, there is no road there at all, only steps that lead down to a small reflecting pool. This road was added via CGI.
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Quotes
[first lines]
Young Ellie:
CQ, this is W9GFO. CQ, this is W9GFO here. Come back? See more »