Gattaca (1997)

A genetically inferior man assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.

Director:

Andrew Niccol

Writer:

Andrew Niccol

Stars:

Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Gore Vidal

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ethan Hawke	...	Vincent Freeman
Uma Thurman	...	Irene Cassini
Gore Vidal	...	Director Josef
Xander Berkeley	...	Dr. Lamar
Jayne Brook	...	Marie Freeman
Elias Koteas	...	Antonio Freeman
Maya Rudolph	...	Delivery Nurse
Una Damon	...	Head Nurse
Elizabeth Dennehy	...	Preschool Teacher
Blair Underwood	...	Geneticist
Mason Gamble	...	Vincent Freeman - Boy
Vincent Nielson	...	Anton Freeman - Boy
Chad Christ	...	Vincent Freeman - Teen
William Lee Scott	...	Anton Freeman - Teen
Clarence Graham	...	Personnel Officer

Storyline

In the not-too-distant future, a less-than-perfect man wants to travel to the stars. Society has categorized Vincent Freeman as less than suitable given his genetic make-up and he has become one of the underclass of humans that are only useful for menial jobs. To move ahead, he assumes the identity of Jerome Morrow, a perfect genetic specimen who is a paraplegic as a result of a car accident. With professional advice, Vincent learns to deceive DNA and urine sample testing. Just when he is finally scheduled for a space mission, his program director is killed and the police begin an investigation, jeopardizing his secret.

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Plot Keywords:

dream | police | genetics | space travel | future | 

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Taglines:

How do you hide when you're running from yourself?

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief violent images, language, and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Esperanto

Release Date:

24 October 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Eighth Day

Filming Locations:

Sepulveda Dam, Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$36,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

DEM 380,629 (Germany) (24 July 1998)

Gross:

DEM 2,357,799 (Germany) (24 July 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Jersey Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cars driven by the "Hoovers" are Rover P6's (sometimes called the Rover 2000) built in Britain from 1963 until 1976. They were extremely popular with the police force in Britain where the 3.5 litre V8-engined model was used as a high speed interceptor. Three of the four P6 Rovers in the movie were North American market 3500S versions of the 3.5 litre V8 with triple hood scoops. The fourth was a North American 2000TC with triple hood scoops added by Columbia Pictures. All four of the cars had triple hood scoops.

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Goofs

When Vincent alias Jerome has his interview at Gattaca you can see that the machine clearly shows a GNQ of 9.8612. When Irene gives the hair sample away for analysing, the woman at the counter states "9.3, quite a catch".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Director Josef: You keep your work station so clean, Jerome.
Vincent: It's next to godliness. Isn't that what they say?
Director Josef: Godliness. I reviewed your flight plan. Not one error in a million keystrokes. Phenomenal. It's right that someone like you is taking us to Titan.
Vincent: Has the committee approved the mission? There's been talk of delay.
Director Josef: You shouldn't listen to talk. You leave in a week. You've got a substance test.

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Crazy Credits

All instances of the letters A, C, G, and T (representing the four nucleotides of DNA -- see trivia entry) are emphasized in almost all names of people and companies credited in the film. These letters appear in a different typeface from the rest of the name; also, in the opening credits they appear onscreen a little before the rest of the name, while in the closing credits they appear in blue instead of white.

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Connections

Referenced in The Trip (2010)

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Soundtracks

"First Song (for Ruth)"
Written by Charlie Haden
Performed by Stan Getz
Courtesy of Verve Records
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

One of the finest movies of the decade.

Gattaca is a brilliant under-rated piece of cinema that the not-too-distant future will, in retrospect, see it as one of the more outstanding movies of the nineties. It is prolific, stylish, thought-provoking, and one of the few recent science fiction movies that totally foregoes special effects and does it well.

There is nothing about Gattaca that I didn't like. It is a subtle piece of art that reminds of the writing of Ray Bradbury. Technology (the core element of science fiction) is only the backdrop for the story of a man who goes against all odds, including his brother, and overcomes those odds.

Make sure you watch it more than twice. There are many subtle details that you'll miss if you don't (ie, Gattaca's doctor asks, "Have I ever told you about my son?" not even five minutes into the movie, and childhood Vincent falls down holding a toy rocket...) and it's these small details that create a tapestry of cinematic artistry.

The soundtrack is phenomenal. The sets are noir and stylistic, and (thankfully) instead of trying to present a realistic physical future Niccol instead vies for the FEELING of the future: constrained, restricted, and patterned.

Watch it before it's cool to have watched it.