Men in Black (1997)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Barry Sonnenfeld

Writers (WGA):

Lowell Cunningham (comic)
Ed Solomon (screen story)

Release Date:

2 July 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Protecting the earth from the scum of the universe

Plot:

Two men who keep an eye on aliens in New York City must try to save the world after the aliens threaten to blow it up.

Plot Keywords:

Altered Version Of Studio Logo | New York City | Fictional Government Agency | Stabbed In The Neck | Cult Favorite

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 17 wins & 28 nominations

Cast

Tommy Lee Jones	...	Agent K (Kay)
Will Smith	...	James Edwards / Agent J (Jay) / "Slick"
Linda Fiorentino	...	Dr. Laurel Weaver / Agent L (Elle)
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Edgar
Rip Torn	...	Chief Zed
Tony Shalhoub	...	Jack Jeebs
Siobhan Fallon	...	Beatrice, Edgar's Wife
Mike Nussbaum	...	Gentle Rosenburg the Arquillian Jeweler
Jon Gries	...	Nick the Van Driver
Sergio Calderón	...	Jose
Carel Struycken	...	Arquillian
Fredric Lehne	...	INS Agent Janus (as Fredric Lane)
Richard Hamilton	...	Agent D (K's first Partner)
Kent Faulcon	...	1st Lt. Jake Jensen
John Alexander	...	Mikey

Also Known As:

MIB (USA) (promotional abbreviation)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and sci-fi violence.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby SR | DTS

Certification:

Denmark:11 | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:AL (1999 video rating) | Australia:PG (re-rating on appeal) (rejected) | UK:PG (cut) | Philippines:PG-13 | South Africa:10V | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

54 Macdougal Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

When J accidentally throws the "ball" in the MIB office, the ball briefly flies past the green alien "Wak" from the Joe Dante movie Explorers (1985). Explorers featured an almost identical scene with a flying sphere that goes out of control and smashes through things.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When J goes into MiB for the written test with the other candidates, it is very apparent that the seal on the test is an architecture drafting dot, due to the noticeable Staedtler logo.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Nick the Van Driver: Goddamn bugs!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Sopranos: 46 Long (#1.2)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Men In Black

One of my favorites!

I avoided this movie for a while because of all the hype, so the first time I saw it was on video (and I only watched it then because my husband wanted to see it). I was very pleasantly surprised, to the point that this is now one of my top ten movies. I love the deadpan humor in this, and Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith are perfect in their roles. MIB turned me into a Will Smith fan, in fact. I think the people who didn't like it were expecting an "epic" scifi film a la "Independence Day" (which I thought was way overrated) or "Deep Impact" or any of those other late 90s special effects films. But this movie is a comedy, first and foremost, and it does a wonderful job being funny. I give it a 9 out of 10 for executing perfectly what it set out to do.