Men in Black (1997)

A police officer joins a secret organization that polices and monitors extra terrestrial interactions on planet earth.

Director:

Barry Sonnenfeld

Writers:

Lowell Cunningham (comic), Ed Solomon (screen story)

Stars:

Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino

Won 1 Oscar. Another 18 wins & 39 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Kay
Will Smith	...	Jay
Linda Fiorentino	...	Laurel Weaver
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Edgar
Rip Torn	...	Zed
Tony Shalhoub	...	Jeebs
Siobhan Fallon Hogan	...	Beatrice (as Siobhan Fallon)
Mike Nussbaum	...	Gentle Rosenburg
Jon Gries	...	Van Driver
Sergio Calderón	...	José
Carel Struycken	...	Arquillian
Fredric Lehne	...	INS Agent Janus (as Fredric Lane)
Richard Hamilton	...	Dee
Kent Faulcon	...	1st Lt. Jake Jensen
John Alexander	...	Mikey

Storyline

Based off of the comic book. Unbeknownst to other people, there is a private agency code named MiB. This agency is some kind of extra terrestrial surveillance corporation. Then, one of the agency's finest men only going by the name "K", is recruiting for a new addition to the agency. He has chosen James Edwards of the N.Y.P.D. Then, one day, a flying saucer crashes into Earth. This was an alien a part of the "Bug" race. He takes the body of a farmer and heads to New York. He is searching for a super energy source called "The Galaxy". Now, Agents J and K must stop the bug before it can escape with the galaxy.

---

Plot Keywords:

alien | flying saucer | box office hit | laser gun | wisecrack humor | 

---

Taglines:

Protecting the earth from the scum of the universe

---

Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and sci-fi violence

Details

Official Sites:

The Official MIB Homepage

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

2 July 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

MIB

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$84,133,900 (USA) (4 July 1997)

Gross:

$250,147,615 (USA) (9 January 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Amblin Entertainment, Parkes+MacDonald Image Nation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR DTS SDDS (8 channels) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Stadium the ship flies over during the baseball games is Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens NY. The player that gets hit on the head with the fly ball is then NY Mets outfielder Bernard Gilkey.

---

Goofs

The license plate on the LTD changes from centered to the right-hand side during the film.

---

Quotes

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

---

Crazy Credits

The animals and aliens used in this film were in no way mistreated and all scenes in which they appeared were under strict supervision with the utmost concern for their handling.

---

Connections

Spin-off Men in Black Alien Attack (2000)

---

Soundtracks

The 'Notic
Written by Tariq Collins, Amtir "Questlove" Thompson, James Poyser, Larry Dunn, Maurice White & Philip Bailey
Performed by The Roots featuring D'Angelo

User Reviews

A great fantasy-comedy

I am very upset that most people take this movie too seriously This movie is just a nice comedy with a very intriguing subject. Most people try to find bug in this movie but i believe that they should just sit back and enjoy the great epic line. Let's be serious do you believe that a galaxy can be carried around a cat's belt or that "Elivs is not dead he's just gone home" ? For this reason I believe this is an excellent comedy with a Sf theme. I also appreciate that the acting is very good and the script is very nicely written. I urge people to stop taking the "noisy cricket" too serious! This movie is making fun of the people who take this sort of things too seriously.