The Astronaut's Wife (1999)

Director:

Rand Ravich

Writer (WGA):

Rand Ravich (written by)

Release Date:

27 August 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

How well do you know the one you love?

Plot:

A pair of shuttle astronauts leave their spacecraft to repair a satellite. There's an explosion. NASA loses contact for two minutes...

Plot Keywords:

Astronaut | Mission | Paranoia | Depression | Sex In Public

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Johnny Depp	...	Commander Spencer Armacost
Charlize Theron	...	Jillian Armacost
Joe Morton	...	Sherman Reese, NASA Representative
Clea DuVall	...	Nan
Donna Murphy	...	Natalie Streck
Nick Cassavetes	...	Capt. Alex Streck
Samantha Eggar	...	Dr. Patraba
Gary Grubbs	...	NASA Director
Blair Brown	...	Shelly McLaren
Tom Noonan	...	Jackson McLaren
Tom O'Brien	...	Allen Dodge
Lucy Lin	...	Shelly Carter
Michael Crider	...	Pat Elliott
Jacob Stein	...	Calvin, 2nd Grade Student
Timothy Wicker	...	Wide Eyed Kid #1
Sarah Dampf	...	Paula, 2nd Grade Student
Charles Lanyer	...	Spencer's Doctor
Gary Carlos Cervantes	...	Doctor (as Carlos Cervantes)
Conrad Bachmann	...	Reporter
Rondi Reed	...	Dr. Conlin
Seth Barrish	...	Yuppie Shark
Ellen Lancaster	...	Dried Up Socialite
Julian Barnes	...	Waiter
Priscilla Shanks	...	Woman
Jennifer Burry	...	Second Woman
Susan Cella	...	Third Woman
Linda Powell	...	Fourth Woman
Lyndsey Danielle Bonomolo	...	Screaming Girl
Elston Ridgle	...	Security Guard
Robert Sella	...	Maitre D'
Samantha Carpel	...	Reporter (Video)
Lahai Fahnbulleh	...	Taxi Driver
Stephen Berger	...	Doorman
Michael Luceri	...	Waiter at Party
Ben Van Bergen	...	Storage Facility Client
Edward Kerr	...	Pilot
Cole Sprouse	...	Twin
Dylan Sprouse	...	Twin
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brian Johnson	...	Excited Fourth Grader
Carl Burrows	...	Businessman (uncredited)
Buck Holland	...	Mission Control (uncredited)
Dawn Landon	...	Nurse (uncredited)

Directed by
Rand Ravich

Writing credits (WGA)
Rand Ravich		(written by)

Produced by
Jody Hedien	....	associate producer
Mark Johnson	....	executive producer
Donna Langley	....	executive producer
Andrew Lazar	....	producer
Diana Pokorny	....	co-producer
Brian Witten	....	executive producer

Original Music by
George S. Clinton

Cinematography by
Allen Daviau

Film Editing by
Timothy Alverson		(as Tim Alverson)
Steve Mirkovich

Casting by
Debi Manwiller
Richard Pagano

Production Design by
Jan Roelfs

Art Direction by
Sarah Knowles

Set Decoration by
Leslie A. Pope

Costume Design by
Isis Mussenden

Makeup Department
Deborah K. Larsen	....	makeup department head
Candy L. Walken	....	hair department head

Production Management
Wendy Cox	....	production supervisor
Rick Reynolds	....	post-production supervisor
Mari-Jo Winkler	....	unit production manager (as Mari-Jo Winkler-Ioffreda)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paula Case	....	second second assistant director
K.C. Colwell	....	first assistant director
Vince Duque	....	dga trainee
Darin Rivetti	....	second assistant director

Art Department
David H. Allen	....	property master
Russell R. Anderson	....	lead man: Los Angeles
Christopher Casey	....	set dresser
Brad Curry	....	drapemaster
Claudette Didul	....	additional set decorator
Brent Haywood	....	construction coordinator
Tom Hrupcho	....	paint supervisor
Lisa M. Kittredge	....	construction auditor (as Lisa M. Brooks)
Karl J. Martin	....	set designer
Christine Mayer	....	assistant set decorator
Patti McNulty	....	art department coordinator
Joe Ondrejko	....	construction coordinator (as Joseph Ondrejko)
Erik Polczwartek	....	on-set dresser
Peter Rogness	....	art director: New York
Alad Safdeye	....	labor gang boss
Chris Samp	....	set painter
Randall D. Wilkins	....	set designer
Brick Mason	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist
Kate Eales	....	assistant adr editor
Chris Fielder	....	assistant sound editor
Tom Fleischman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Sean Garnhart	....	sound effects editor
Richard Bryce Goodman	....	additional sound mixer
Frank Kern	....	sound editor
Paul Ledford	....	production sound mixer
Hal Levinsohn	....	adr editor
Blake Leyh	....	supervising sound editor
Kimberly R. McCord-Wilson	....	dialogue editor (as Kimberly R. McCord)
Bill Orrico	....	apprentice sound editor
Harry Peck Bolles	....	sound editor
Jay Peck	....	foley artist
Paul Urmson	....	foley editor
Keenan Wyatt	....	boom operator
Jerry Yuen	....	utility sound: New York

Special Effects by
Tony Acosta Jr.	....	mold/silicone technician: unborn twins, Kevin Yagher Productions
Eric Allard	....	special props
Jeffrey P. Buccacio Jr.	....	sculptor: unborn twins, Kevin Yagher Productions
Mitchell J. Coughlin	....	project supervisor: unborn twins, Kevin Yagher Productions
Pamela Cveticanin	....	womb construction: unborn twins, Kevin Yagher Productions
Zach Cveticanin	....	womb construction: unborn twins, Kevin Yagher Productions
Frank Diettinger	....	mold/silicone technician: unborn twins, Kevin Yagher Productions
Sheena Duggal	....	special effects
Sam Greenmun	....	special effects props
Jeff Himmel	....	womb construction: unborn twins, Kevin Yagher Productions
Thomas R. Homsher	....	special effects coordinator
Rick Lalonde	....	mechanical technician: unborn twins, Kevin Yagher Productions (as Richard Lalonde)
Michael Lantieri	....	special effects supervisor
David Miner Jr.	....	mechanical technician: unborn twins, Kevin Yagher Productions
Johanna Pizzo	....	contact lens technician
David Selvadurai	....	mold/silicone technician: unborn twins, Kevin Yagher Productions
Johnnie Spence	....	animatronic designer: unborn twins, Kevin Yagher Productions
Gregory C. Tippie	....	special effects coordinator
Brian Tipton	....	special effects foreman
Mario Torres Jr.	....	sculptor/painter: unborn twins, Kevin Yagher Productions
Mark C. Yagher	....	studio manager: Kevin Yagher Productions
Chris Yee	....	lead technical assistant
Steve Newburn	....	mold department/technician: Amalgamated Dyanmics, Inc. (uncredited)
Chris L. Ward	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Chris Allen	....	procedural earth: VIFX
Alfredo R. Barcia	....	film scanning and recording technician: SPI
Les Bernstien	....	motion control operator: VIFX
Justin Blaustein	....	projectionist: Rhythm & Hues
Mark A. Brown	....	digital department manager: VIFX
Randy Brown	....	visual effects compositor
Bela Brozsek	....	3D animator: VIFX
Daniel Aristoteles Collins	....	systems/operations: Rhythm & Hues
John 'D.J.' Des Jardin	....	visual effects supervisor: VIFX
Ivan DeWolf	....	3D digital artist
Linda Drake	....	visual effects supervisor
Anders Ericson	....	visual effects
Andy Gauvreau	....	digital effects: Rhythm & Hues
Scott Giegler	....	3D animator: VIFX
Douglas Harsch	....	procedural earth: VIFX
Bryan Hirota	....	procedural earth: VIFX
Phil Holland	....	scanning & recording operator
Josh R. Jaggars	....	visual effects producer: VIFX
Rimas Juchnevicius	....	digital artist: rotoscope artist and compositor
Chris Juen	....	digital production manager
Dan Kaufman	....	senior technical director
Harry Lam	....	digital supervisor: VIFX
Steve LaVietes	....	technical director: SPI
Didier Levy	....	digital artist
Seth Lippman	....	technical director: SPI
Keith McCabe	....	digital artist
Sean McPherson	....	digital compositing supervisor
Robert Rioux	....	CGI modeler: VIFX
Marc Rubone	....	digital compositor
Allen Ruilova	....	technical director: SPI
Rick Sander	....	digital effects artist
David Santiago	....	effects technical director
David Schaub	....	character animator: SPI
Jeff W. Smith	....	digital compositor
Derek Spears	....	digital compositor
Dottie Starling	....	3D textures: VIFX (as Dortha Starling)
Theo Vandernoot	....	3D senior artist: SPI
Guy Wiedmann	....	visual effects editor
Jeff Wolverton	....	technical director: CGI creature
Serkan Zelzele	....	digital compositor
Patrick Zentis	....	digital compositor: Digital Backlot
Brandon Craig	....	I/O coordinator (uncredited)
Anthony Harris	....	digital color timer (uncredited)
Gary Jackemuk	....	digital compositor: Rhythm & Hues (uncredited)
Paul McGhee	....	film scanning and recording (uncredited)
Eric Person	....	digital compositor (uncredited)

Stunts
Brian Bennett	....	stunts
Jeffrey J. Dashnaw	....	stunts (as Jeff Dashnaw)
Darrell Davis	....	stunts (as Craig Davis)
Tim A. Davison	....	stunt coordinator
Dana Hee	....	stunts
Carrick O'Quinn	....	stunts
Jimmy N. Roberts	....	stunts
Troy Robinson	....	stunts
Erik Rondell	....	stunts
Nancy Young	....	stunt double: Ms. Theron

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul C. Babin	....	camera operator
Ken Berkhout	....	rigging electrician
R. Adam Chambers	....	electrician
Tom Connole	....	second camera operator
David Dunbar	....	rigging gaffer
Greg Etheredge	....	electrician (as Greg Etherridge)
Mary Funsten	....	camera loader
Mike Gerzevitz	....	electrician
Paul Gibilisco	....	second assistant camera
Quinn Grove	....	grip
Tony Hibbard	....	rigging best boy
David Katz	....	video assist operator
William Kennedy	....	rigging electrician
Michael Kenner	....	key grip
Wayne Kosky	....	grip
Steve Lazarus	....	rigging electrician
Michael Lyon	....	best boy electric
Larry McConkey	....	steadicam operator
Tim Metivier	....	second assistant camera
William Moore	....	gaffer: New York
A. Lee Morris	....	second assistant camera: New York
Juan Morse	....	electrician
Reggie Newkirk	....	first assistant camera
Tony Olivieri	....	first assistant camera: underwater unit
Ross Richardson	....	electrician
Chris Rosen	....	electrician
Chris Scarfi	....	generator operator
Lowell Schulman	....	best boy rigging gaffer
Gomidas Semerjian	....	rigging electrician
Michael Tolochko	....	underwater lighting technician
Larry Wallace	....	chief lighting technician
Bennie Zura	....	electrician
David Skutch	....	rigging gaffer: New York (uncredited)

Animation Department
Brent W. Bell	....	mechanical designer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Eyde Belasco	....	casting associate
Sondra James	....	adr voice casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Amy Jo Hoppenfeld	....	set costumer
Susan Kowarsh	....	assistant costume designer (as Susan Kowarsh)
Roseann Milano	....	wardrobe supervisor: New York
Ann Miller	....	set costumer
Barbara Presar	....	assistant costume designer: New York
Faye Sevilla	....	wardrobe coordinator

Editorial Department
Jennifer Apel	....	assistant editor
Matt Boatright-Simon	....	editorial assistant
Adam Geiger	....	apprentice editor
Mato	....	color timer
Bob McMillian	....	color timer
Lila Place	....	apprentice editor
Tia Schellstede	....	assistant editor
William Yeh	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Michael Boriskin	....	music consultant
Paul Broucek	....	music executive
Paul Broucek	....	music supervisor
Mike Flicker	....	music editor
Rick Giovinazzo	....	orchestrator
Suzie Katayama	....	music scoring consultant
Jeff Lingle	....	assistant music editor
Robert Puff	....	music preparation
David Sabee	....	orchestra contractor
Annie Searles	....	music coordinator
John Whynot	....	score mixer
Matt Friedman	....	assistant music editor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Scott Doyle	....	transportation
Craig Fehrman	....	transportation coordinator
J. Armin Garza II	....	driver: camera car
Cecil McClain	....	driver
Walter McClain	....	transportation captain
William Smallwood	....	production driver
Ken Farnell	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Guy Adan	....	unit publicist
Buck Allen	....	location scout
Monica Barraza	....	production assistant: New York
Kevin Berman	....	consultant
Cyndi Brenner	....	assistant production coordinator: New York
Carrie Brody	....	production assistant: re-shoots
Jeff Chena	....	stand-in: Mr. Depp
Robert Earl Craft	....	location manager
Jon Davidson	....	production accountant
John DeSimone	....	production coordinator: New York
Cheryl Donaldson	....	assistant: Mark Johnson
Timothy Donohue	....	set production assistant: New York
Leon Dudevoir	....	production executive
Gregory Dunigan	....	production secretary
Johnny Egan	....	production assistant
Dina Farnell	....	production coordinator
Fred Fein	....	stand-in
Anna E. Hayward	....	set production assistant
Gym Hinderer	....	assistant: A. Lazar
Buck Holland	....	assistant: Mr. Depp
JoAnn Fregalette Jansen	....	choreographer
Arik Johnson	....	payroll accountant
Susann Jones	....	assistant: Mark Johnson
T.L. Kittle	....	production assistant
Isabelle Kostic Crosley	....	location scout
Amanda Ladd	....	payroll accountant
Jenifer Lew	....	assistant: D. Pokorny
Diana Mehoudar	....	dancer
Julia Morgan	....	production assistant
Kim Nickel	....	stand-in: Mrs. Theron
Deborah Parker	....	location manager
Paulette Tavormina	....	food stylist
Marion Tumen	....	script supervisor
Derek Jan Vermaas	....	assistant production coordinator
Adam T. Weisinger	....	production assistant
Kevin Norman Williams	....	production assistant
Kevin Yagher	....	creator: unborn twins
Zane	....	post-production accountant
Kevin Beard	....	production assistant (uncredited)
William M. DeLuca	....	mechanic (uncredited)
Sean Jordan	....	interactive media (uncredited)
Peter Pamela Rose	....	adr loop group (uncredited)
Bill Timoney	....	adr loop group (uncredited)

Production Companies

• New Line Cinema
• Mad Chance

Distributors

• New Line Cinema (1999) (USA) (theatrical)
• Concorde Filmverleih (1999) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2000) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• GAGA Humax (2000) (Japan) (theatrical)
• GAGA (2000) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (1999) (France) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (1999) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (1999) (Luxembourg) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (1999) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Roadshow Entertainment (1999) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1999) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2000) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2006) (United Arab Emirates) (DVD) (Middle East)
• New Line Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD) (VHS)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2000) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Roadshow Entertainment Video (2000) (Australia) (VHS)
• Talpa (2007) (Netherlands) (TV)
• United Paramount Network (UPN) (2004) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)

Special Effects

• All Effects Company
• Amalgamated Dynamics (special effects)
• Blue Sky/VIFX
• Global Effects Inc.
• Kevin Yagher Productions
• Rhythm and Hues
• Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) (alien effects)

Other Companies

• Bill Dance Casting  extras casting
• C-5  post-production sound
• Central Casting  extras casting
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes and dollies
• Cineric  titles and opticals
• Deluxe Catering  catering
• Direct Tools & Fasteners  expendables
• J.G. Films  negative cutting
• Mega Playground  video dailies
• Sound One Corporation  re-recording facility

Also Known As:

"Noise" - Japan (English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and a strong scene of sexuality

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Spain:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #36008) | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:M18 (cut) (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:18 | South Korea:15 (cable rating) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

One 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10003

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Nick Cassavetes plays Capt. Streck; Nick's father, John Cassavetes starred in Rosemary's Baby (1968) which bares many similarities to this film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Jill is being examined, she is told she is nine weeks pregnant. However, the baby shown on the ultrasound scan screen is clearly much more than nine weeks old. Further more the movements of the ultrasound probe do not correspond to the movements on the screen. And when the doctor says she will make measurements she never does. Instead she just waits a few seconds before announcing the age of the fetus.

Quotes:

Sherman Reese:Something happened up there that these men did not train for!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Apollo 18 (2011)

Soundtrack:

Four Beat Cha Cha Cha

"Pineapples!"*

*During the scene where the rocket launches in "The Astronaut's Wife" it cuts from stock footage of a space launch to a very artificial shot of the Earth accompanied by a several children's voices shouting the word "pineapples". It turns out to be a transition to a classroom full of schoolchildren naming fruit from around the country to tie in with Johnny Depp calling Charlize Theron a peach. This is the most unintentionally funny and memorable part of the entire film.

This movie was made in 1999 when Charlize Theron's acting career was starting to takeoff and Jonny Depp's was still coming out of a deep freeze. Together they are the Armacosts, he is a southern sounding pilot turned astronaut and she is the mild mannered school teacher and of course "The Astronaut's Wife". They have the exact same haircut. Jillian Armacost likes to watch "Penny Serenade" with her husband to get in the mood. Oh, and she has a sister. Now you know everything about the lead characters that a person who watched the movie would know.

As anyone who watched the preview that played constantly on TV in the summer of 1999 will remember, the plot concerns Johnny Depp coming back from a space shuttle mission infected with an alien parasite and nobody believes in and impregnates Charlize Theron with alien twins who watches a video tape of Joe Morton saying he may have been killed by Depp. In the trailer it took about a minute to tell, but in the movie some of these things are supposed to be a surprise. The result is a very boring drawn out "suspense" during which we are supposed to keep "guessing" whether Depp is or isn't infected with an alien parasite. Just like with "Double Jeopardy" (also 1999) the trailer blew all the plot twists so there's no reason to watch the movie.

I only watched because I'm terminally curious and as usually I got what I paid for. The story is (as was it was popular to point out at the time) as rip-off of "Rosemary's Baby" (minus the funny satanic cult) as was Theron's much better 1997 thriller "The Devil's Advocate" (with funny satanists). The idea of impending motherhood never really seems concrete just like the "change" in Depp's character doesn't either. The trailer hyped up the idea that Jillian is the only one who notices a change in her husband upon his return but in the actual film there isn't a change to notice. Depp's character is underwritten, hardly 2 dimensional. He's the same until Theron suddenly accuses him of being different. The idea that Depp is an astronaut is equally abstract as the only space footage is a dream sequence and as far as I remember they didn't even spend the money to show him in a space suit.

Rand Ravich is a weak writer at best and his directing in this film thoroughly justifies it being his only feature length movie. Ravich posed one interesting visual idea with Theron standing in front of a screen showing a video from Depp's landing shuttle after the space accident. It would have been worthy of Nicolas Roeg if it hadn't been ruined by clumsy cutting. In keeping with this all the photography is slapdash and the color is universally hideous. I think the only reason anyone called it "stylish" is because the apartment where the Armacosts live is a sterile glass lined set that few of us could actually afford to live in and that none of us are obsessive enough to keep clean.

You can skip this one without feeling at all bad about it. The only reason there are two stars instead of one is because I laughed when the kids said pineapples.