Starman (1984)

An alien takes the form of a young widow's husband and makes her drive him across the country. The government tries to stop them.

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Bridges	...	Starman
Karen Allen	...	Jenny Hayden
Charles Martin Smith	...	Mark Shermin
Richard Jaeckel	...	George Fox
Robert Phalen	...	Major Bell
Tony Edwards	...	Sergeant Lemon
John Walter Davis	...	Brad Heinmuller
Ted White	...	Deer Hunter
Dirk Blocker	...	Cop #1
M.C. Gainey	...	Cop #2
Sean Stanek	...	Hot Rodder (as Sean Faro)
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Cook (as Buck Flower)
Russ Benning	...	Scientist
Ralph Cosham	...	Marine Lieutenant
David Wells	...	Fox's Assistant

Storyline

Jenny Hayden never did get over the death of her husband, so when an alien life form decides to model "himself" on the husband, Jenny is understandably confused if not terrified. The alien, or Starman, as he is called, has a deadline to meet and kidnaps Jenny in order to meet it.

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Plot Keywords:

road movie | panty | leg | legs | coupe | 

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Taglines:

In 1977 Voyager II was launched into space, inviting all lifeforms in the universe to visit our planet. Get ready. Company's coming.

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Genres:

Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Adrian Lyne was once attached to the movie as director and worked on the film for a short time until he left to make Flashdance (1983) at Paramount Pictures.

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Goofs

The jet that shoots at the UFO was a Northrop F-20 Tigershark, a fighter prototype that never entered military service. Upon close inspection, one can see the civilian aircraft registry number on the rear of the fuselage.

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Quotes

Starman: I send greetings.
Brad Heinmuller: What the hell's going on here?
Jenny Hayden: I'm being kidnapped!
Starman: Greetings.
Brad Heinmuller: You better let her go pal, I'll give you some greetings.

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Connections

Referenced in Rewind This! (2013)

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Soundtracks

What Would Your Memories Do
Written by Hank Cochran and Dean Dillon
Published by Tree Publishing Co.
Performed by Vern Gosdin
Produced by Blake Mevis
Courtesy of Compleat Records

User Reviews

little bit great film

A great little film, much better than I was expecting. Jeff Bridges gives one of his best and strangest performances as the "Starman" with robotic like movements and very funny mimicking of human behaviour. Karenallen is wide eyed and feisty. Only sour point is the over saccharine score by Jack Nitzsche, it hasn't aged well and is now a little painful to listen to. Otherwise this is a wonderful and charming film. (8/10)

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie channel [United States] Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Starman

Filming Locations:

Manchester, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,872,022, 16 December 1984

Gross USA:

$28,744,356

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$28,744,356

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Delphi II Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1