Starman (1984)

An alien takes the form of a young widow's husband and asks her to drive him from Wisconsin to Arizona. 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:

He has traveled from a galaxy far beyond our own. He is 100,000 years ahead of us. He has powers we cannot comprehend. And he is about to face the one force in the universe he has yet to conquer. Love.

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Genres:

Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

To help coordinate the complicated location requirements, the production team and unit production manager enlisted the invaluable aid and support of Governor Richard Bryan, Representative Harry Reid, and Film Commissioner Robert Hirsh, all of Nevada, Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander, and Jane Word of the Tennessee Film, Tape and Music Commission, and John Horton of the District of Columbia Film Commission.

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Goofs

After Jenny fires the shots into the air at the truck stop, the gun still has the hammer forward. On the type of pistol she had, the hammer would have been cocked after firing. The same thing happens near the start of the movie, while Jenny is sitting in the box in the corner after having fainted. Starman plays with the .45 automatic, then shoots through the window glass. After the shot, the hammer is in the forward (un-cocked) position.

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Quotes

Jenny Hayden: I have to go to the bathroom. The ladies room. The restroom. It's when a person has to - um - oh, the hell with it. You figure it out for yourself. I'm going.

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Connections

Featured in Pulse (1988)

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Soundtracks

Beach Number
(1953)
from From Here to Eternity (1953)
Written by George Duning
Published by Mills Music, Inc.

User Reviews

When you wish upon a Starman

Jeff Bridges is one of my favorite actors and it's a shame that he has not yet won an Oscar. He has been acting for thirty-five years and only been nominated four times. Starman (1984) gave him his third nomination and while he had tough competition that year, F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce in Amadeus, his performance is brilliant and every bit as good. The way that Bridges takes the character and the little glitches in his movement and speech are fascinating. It is a complete transformation and it's flawless. I was reminded of how Dustin Hoffman played his character in Rain Man with all his little stutters and twitching, but Hoffman studied the disease and had something to work with. Bridges pulls this performance off from scratch and hits a bullseye. Karen Allen and Charles Martin Smith are both good as well and the score is wonderful. The story may be a bit derivative and there are some story lulls, but who cares. This is a must-see movie simply for Bridges performance.

*** out of ****

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