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:

panty | leg | legs | coupe | baseball cap | 

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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

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)

Gross USA:

$28,700,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actor Jeff Bridges studied ornithology and the behavior of birds to prepare for his role as an alien in human form for this movie. Bridges, particularly used the sudden jerky head movements, amongst other nuances and mannerisms, of birds for his Starman character. Bridges figured that the alien would not have human characteristics and being encased in a human body, would act with base primitive animal instincts.

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Goofs

When Starman and Jenny are sitting in her car, looking at the map projection, it projects in the wrong direction on their faces. When the camera is behind them, Starman is sitting on the East coast side of the map. When the camera faces him, the West coast is projected on his face.

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Quotes

Starman: [with mouth full] That Dutch apple pie!
Jenny Hayden: It's good, huh?
Starman: [Starman swallows, imitates the waitress's "OK" gesture and words] It's terrific!
Jenny Hayden: [samples his pie, nods] For a primitive species we have our points.

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Connections

References Bambi (1942)

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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

"Define Love"

This beautiful and funny science fiction film comes very close to being my all-time favorite movie. This film is about love. An alien lands on Earth to investigate the life-forms, and encounters Karen Allen. A cross-country chase ensues as our alien has to meet up with his starship in Arizona.

But for me, the main point of this film is not the chase, the cloning by the alien, the humor throughout the film, or the eventual outcome which led into the subsequent TV series. The focal point comes in the diner where our alien asks Karen Allen to "Define Love." If everyone would take this definition to heart, this world would be a much better place!

This is what movie making should strive to achieve. This film has virtually everything... romance, humor, action, suspense, a gorgeous soundtrack, beautiful cinematography, an intelligent screenplay with a most important message, and talented actors and actresses. I gave it a SOLID 10!