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:

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

The movie represents a rare instance where a film from the science-fiction genre received an Academy Award nomination for acting [Best Actor for Jeff Bridges, who lost out to F. Murray Abraham for Amadeus (1984)].

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Goofs

When Starman and Jenny are struggling for a gun in the car, a wedding ring can be seen on Starman in one shot; it disappears for the rest of the movie.

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Quotes

Starman: Define shit.

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Connections

Referenced in The King James Code, Volume 1 (2009)

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Soundtracks

All I Have to Do Is Dream
(1958)
Written by Boudleaux Bryant and Felice Bryant (uncredited)
Published by House of Bryant Publications and Acuff-Rose Publications, Inc.
Performed by Jeff Bridges (uncredited) and Karen Allen (uncredited)

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