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)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The hunter in the diner fight scene is played by Ted White, the same actor who played Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.

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Goofs

In the beginning as the Air Force is tracking the capsule it sends two fighters to intercept it. The fighters sent as initially seen appear to be two Convair F102 Delta Daggers. When the planes are seen again preparing to fire on the capsule the closeup shows the firing plane to be an F20 Tigershark that ultimately never got delivered to the Air Force for many reasons.

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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 The Cinema Snob: Xtro (2013)

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Soundtracks

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
(1965)
Written by Mick Jagger (as Michael Jagger) and Keith Richards (as Keith Richard)
Published by ABKCO Music, Inc.
Performed by The Rolling Stones
Courtesy of ABKCO Records, Inc.

User Reviews

A wonderful film full of hope for the human race.

Through the eyes of an alien, we view our world. Such is the beauty of John Carpenter's 'Starman'. His gentle alien comes in the form of a human clone (Jeff Bridges), and as we watch him interact with the rest of our race, we see both the good and the bad in all of us. It is this particular role that I find to be Jeff Bridge's most superb acting (or close to it, given his amazing work in 'The Fisher King'). To me he always did seem an alien in an unfamiliar human body, rather than the actor "Jeff Bridges". While there is certainly some over-simplification in the movie, and it can get a little sappy, I find the 'sap' in this case to be both touching and beautiful. How wonderful, how sad, how miraculous, to watch ourselves through the innocent and wise eyes of this alien being. A brilliant look at human beings, a sweet love story, and an excellent exploration of our spirit.