Cocoon (1985)

When a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigor.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Tom Benedek (screenplay), David Saperstein (story)

Stars:

Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Don Ameche	...	Art Selwyn
Wilford Brimley	...	Ben Luckett
Hume Cronyn	...	Joe Finley
Brian Dennehy	...	Walter
Jack Gilford	...	Bernie Lefkowitz
Steve Guttenberg	...	Jack Bonner
Maureen Stapleton	...	Mary Luckett
Jessica Tandy	...	Alma Finley
Gwen Verdon	...	Bess McCarthy
Herta Ware	...	Rose 'Rosie' Lefkowitz
Tahnee Welch	...	Kitty
Barret Oliver	...	David
Linda Harrison	...	Susan
Tyrone Power Jr.	...	Pillsbury
Clint Howard	...	Rico

Storyline

A group of aliens return to earth to retrieve cocoons containing the people they'd left behind from an earlier trip. These cocoons had been resting at the bottom of the ocean. Once retrieved, they stored these recovered cocoons in the swimming pool of a house they'd rented in a small Florida town. Their mission is hampered by a number of elderly people from a nearby retirement community who had been secretly using the pool, and who discover unusual powers from within these cocoons.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | swimming pool | bare chested male | peephole | shapeshifter | 

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Taglines:

Beyond the innocence of youth, and the wisdom of age, lies the wonder of... Cocoon

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Capullo

Filming Locations:

Clearwater, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$76,113,124

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$85,313,124

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Zanuck/Brown Productions, SLM Production Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Ron Howard, several members of the cast liked to get into hypothetical discussions about the chance their characters were offered in the film. Maureen Stapleton was dead against it, while Don Ameche said he'd be the first in line.

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Goofs

Obvious stunt double when Arthur Selwyn is break dancing.

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Quotes

Walter: Face-eating, Jack? Is that some kind of a delicacy?

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Alternate Versions

UK cinema and video versions were cut by 2 secs by the BBFC to remove one brief use of the word 'fucking' for a PG certificate. The Blu-ray is uncut, upgraded to a 12 rating.

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Connections

Featured in The Kominsky Method: Chapter 4: A Kegel Squeaks (2018)

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Soundtracks

The Second Time Around
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Sung by Bing Crosby

User Reviews

A different breed of science fiction, with the warm touch.

COCOON is not at all similar to every other science fiction movie (the ending is a pure exception), but this uses fantasy and magic as a way to express a heartwarmth feeling. What happens when the good elderly citizens of a retirement community discover the "fountain of youth"? It's movies like this going away from the perilous trap and concentrates deeply on our human characteristics. A large cast of older stars, including the late couple Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, contribute to the warmth and amusement of a non-violent "sci-fi" picture that is a breed apart from the rest. They act as if they're "young again" with incredible energy, and the moments offer the kind and gentle possibilities that wouldn't redeem this as science fiction, but it is. Ron "Ritchie" Howard gives this a whole new acclaim for internally giving us the human spirit that lies within an outside force. For those who crave hard on science fiction, COCOON is a slight misunderstanding due to the light-hearted story it has to offer. What's more entertaining than seeing old folks push over the limits of their acting potential? As Wilford Brimley once said in Quaker Oats commercials, "It's the right thing to do.". Which also means COCOON is the right movie for showing off a different dimension of our feelings inside. And different is right!