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 5 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Zemeckis was originally going to direct the movie, but was denied after a poor test screening of Romancing the Stone (1984).

---

Goofs

Water in the pool becomes instantly still after the old men get out of it the first time.

---

Quotes

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

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in Foxtrap (1986)

---

Soundtracks

Dance Track
Composed by James Horner
Arranged and Produced by Jay Gruska

User Reviews

Early Ron Howard Entertainer.

Six elderly people (Oscar-winner Don Ameche in more of a lifetime achievement award, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Maureen Stapleton and Gwen Verdon) start swimming at a locked up housed swimming pool that has strange pods in it and then start doing things that contradict their ages. Of course the pods really house aliens from another planet and they are the reasons for the "fountain of youth". Ron Howard's sympathetic and clever direction saves this uneven project that starts out as a pure comedy and then turns into a rough drama as the clock ticks away. Brian Dennehy and Steve Guttenberg shine in smart supporting roles. 4 stars out of 5.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cocoon

Filming Locations:

Clearwater, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,936,427, 23 June 1985

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 Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1