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.

---

Plot Keywords:

alien | swimming pool | peephole | shapeshifter | crying | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Sci-Fi

---

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

Wilford Brimley was only fifty-years-old at the time of this film's production. He had to have his hair dyed gray, in order to make him look geriatric.

---

Goofs

Kitty massages Jack's right leg just after he bangs it. However, when they are talking the leg left is the injured one.

---

Quotes

Ben Luckett: So you think it's like Bernie said? We're cheating nature?
Mary Luckett: Yes.
Ben Luckett: Well I'll tell ya, with the way nature's been cheating us, I don't mind cheating her a little.

---

Connections

Referenced in Willow: The Making of an Adventure (1988)

---

Soundtracks

A Week-End in Havana
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Mack Gordon
Played when the men take their wives swimming

User Reviews

Let's swim in a pool that has weird boulders dumped into it

Some seniors find the long sought-after Fountain of Youth by accident, just by regularly sneaking into a neighbor's pool. I don't know if I'd swim in a pool that has moss-covered boulders tossed into it, but these guys do, and find their youthful vitality returning.

Unbeknownst to the men, aliens on a mission have rented the neighbor's place, and set up the pool as their base of operations. Fortunately, these were post-ET/Close Encounters beings, so they had benevolent intentions.

Great cast of some familiar faces, and the screen chemistry of the cast members is wonderful as they range from highly emotional to contentious in their interaction. The nursing home residents are marvelous in portraying their renewed joy of life. Don Ameche is dashing with the ladies, and acts the role of a youthful character very well. Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Mareen Stapleton, and Wilford Brimley are all great. However, the movie is certainly not all a feel-good warm fuzzies type of story; there are some sad tragedies that occur as the plot moves forward.

My one criticism is that the film lacks the courage to address its central theme, the idea of eternal life, only skirting its ramifications. Only one character rejects the idea, but generic platitudes (like "belonging here") he says explain nothing of his reasoning. The film doesn't analyze the people who desire immortality enough, either. We get a few morsels about missing baseball, fishing, and grandchildren. But this shallow analysis gives insufficient insight to this infinitely critical decision the characters are faced with.

It's an interesting tale, with a bittersweet message about our own mortality. A well done production that has you wishing the best for the characters, and contemplating what you might do if you were in their shoes.