Phenomenon (1996)

An ordinary man sees a bright light descend from the sky, and discovers he now has super-intelligence and telekinesis.

Director:

Jon Turteltaub

Writer:

Gerald Di Pego (as Gerald Dipego)

Stars:

John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker

7 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Travolta	...	George Malley
Kyra Sedgwick	...	Lace Pennamin
Forest Whitaker	...	Nate Pope
Robert Duvall	...	Doc
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Professor Ringold
Richard Kiley	...	Dr. Wellin
David Gallagher	...	Al
Ashley Buccille	...	Glory
Tony Genaro	...	Tito
Sean O'Bryan	...	Banes
Michael Milhoan	...	Jimmy
Troy Evans	...	Roger
Bruce A. Young	...	Jack Hatch (as Bruce Young)
Vyto Ruginis	...	Ted Rhome
Brent Spiner	...	Dr. Bob

Storyline

John Travolta plays George Malley, who owns the local auto repair shop in a small California town. After celebrating his birthday with friends at the local bar/hang-out, George heads for home. He pauses to watch a strange light in the sky, then collapses for a few seconds in the middle of the deserted street. In the days and weeks that follow, George finds his IQ and consciousness expanding dramatically, and develops telekinetic abilities. Despite his attempts to explain what has happened to him, with just a very few exceptions, most of the local townspeople treat the "new" George as a freak. His state of isolation becomes even more pronounced when his new-found abilities allow him to correctly predict an earthquake, and outside authorities become interested in what's happened to him.

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Plot Keywords:

telekinesis | genius | psionic power | brain tumor | terminal illness | 

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Taglines:

Some things in life just can't be explained.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and mild sensuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

[20:40] Nate Pope (Forest Whitaker) is an amateur radio operator with the call sign "WB6QLF". QLF is amateur shorthand for "I am sending with my left foot", a reference to someone whose Morse Code sending skill is very bad. This is normally sent as a question "QLF?" meaning "Are you sending with your left foot?" to an operator who is very difficult to understand in Morse. WB6QLF is a real call sign belonging to a Charles B. Roblin of Victorville, California. There is also a QSL card in the background, with the call sign "K6KAP". This is a real amateur ("ham") radio call sign that belongs to Mach Myovich of Merced, California. Much of the radio equipment shown in the movie was purchased from the Ham Radio Outlet store that he was managing in Oakland, California.

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Goofs

George is driving over to Lace's house to give her more tomatoes when he sees her two children in a field walking home. They come up to George's tow truck and both hanging on the passenger side window when George offers them a ride. They daughter comes into the cab as seen from George's POV. Then the camera POV changes to about 20-30 feet from the rear of the truck. Both children are now outside the truck, opening the door and get in the cab of the truck in the conventional way. There is a postscript.

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Quotes

Bonnie: George Malley! You learned the Portuguese language in 20 minutes?
George Malley: Not all of it.

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Alternate Versions

NBC network television version features alternate/new footage not present in the theatrical and home video releases.

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Connections

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

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Soundtracks

Come See About Me
Written by Eddie Holland (as E. Holland), Lamont Dozier (as L. Dozier) and Brian Holland (as B. Holland)
Performed by The Supremes
Courtesy of Motown Records Company, L.P.
By arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

An Inspiration!

An ex-girlfriend talked me into seeing this movie, and I am happy she did. In my opinion, John Travolta deserved at least a nomination for an Oscar here, if not the award itself. The story was decent, but the performances of Travolta, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall, and Kyra Sedgwick made me care about what was happening on the screen. By no means is this a romantic comedy. It's romantic, probably the most romantic film I have seen in a long time. The reason for that is simple...it's real. In most movies you see the main characters sleep together within a day at the most, which rarely happens with two people who are really in love. True love has to take time and effort, which is exactly what you see here. Travolta's George is patient, but not because he wants to be. If you're a romantic at heart you will understand and relate to him, and you will hope for his success as you would for your own. Without giving anything away, I will tell you that the ending is sad, but also heartwarming. George has his "experience" for no other reason than to suggest what we as humans can become. Phenomenon is a story about our potential, the good and bad things that can happen to us if we achieve it. We could only be so lucky, and watching the movie is a good start. I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

Portuguese Spanish English

Release Date:

3 July 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Phenomenon

Filming Locations:

Petaluma, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,158,901, 7 July 1996

Gross USA:

$104,636,382

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$152,036,382

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (FotoKem)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1