Men in Black (1997)

A police officer joins a secret organization that polices and monitors extraterrestrial interactions on Earth.

Director:

Barry Sonnenfeld

Writers:

Lowell Cunningham (comic), Ed Solomon (screen story)

Stars:

Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino

Won 1 Oscar. Another 21 wins & 39 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Kay
Will Smith	...	Jay
Linda Fiorentino	...	Laurel
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Edgar
Rip Torn	...	Zed
Tony Shalhoub	...	Jeebs
Siobhan Fallon Hogan	...	Beatrice (as Siobhan Fallon)
Mike Nussbaum	...	Gentle Rosenburg
Jon Gries	...	Van Driver
Sergio Calderón	...	Jose
Carel Struycken	...	Arquillian
Fredric Lehne	...	INS Agent Janus (as Fredric Lane)
Richard Hamilton	...	Dee
Kent Faulcon	...	1st Lt. Jake Jensen
John Alexander	...	Mikey

Storyline

Based off of the comic book. Unbeknownst to other people, there is a private agency code named MiB. This agency is some kind of extra terrestrial surveillance corporation. Then, one of the agency's finest men only going by the name "K" (Tommy Lee Jones) , is recruiting for a new addition to the agency. He has chosen James Edwards (Will Smith) of the N.Y.P.D. Then, one day, a flying saucer crashes into Earth. This was an alien a part of the "Bug" race. He takes the body of a farmer (Vincent D'Onofrio) and heads to New York. He is searching for a super energy source called "The Galaxy". Now, Agents J and K must stop the bug before it can escape with the galaxy.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | pantyhose | superhero | galaxy | terrorist | 

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Taglines:

Men in Black - Protecting the Earth from the scum of the Universe.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and sci-fi violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where James is the only one to spot the need for a writing surface, any of the characters could have simply got out of their egg chair and used the surface of the table, as it was positioned close to several of them.

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Goofs

When J realizes that Edgar stole a cab after escaping the morgue, he jumps over a railing and lands on a car's roof right in the middle of the sunroof, which flexes a little and makes a metallic thumping sound, giving away that it is fake. If it were a real sunroof, the glass would have shattered and J would have fallen into the car.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nick the Van Driver: Goddamn bugs!

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Crazy Credits

The animals and aliens used in this film were in no way mistreated and all scenes in which they appeared were under strict supervision with the utmost concern for their handling.

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Alternate Versions

The Australian dual-coded DVD is the same as the censored UK DVD in the way that the two uses of "prick" are over-dubbed with "jerk" and "twerp".

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Connections

Spoofed in 3rd Rock from the Sun: Fun with Dick and Janet: Part 2 (1997)

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Soundtracks

The Promised Land
Written by Chuck Berry
Performed by Elvis Presley
Courtesy of The RCA Records Label of BMG Entertainment

User Reviews

Great movie action

What makes this film stand out, aside from its superb effects, humor and script, is the contrast between Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. While Jones is the emotionless, smarter and wiser one out of the two, Smith is the younger and more enthusiastic. These 'Men In Black' are on a mission to save Earth from a really, really nasty bug infestation. This is one Sci-Fi film that shouldn't be missed.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

2 July 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

MIB

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$51,068,455, 6 July 1997

Gross USA:

$250,690,539

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$589,390,539

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Parkes/MacDonald Image Nation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS (8 channels) Dolby Dolby Atmos (Ultra HD Blu-ray)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1