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:

More secretive than the C.I.A. - More powerful than the F.B.I. - And they're looking for a few good men - They are the Men in Black

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

It took Rick Baker six hours each day to transform Vincent D'Onofrio into the Edgar Bug. Silk swatches were glued to D'Onofrio's cheeks and tied around the back of his head to stretch his face.

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Goofs

When Jay firsts shoots the MIB gun and is thrown back against the wall, it wobbles.

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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 UK PG-rated cinema version - as well as nearly all subsequent releases - have been cut by the BBFC to remove the two uses of the word "prick". The offending words were over-dubbed with the words "jerk" and "twerp". The uncut version was finally passed by the BBFC in 2017. It was rated 12 for "moderate bad language" and released on 4K UHD.

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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

Waiting For Love
Produced by Craig Burbidge
Written by John Howcott, Emanuel Officer & Donald Parks
Performed by 3T (Taj Jackson, Taryll Jackson, and TJ Jackson)

User Reviews

A great fantasy-comedy

I am very upset that most people take this movie too seriously This movie is just a nice comedy with a very intriguing subject. Most people try to find bug in this movie but i believe that they should just sit back and enjoy the great epic line. Let's be serious do you believe that a galaxy can be carried around a cat's belt or that "Elivs is not dead he's just gone home" ? For this reason I believe this is an excellent comedy with a Sf theme. I also appreciate that the acting is very good and the script is very nicely written. I urge people to stop taking the "noisy cricket" too serious! This movie is making fun of the people who take this sort of things too seriously.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

2 July 1997 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Hommes en noir

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