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 20 wins & 39 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Kay
Will Smith	...	Jay
Linda Fiorentino	...	Laurel Weaver
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	...	José
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 | galaxy | terrorist | flying saucer | laser gun | 

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Taglines:

Protecting the earth from the scum of the universe

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and sci-fi violence

Details

Official Sites:

The Official MIB Homepage

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, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$250,690,539

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$589,390,539

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,Amblin Entertainment,Parkes+MacDonald Image Nation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS (8 channels) Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song "Over the Rainbow" was going to be used in the opening sequence.

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Goofs

K & J stop an alien in a car (the alien with the pregnant wife) because the alien is fleeing Manhattan, the area to which his visa restricts him. The alien's car is pointed toward Manhattan.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, a dragonfly flies around the countryside.

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Connections

Referenced in Atop the Fourth Wall: The Dark Knight Strikes Again Part 2 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Men In Black
Produced by Track Masters
Co-produced by Will Smith
Written by Will Smith, Patrice Rushen, Freddie Washington and Terry McFadden
Performed by Will Smith featuring Cheryl Gamble (as Coko)
Courtesy of Columbia Records

User Reviews

Fast moving science fiction comedy.

This movie was really fun to watch the first time I saw it in theaters, upon subsequent viewings, however, it loses its luster. Still though, it is still a fun movie to watch. Unlike the sequel which rushes us through the story, this one takes a bit more time developing the characters even though it is only about ten minutes longer. Both Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith are very good and funny, especially Smith because he is the new guy so he is seeing all the weird aliens and such for the first time. This is also something missing from the sequel. In the end though the reason I probably like this one so much is that it sort of reminds me of a Ghostbuster movie, and seeing as how we will most likely never see another sequel to that movie it is nice to see a movie sort of like it in that they are keeping tabs and hunting aliens rather than ghosts. The pug dog scene is funny, and the dog is not over used as in the sequel, and there is also a funny scene where Will Smith must deliver an alien baby...their main objective in this one is to track down an alien insect that has hijacked the skin of a guy and is trying to find a universe. If he succeeds the Earth is destroyed, of course Tommy Lee's character is so calm about the whole situation that you feel you have nothing to worry about. So for a funny movie that has great scenes of Will Smith training and becoming a Man in Black watch this film and do yourself a favor and skip part two...not that it was entirely bad, I liked it okay, but it just seems like an unnecessary sequel.