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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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and sci-fi violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Edwards' police issue handgun is a Smith and Wesson 3913NL.

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Goofs

In the end where we see Manhattan's place in the galaxy, the camera zooms from a location near the center of the Milky Way. According to most scientists, earth is actually located on one of the galaxy's "arms".

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

When Will Smiths character becomes an agent he is given locker J and his new entry id is only the letter J, giving the impression that agents names become letters. Yet in the credits Will Smiths character is identified at Jay not J. Two other characters have their letter spelled out instead of a single letter. D is called Dee, and K is called Kay.

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Alternate Versions

To attain a more commercial PG rating instead of an M rating in Australia, the following changes were made:

• When the alien jumps from the building in the beginning, rather than hitting the ground with a "thud", he now sparkles away in midair;
• The scene describing what the bug does to Edgar's skin has been snipped;
• The fumigator's death has been shortened, removing the shot of the spray gun being rammed down his throat.
• The shot of the dead waiter stuffed under the counter is shortened

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Connections

Referenced in Double Jeopardy (1999)

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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 Terri McFadden
Performed by Will Smith featuring Cheryl Gamble (as Coko)
Courtesy of Columbia Records

User Reviews

Funny Sci-Fi. As Good As Ghostbusters.

As I stated above, Men In Black is just as good as the sci-fi comedies Ghostbusters I and II. But instead of chasing ghost's we're chasing after rogue aliens.

James (Will Smith) is an officer in the NYPD and one of the top officers. After a hard night, James is questioned by his own police force for allegedly killing a suspect who fell off a building. As James insists that the person was acting strangely, Agent K (Tommmy Lee Jones) comes in and takes him out.

James is welcomed to a secret agency which keeps aliens in check. After a brief examination of his life, James (now Agent J) joins the agency. On his first day, suddenly K and J are on a mission to stop a massive cockroach from destroying Earth and starting a galactic war.

The chemistry between Smith and Jones is hilarious. Smith has some great comedy scenes especially when he is using his new weapon, the Noisy Crickett and him trying to deliver a baby squid type creature. The aliens are smart, their inventive, and their just plain fun when seeing how they identify themselves and hide their identities. The story is funny and will keep you laughing at almost every scene.

The presentation of aliens as everyday people trying to live normal lives in Manhattan is a lot more fun than the presentation of murderous aliens (Independence Day). Another great part is that the film isn't overblown with special effects of alien explosions and massive battles. Instead comedy and chemistry keeps this top comedy flowing.

Men In Black. Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Fiorentino, and Rip Torn.

4 1/2 out of 5 Stars.

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