Cheap Cocoon (Video) (Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn) (Ron Howard) Price

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Customer Reviews of Cocoon

A moving, funny, and original sci-fi/fantasy/drama.
This is one of the few movies I've seen that has really made me cry. Director Ron Howard scores it big with this wonderful movie, and the plot is verrrrry original; three old men who live at a retirement center sneak over to a close-by deserted house every day to take a swim in the swimming pool. But a group of aliens disguised as humans come down to earth to save some of their comrades that they left there thousands of years ago, who are now sealed in large rock-like cocoons beneath the ocean, and take them home. And when they put the cocoons in the swimming pool to keep them alive and the old men go for a swim, they come out feeling like a million bucks! This would be a perfect family film if it wasn't so sexual and vulgar at times (hence the PG-13 rating). But for nine years and up, this is a sure treat. Don Ameche does a wonderful job as one of the old men, and Steve Guttenberg is downright funny as the guy who owns the boat the aliens use, and has a love affair with one of the aliens, as well. It has good lessons on friendship and love, and is a tear-jerker at times. A VERY GOOD movie!

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"Men should be explorers, no matter how old they are."
In 1985, the well-known actor/director Ron Howard directed the charming and endearing sci-fi film "Cocoon". Set along the Florida coast, a group of aliens that have taken human form return to Earth to retrieve shipmates that they were forced to leave behind in suspended animation thousands of years ago. They hire a boat owned by Jack Bonner (Steve Guttenberg), who believes that his employers are nothing more than a group of divers and is very attracted to one of them who is named Kitty (Tahnee Welch). The alien in charge goes by the name of Walter (Brian Dennehy). After retrieving some very large objects from the ocean depths, the aliens take the objects to an indoor swimming pool within a large beach house that they have rented. Next door to the beach house is a retirement home. The aliens' activities as well as the desire to swim within the pool tempts several of the retirement home's eldery residents to sneak into the private beach house. These residents, which include Arthur Selwyn (Don Ameche, 1908-1993), Benjamin Luckett (Wilford Brimley) and Joseph Finley (Hume Cronyn, 1911-2003), start to feel invigorated after taking a swim in the pool; so they invite their wives to join them: Marilyn Luckett (Maureen Stapleton), Alma Finley (Jessica Tandy, 1909-1994) and Bess McCarthy (Gwen Verdon, 1925-2000). As their health and strength continue to improve, the six try to keep their illicit swimming pool activies a secret, but are not entirely successful. Further, not everyone offered restored youth approves.

With its brilliant story, acting and directing, "Cocoon" won Don Ameche an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and the film itself won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Other memorable characters in the film include Bernard Lefkowitz (Jack Gilford, 1908-1990), his wife Rosie Lefkowitz (Herta Ware), Benjamin & Marilyn's grandson David (Barret Oliver) and Susan (Linda Harrison, who played the character Nova in the 1968 "Planet of the Apes"). Memorable scenes include the swimming pool scenes, Jack and Kitty, the six residents doing various activities that they otherwise couldn't do, no longer a secret, and the closing scenes. Overall, I rate "Cocoon" with 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it.

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Forever Young
For most of Ron Howard's career as a director, a majority of his work lands in the "feel good" cinema category. It is only recently, that Howard has been tackling darker subjects. One of the best films, from his early in his filmograghy, is 1985's Cocoon. This lighthearted fantasy proved that getting older can be a good thing.

When a group of aliens comes to Earth, on a secret mission, their strange behavior as humans, causes a group of senior citizens to become curious. As it turns out, the alens have special powers that cause the retirees to feel rejuvinated and stops the aging process.

The cast is what makes the story work. Don Ameche, who won an Oscar for his role here as Arthur Selwyn, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, his real life wife, Jessica Tandy, Brian Dennehy as the alien leader Walter, Gwen Verdon, Jack Gilford, Maureen Stapleton, and Herta Ware, all make the sci-fi elements, that much more compelling. Heck, even Steve Guttenberg playing boat skipper Jack Bonner, who helps the aliens with their mission, gives a solid performance here. The film uses special effects sparingly to enhance the story. Sure, things can get a bit schmaltzy at times, but thanks to Howard's recipe it never goes overboard. Cocoon has something for all age groups to enjoy.

The extras on the DVD are pretty good. The audio commentary with Howard offers some nice gems about what it was like to work with a cast brimming with some true stars of Hollywood's golden age. The behind-the-scenes featurette and the underwater training footage was originally part of the publicity for the film's release. We also get a look at how the special effects were created, profiles of Ron Howard and the cast, the theatrical trailer, TV spots, and a still gallery. Viewers can watch the movie, in either the full screen, or widescreen anamorphic format.

Cocoon is timeless. And given the youth obsessed culture in which we live, it's a nice change of pace, that's worth a peek on DVD.