Review: Cocoon

Inhabitants of a Florida retirement home (Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, and Hume Cronyn) experience a rejuvenation when (breaking and) entering a nearby pool next door. Have they found the fountain of youth? The house is being rented by Brian Dennehy, who along with several others (including Tahnee Welch and Tyrone Power Jr.) have hired Steve Guttenberg’s boat to sail out and pick up what look like giant shells or pods. It’s not long before Guttenberg realises that Dennehy and company are actually aliens, on a retrieval mission to take their cocooned brethren back home, after having been left behind on a previous voyage. They are storing the cocoons at the bottom of the very same pool the old-timers are frequenting, and Dennehy is not at all happy when he learns of these trespassers, especially now that word of the pool has spread through the entire home. Jessica Tandy plays Cronyn’s wife, worried that Cronyn might slip back into his old amorous ways, Jack Gilford is the one sceptic among them who is not interested in feeling young again, whilst Maureen Stapleton and Gwen Verdon play other inhabitants of the retirement home. Linda Harrison and Barret Oliver play Brimley’s daughter and grandson, respectively, and Clint Howard turns up as a male nurse/orderly.

 

Although nice and an OK-to-good motion picture, this 1985 Ron Howard (“Night Shift”, “Parenthood”, “Backdraft”, “Rush”)  mixture of geriatric buddy movie and alien flick could’ve been even better if it aimed a little higher than lightweight comedy. Scripted by Tom Benedek (with only “The Adventures of Pinocchio” in 1996 and one other credit to his name) from a novel by David Saperstein, it’s a cute idea for a film. However, make no mistake, if it weren’t for the geriatric cast, this plot would be fodder for a sex comedy.

 

I was particularly disappointed with the lack of awe afforded towards the aliens. I mean, goddamn, they’re aliens- look a bit awestruck, will ‘ya? That was really annoying and disappointing, especially since the aliens are actually pretty interesting (at least on paper). Brian Dennehy is particularly well-cast as their leader of-sorts, because early on we don’t know if they are benevolent or malevolent, Dennehy as an actor can go either way effortlessly. He offers suggestions of both in the one scene here, which shows just how talented and versatile he is. It’s just a shame that Howard and Benedek are more interested in the geriatric buddy movie stuff, which although enjoyable, is far less ambitious. For a film with such a goofy premise and for a film featuring aliens, it strangely lacks imagination.

 

The Oscar-winning FX are also horribly dated here, probably the film’s biggest problem. In fact, aside from the spaceship, I don’t think they’re remotely acceptable for 1985, either (Rick Baker, Greg Cannom, and ILM amazingly feature in the credits, though Baker was merely a consultant), and it boggles the mind that they won an Oscar. More than acceptable, however, is the cast of geriatric actors. I’m not sure Don Ameche deserved an Oscar for this (a Thank You award?), but it’s nice to see Hume Cronyn and real-life wife Jessica Tandy as a couple, and Jack Gilford makes more of his sceptic character than a lesser talent might’ve been able to. He gets the film’s best dramatic moment in a conversation with Dennehy. All of the actors and characters amongst the older set here are interesting and distinct from one another. Best of all is the wonderfully grumpy, stubborn Wilford Brimley. I hear he’s not an overly ‘fan friendly’ person in real-life, but he sure is a treasure on screen. He brings depth and down-home sincerity to his role that the film very much benefits from. Steve Guttenberg is OK, but the stunningly beautiful Tahnee Welch (daughter of you-know-who), Tyrone Power Jr., and “Planet of the Apes” actress Linda Harrison (who doesn’t look to have aged much between 1968 and 1985) are all a bit bland. That’s “NeverEnding Story” lead Barret Oliver as Brimley’s grandson, by the way. Oh, and look out for Don Ameche’s dinner jacket in one scene, it’s the most godawful thing I’ve ever seen.

 

No masterpiece, this is disappointingly safe entertainment. However, entertainment it still is, mainly because these guys are such good company. Check it out. It’s nice. You’ll like it. Then you’ll forget about it. The excellent, John Williams-ish score by the late James Horner (“Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”, “Aliens”, “Braveheart”) is the best thing in the film. 

 

Rating: B-