Based on an obscure comic book series by Lowell Cunningham, this cheerfully perverse movie could just as easily have come directly from the text of a supermarket tabloid.
Men In Black (1997)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:65
Fresh:59
Rotten:6
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: MIB has plenty of spectacle, but its clever script and charismatic leads are what carry the film. Its mixture of comedy and cool makes for a whole lot of fun.
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Synopsis: In the 1950s a super-secret government agency was formed to monitor and police the activities of extraterrestrial aliens on the planet Earth. Some 40 years later a founding father of the agency,... In the 1950s a super-secret government agency was formed to monitor and police the activities of extraterrestrial aliens on the planet Earth. Some 40 years later a founding father of the agency, Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), finds himself with a new smart-mouthed partner fresh from the NYPD who is soon dubbed Agent Jay (Will Smith). Their first mission is to save the Earth from destruction by a giant insectlike alien (Vincent D'Onfrio) that, incidentally, drives an exterminator's truck. Armed with their matching Ray-Bans, skinny ties, and space-age weapons that Jay barely understands--he calls the Neuralyzer the "flashy thing"--the new duo begin another average day of fighting intergalactic terrorists. An amazingly hip and terribly clever movie that riffs on everything from E.T.--THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL to CASABLANCA, this Barry Sonnenfeld film is based on the equally savvy comic book by Lowell Cunningham. [More]
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, Rip Torn, Tony Shalhoub, Siobhan Fallon, Mike Nussbaum, Sergio Calderon, Carel Struycken, Michael Willis, Richard Hamilton, David Cross, Kent Faulcon, Bernard Gilkey, Jonathan Gries, Fredric Lane, Sean Whalen, John Alexander
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Screenwriter: Ed Solomon
Story: Lowell Cunningham
Composer: Danny Elfman
Producer: Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes, Steven Spielberg
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Reviews for Men In Black
Moments that should be hilarious muster only a chuckle and action scenes that should tingle -- like the final showdown with the unmasked giant roach -- are just not that exciting.
Men in Black continues this summer's tradition, already established by Con Air and Batman and Robin, of big-budget action pictures that at least have the wit to know how silly they are.
More to the point, it functions best as a set-up for -- oh bitter irony -- yet another big-budget summer sequel.
Ed Solomon's script has a stream of gags, most of which work, thanks to Barry Sonnenfeld's direction.
Most of the humour is a clever and sometimes neo-black blend of situation, character and fantasy.
The real stand-out is D'Onofrio as Edgar, the cockroach on crack wearing a human skin, doing a splendid, hilarious job of auditioning for Evil Dead 4.
Latest News for Men In Black
October 30, 2009:
Columbia Wants More Men in Black ![]()
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones haven't signed yet, but Columbia is moving forward with another "Men in Black," hiring Etan Cohen ("Tropic Thunder") to write a script. More...
April 03, 2009:
Weekly Ketchup: Sony announces Men in Black III
Right smack in the middle of this week was April Fool's Day, so some stories this week had to be always be viewed with a grain of salt, but there was indeed real movie news. ... More...
April 01, 2009:
Sony Announces Men in Black 3 at ShoWest ![]()
Not to be outdone by Disney and Warner Bros.' action-packed ShoWest presentations, Sony used its showing to announce the impending arrival of a third "Men in Black." More...
July 16, 2008:
Exclusive: The World of WALL-E
The artists behind this year's freshest film share their story with RT, with exclusive contributions from Andrew Stanton, Ben Burtt, Jim Morris, Lindsay Collins, Angus MacLane,... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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