Cocoon (1985)

 

Off-List: Cocoon

The first off-List movie of 1985 is “Cocoon”. This is, again, a family favourite from my childhood, one of those movies I watched multiple time back then and which I am therefore disposed to in a way that I can hardly consider it objectively.  Also, it belongs to that group of sweet eighties movies that makes me long for a different age where everything was less... grim.

In two separate tracks, we follow Jack Bonner (Steve Guttenberg), the captain of a boat that takes people out fishing and a group of elderly people at a retirement home, particularly the trio of Art (Don Ameche), Ben (Wilford Brimley) and Joe (Hume Cronyn) and their wives, Mary (Maureen Stapleton), Alma (Jessica Tandy) and girlfriend Bess (Gwen Verdon).

Jack is on the verge of losing his boat when he scores big time. A group of underwater archaeologists wants to rent his boat for a few weeks. This is pretty awesome, and he even starts hitting on one of them, Kitty (Tahnee Welch) until he learns they are actually aliens.

 Life at the retirement home is dull, it is mostly a place where you wait to die, but Art, Ben and Joe have found their little escape. Now and then they sneak over to the empty neighbouring house where there is a heated pool to have their fun. One day, however, they learn the house is empty no more, yet they are not willing to give up on their little treasure, so they sneak in and continue to use the pool.

Slowly the pool is filling up with big rocks and although at first they are slightly disturbed by this, they do feel great. In fact, they seem to be finding their youth again. Of course, they get caught in the act and realise the people they have been trespassing on are... aliens.

“Cocoon” is a feel-good movie, but with a bitter-sweet flavour that makes it a relevant movie. The core of the story is that of these elderly people finding their youth again, blooming at a time where this should be just a distant memory. There is something extremely invigorating, literally, at seeing them getting this happy. It challenges the unfairness that we all must fade away eventually, but it also returns the question if refound youth (and potentially eternal life) will not upset a few things. There is a price to this, even if it is not at first obvious.

“Cocoon” is also a hilariously funny movie. Guttenburg was at this time involved in tons of comedies, but the stars of this movie are the old folks. They were fun before they found their youthful energies, and unstoppable after. There is something incredible endearing about them that makes you want to be their friends.

The winning argument for me today, however, is to see this as a sort of comeback for all these elderly Hollywood stars. Every single one of them has a CV that would make anyone proud, and I have watched them here and there in earlier movies. Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy had at this point been married for more than forty years. To watch them all giving stellar performances here in the autumn of their lives touches me very deeply.

When I watched “Cocoon” as a child, what I loved was the adventure, the idea of aliens returning to earth to rescue those left behind thousands of years ago and to give the opportunity to travel with them to space and it bothered me that Ben’s grandson, David (Barret Oliver) was not allowed to join that adventure. This adventure still works today, although eclipsed by those points mentioned above. This is largely due to the always excellent work of one of my favourite directors, Ron Howard.

“Cocoon” takes me back to a better time, but it is not a movie that feels old. We watched it as a family movie, and it works all the way round. Highly recommended.