CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND | FAMILY MOVIE REVIEW INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

"CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND"
(1997) (Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon) (PG)

QUICK TAKE:: Science-fiction: After an encounter with UFOs, a power-line worker and a single mom feel undeniably drawn to Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming where they will bear witness to one of the most extraordinary events in human history.

PLOT:

NOTE: This is principally a review of Steven Spielberg's 1998 Director's Cut of his 1977 film, which he also re-cut, expanded, and re-released in 1980 as a "Special Edition." The story is set in "Present Day" 1977 at a time of extreme UFO paranoia. The film opens with French scientist Claude Lancombe (FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT), his interpreter (BOB BALABAN) and his team of researchers discovering a squadron of World War II-era planes in the Mexican desert, followed by a sequence in which air traffic controllers deal with a couple of passenger jets being buzzed by UFOs.

In the Midwest, cable man Roy Neary (RICHARD DREYFUSS) is called to investigate some power outages when he has a terrifying encounter with a UFO. The aliens implant an image into his brain of a strange shape that turns out to be Devils Tower in Wyoming, the eventual sight of man's first confirmed contact with extraterrestrial life.

Roy gets no support from his wife, Ronnie (TERI GARR), who craves only a simple Midwest existence with Roy and their three kids. But Roy becomes increasingly obsessed with finding answers and is drawn to Jillian (MELINDA DILLON), a single mother whose 4-year-old son, Barry (CARY GUFFEY), was abducted by the aliens for reasons unknown. Together, they travel to Wyoming on a collision course with history.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Definitely. The film is quite possibly the greatest UFO movie ever made and has a heavy sci-fi element. It probably plays best to kids ages 7 and up.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG: The film was released in 1977 before the MPAA specified why it would rate films G, PG, R, and so forth. Clearly, though, the PG rating is for such things as language, peril involving a child, and some thematic material.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: RICHARD DREYFUSS plays a husband and father who has a close encounter with a UFO and is then obsessively compelled to travel to Devils Tower in Wyoming. His quest will cause him to lose his job, his marriage and his family. As he becomes increasingly obsessed, it is clear from empty beer cans in his house that he is a drinker.
MELINDA DILLON plays a single mother whose young son is abducted by aliens. She ultimately joins Roy on his journey to Devils Tower to find her child and satisfy her own desire for answers.
TERI GARR plays Roy's unsympathetic wife and mother of their three children. She craves only normalcy and wants life to return to the way it was before her husband's close encounter. She ultimately leaves Roy, taking their kids with her.
FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT plays a French scientist who heads the international effort to secretly track the visiting aliens and arrange a momentous evening in which contact will be made. He has no problem taking part in a massive conspiracy to evacuate thousands of Wyoming residents from their homes so the visitation can occur unnoticed.
BOB BALABAN plays Lacombe's excitable translator. He curses often.
CARY GUFFEY plays Jillian's four-year-old son, who is targeted for abduction by the visiting aliens for reasons unknown.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this classic science-fiction film that has been rated PG. Profanity consists of at least 5 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered.

Violence consists mostly of people driving cars at high rates of speed and crashing into inanimate objects such as barricades. However, there are numerous scenes of potential peril and dread as humans have close encounters with UFOs and the aliens who operate them that could prove unsettling and/or extraordinarily suspenseful for various viewers.

Bad attitudes are present, as is some potentially imitative behavior and various thematic elements. There is one scene of smoking and some implied beer consumption, while a great deal of tense family material occurs.

If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

For those prone to visually induced problems, the UFOs contain extremely bright lights as they fly through the night sky in several scenes. The director also employs lens flares throughout that could cause problems for some.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Empty beer cans are strewn throughout Roy's house after his wife and children have left him and he has filled the living room with a giant replica of Devils Tower.
An old Budweiser commercial is shown in its entirety on a TV in the movie.

BLOOD/GORE: The left half of Roy's face is badly sunburned following his first encounter with a UFO. It remains that way for about half the movie.
Roy's face is very dirty and possibly a touch bloodied (it's hard to tell with all of the grime) after he has spent hours digging up his front yard, transporting the dirt and plants into the house, and crafting a massive replica of Devils Tower.
Roy and Jillian drive past what we first think are the dead carcasses of numerous horses, cows and sheep. But we learn later that the government spread a gas that only put them to sleep for several hours.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: One of Roy's sons bangs his little sister's baby doll repeatedly against her playpen until it breaks.
Roy screams at the boy to stop.
Roy jokingly threatens to kill his other son if he doesn't see "Pinocchio."
The boy whines at him, "Who wants to see some dumb cartoon movie rated G for kids."
This particular son also asks Roy to do his homework for him.
Roy's boss fires him over the phone and doesn't even have the courtesy of telling Roy himself. He tells his wife.
Ronnie doesn't believe her husband when he tells her of his close encounter.
Ronnie pushes shaving cream into Roy's face to end an argument.
The military and the U.S. government conspire to deceive the public that an environmental disaster has taken place in Wyoming to clear the area for aliens to land.
Roy and Jillian defy government orders and try and make it to the UFO landing site.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material.
A The discovery of 1940s-era airplanes in the middle of the desert is rendered creepy by a loud and heavy sandstorm.
A couple of passenger jets are buzzed by UFOs, with the scene playing out entirely from the perspective of air-traffic controllers who only have blips on a radar monitor to watch as the pilots relay what they are seeing.
What looks like headlights are seen over Roy's shoulder as he parks to look over a map. The lights then float upwards, meaning that it's not a car but a UFO.
Roy's service truck stalls on a dark country road and his flashlight goes out just before he has an intense close encounter with a UFO that shines a blinding light on his vehicle from directly above. The UFO causes a series of mailboxes and a railroad crossing sign to move on their own, along with numerous items in Roy's front seat. The truck's electrical systems briefly go haywire.
Roy is startled when his flashlight suddenly comes back on and his truck starts again.
Toys come on by themselves in little Barry's bedroom late at night, and he walks downstairs to find aliens in his kitchen (we don't actually see the creatures, the camera stays on Barry's face with its mix of fear, wonder and ultimately amusement)
Roy almost runs Barry over with his truck.
A winding country road is the site of a series of UFO sightings as a mysterious old man quietly whistles "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain."
Lights appear in the night sky as a group of UFO watchers await a second visitation. Their slow approach is intensified with John Williams' music. As it turns out, they are police helicopters that have come to break up the gathering.
In the film's most frightening sequence, aliens descend on Jillian's house from the night sky and try to get in through the chimney, the windows, and the doors. Jillian first sees the approaching lights, then runs into the house and tries to barricade doors and windows. She and Barry then hear footsteps on the roof, then a bright light shining down the chimney. Jillian barely gets the chimney closed when appliances in her home turn on, the vacuum cleaner starts running on its own, the record player switches on and plays "Chances Are," and the phone rings with the mysterious musical tones of the aliens are heard on the other end. Barry opens the front door and the blinding lights of one alien landing craft are near the front porch. He is eventually pulled through the home's doggie door and taken up into the heavens.
UFOs descend on Devils Tower and make contact with government officials and scientists. Their arrival is ultimately one of wonder and excitement, but their approach is creepy and ominous. After the initial scout ships communicate, at least a dozen more scout ships show up and hover above the wide-eyed men and women assembled there.
A massive mothership then descends from the sky, rotates, and begins communicating via tonal beeps and musical notes.

GUNS/WEAPONS: Cops chase UFOs in rural Indiana. When they exit their squad cars to watch the lights fly off, they are show with holstered firearms.
As the U.S. Army evacuates the towns and homes within a 300-square-mile radius of Devils Tower, many of them carry rifles and guns.
At the military base camp near Devils Tower, several soldiers and others carry guns.
Military choppers are fitted with a kind of gas that they shoot across the countryside that renders people, animals and birds unconscious, but doesn't kill them.
Soldiers search for Roy and Jillian on foot, carrying rifles and other weaponry.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Beats the sh*t out of me," "All this bullsh*t is wrecking this family," "This isn't a mood burn, G*ddamn it," "I got a couple thousand G*ddamn questions, you know," "Oh damn," "Damn it, I know this," "I have been looking for these damn, silly lights," "Move your ass," "Call the bastard," "What the hell is happening here?" "How the hell did it get here?" "See what the hell they could be testing up there," "What the hell is going on around here?" "You're in the middle of the road, jackass," "Turkey," "Who wants to see some dumb cartoon movie rated G for kids," "Fartin' around," "The whole doggone thing repeats," "Kick that mule" and "This is nuts."
One of Roy's sons bangs his little sister's baby doll repeatedly against her playpen until it breaks.
Roy leaves his electrical tools on the family dining table, angering his wife.
One of Roy's sons asks him to do his math homework for him.
Roy and police officers drive at high speeds, going through a toll booth without stopping and paying as they pursue UFOs. At one point, Roy takes a turn so sharply that he scrapes the side of his truck along a highway guard rail.
Roy's kids sneak up behind him as he is brushing his teeth and swat him hard on the bottom with a ping-pong paddle.
Roy responds by turning around quickly with frothy toothpaste in his mouth and pretending he is a monster.
Aliens ransack Jillian's kitchen, leaving behind a mess.
Barry leaves his home in the middle of the night to chase aliens. He winds up in the middle of the road and is almost hit by Roy driving his truck.
A stranger takes a photo of Barry as a group of people return to the spot where UFOs were sighted the night before to await a second visitation.
A man hangs out of an open helicopter snapping photos.
Researchers and other government staffers break into an office and take apart a colleague's expensive globe as they try and figure out a mysterious set of coordinates.
Roy's young daughter wears a hat that can be pulled down and used as a play mask at the dinner table.
Roy locks himself in the bathroom, climbs fully clothed into the bathtub, and has the shower on full blast.
A crazed Roy digs up portions of his yard along with a number of plants and then throws the dirt and various bushes and shrubs through a window into his house.
Roy steals chicken wire from his neighbor as she looks on. He does offer to pay her later.
Roy takes a trash can from a garbage man and dumps its contents onto the street out front of his house.
Ronnie backs quickly out of her driveway without looking and drives off with Roy on the hood of her car for a few seconds until he falls off.
Roy uses the dirt and plants and trash to build an enormous replica of Devils Tower in his living room.
Roy completely obscures his vision with a giant map while driving, almost running into oncoming traffic.
Roy drives his rental car erratically, crashing through unmanned military barricades as he and Jillian try and make it to the UFO landing site.

JUMP SCENES: Roy is startled when his flashlight suddenly comes back on and his truck starts again.
Alien lights suddenly emerge from darkening storm clouds and bear down on Jillian and Barry's rural home, complete with some heavy John Williams percussion.
As Jillian tries to shut her fireplace to keep the aliens out, the camera swoops fast down her chimney giving us an alien's eye view just as she barely manages to close it up.
The humans use an electronic keyboard to communicate with the alien Mothership, repeating the same five-note melody. After several repeated attempts, the Mothership suddenly completes the last two notes of one such try and absolutely shatters the glass of a control tower behind Roy.
If you have the sound up, the big alien doors of the Mothership opening to first let go of the human abductees, including Barry, then later to let out the little aliens to wander around is pretty jump-inducing.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): An extreme amount of ominous, foreboding music plays throughout the film, courtesy of legendary composer John Williams. The aliens themselves communicate via music that is often creepy, mysterious and quite tense.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: At least 5 "s" words, 4 damns, 4 hells, 1 "ass," 4 uses of "Oh my God," 2 uses of "G-damn" and1 use of "Christ."

SEX/NUDITY: Roy and Ronnie kiss passionately as he watches the skies for UFO activity.
The classic '70s poster of Farrah Fawcett in her swimsuit hangs on the wall of a government command center.

SMOKING: During a military briefing to the public, one officer is shown smoking.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Jillian is a single mother to 4-year-old Barry, and it is never revealed whether she is a widow or a divorcee. Clearly, though, she is raising the boy completely on her own.
Ronnie does not believe Roy's initial claims of a close encounter.
Roy later bugs out at the dinner table when he sees the shape of Devils Tower in his mashed potatoes, causing one of his sons to cry.
Roy locks himself in a bathroom with the shower on full blast, prompting Ronnie to jimmy the door. A big argument ensues that their children witness, and all concerned -- except one son who weeps quietly -- end up screaming at each other.
The next morning, it is revealed that Ronnie spent the night in her sons' bedroom sleeping on the floor.
Ronnie gets to the breaking point and leaves an increasingly crazed Roy, taking their two sons and daughter with her. She becomes so fed up, she drives off in her pajamas without even packing anything.
Roy ultimately makes the decision to exit the planet with the aliens in their Mothership, leaving behind his wife and three children.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Humanity's long history of UFO sightings and alien abduction stories.
Mysterious occurrences such as lost planes and the Bermuda Triangle.
The often sad and devastating effects obsessive-compulsive behavior can have on one's personal relationships and employment.
The possibility of life on other planets.
Government cover-ups.

VIOLENCE: One of Roy's sons bangs his little sister's baby doll repeatedly against her playpen until it breaks.
Roy drives erratically as he attempts to catch up with the UFOs after his first close encounter, at one point taking a turn so sharp that he scrapes the side of his truck along a highway guard rail.
A police car goes careening off the road and down a steep hill in the dark as its driver pursues a UFO.
Roy's kids sneak up behind him as he is brushing his teeth and swat him hard on the bottom with a ping-pong paddle.
Roy angrily destroys a small model of Devils Tower he has made, throwing bits of clay at it and ripping off its top.
Ronnie backs quickly out of her driveway without looking, running over a tricycle, and drives off with Roy on the hood of her car for a few seconds until he falls off.
Roy drives his rental car erratically, going off road and crashing through unmanned military barricades as he and Jillian defy government orders and try and make it to the UFO landing site.
The humans use an electronic keyboard to communicate with the alien Mothership, repeating the same five-note melody. After several repeated attempts, the Mothership suddenly completes the last two notes of one such try and absolutely shatters the glass of a control tower behind Roy (not intentionally, it's just a result of the pitch and volume).

Reviewed off DVD / Posted November 12, 2009

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