Cocoon: The Return (1988)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Daniel Petrie

Writers (WGA):

David Saperstein (characters)
Stephen McPherson (story) ...

Release Date:

23 November 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

This holiday season, journey to the most wonderful place in the universe... home.

Plot:

The old age pensioners that left at the end of the first film come back to earth to visit their relatives...

Plot Keywords:

Senior Citizen | Pregnancy | Cocoon | Pregnant Wife | Expectant Mother

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Don Ameche	...	Arthur 'Art' Selwyn
Wilford Brimley	...	Benjamin 'Ben' Luckett
Courteney Cox	...	Sara
Hume Cronyn	...	Joseph 'Joe' Finley
Jack Gilford	...	Bernard 'Bernie' Lefkowitz
Steve Guttenberg	...	Jack Bonner
Barret Oliver	...	David
Maureen Stapleton	...	Marilyn 'Mary' Luckett
Elaine Stritch	...	Ruby Feinberg
Jessica Tandy	...	Alma Finley
Gwen Verdon	...	Bess McCarthy Selwyn
Tahnee Welch	...	Kitty
Linda Harrison	...	Susan
Tyrone Power Jr.	...	Pillsbury - Antarean
Mike Nomad	...	Doc

Also Known As:

Cocoon 2 (USA) (working title)
Cocoon II: The Return (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

116 min | UK:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Netherlands:MG6 | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:PG (cut) | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Miami, Florida, USA

Company:

Zanuck/Brown Productions

Trivia:

Producers Richard D. Zanuck and his wife, Lili Fini Zanuck, co-owned the rights to the sequel with 20th Century-Fox. Initially opposed to the concept of a second film, they only went ahead with it out of a need to preserve the integrity of the original. As it transpired, Lili, who was very much opposed to doing a sequel, had only nominal interest as she was busy prepping her own directorial debut, Rush (1991).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bernie tries to hang himself, the rope is in front of his left ear in close-ups and lower, around his neck, in the longer-distance shot.

Quotes:

Bernie: Here is an eagle who just found out his teenage daughter is pregnant.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Seinfeld: The Stakeout (#1.2)" (1990)

A worthy follow up to the original

After I enjoyed the first Cocoon so much I decided that the sequel could not be too bad. For the most part, the Cocoon: The Return remains a generally enjoyable film even if most of the magic remained in the original. In this one, the elderly friends return back to earth to catch up on everything that had missed out on while they were away. The biggest problem when they get back to earth is that all of the special protection from illness and aging that they had with the aliens eventually wears off, and if they don't get back to their planet with the aliens quickly, some of them may die. Overall, an enjoyable and harmless sequel to the original. If you liked the original you will most likely enjoy this sequel. ***1/2 out of *****.