Welcome to a new segment of the blog! I have a very conflicted view of the Howard family; some things they do I really enjoy, and other things are wastes of time. I will break down what each project is, what Howard member was involved in each project, their role in its overall achievements/failures, and whether I like them more or dislike them more because of such roles. Hey, let's get started!
Project: "Cocoon", a wacky 1985 sci-fi comedy starring perennial old guys Wilford Brimley and Don Ameche.
Howard Involved: Ron, who directed the film
Description of project: After breaking out with "Splash" in '84, Howard returned with "Cocoon", which follows a group of senior citizens who find a group of kindly aliens living in a pool near their retirement home. The pool contains large brown cocoons where other aliens are stored; when the old men swim in the pool, they are filled with youthful vigor. The aliens are kindly folk and invite some of the old dudes to return with them to their planet, and live forever! Can Wilford Brimley and co. make the decision to leave earth and their mortality?
Ron Howard's role in achievements/failures: "Cocoon"'s a nice-enough movie. You got a pretty silly plot, sure, but it's got a big heart and at least tries to ask some tough questions, whatever. Howard's never been an overbearing director, and it's easy to see here that he was trying to let the light-hearted story speak for itself. And yeah, you can classify this as an entertaining-but-not-really-good movie, but there's two things that earn it -- and Howard -- major props. First off, you have to notice the dream-team cast. Wilford Motherfuckin' Brimley absolutely kills it in the lead, and Don Ameche, who won an Oscar in the role, is a solid geriatric wing-man. Old-timey Jack Gilford plays the asshole senior citizen Bernie, who ends up emotionally breaking down in a surprisingly affecting sequence. Brian Dennehy plays the leader of the aliens, which is weird, and Steve Guttenberg (boo-yah!) plays a guy who somehow gets to hang out with the aliens a lot (I think it's because he owns a boat that they use, or something)!! Clint Howard even pops up as a nursing home attendant. Ron really lets Brimley and Ameche run the show, however, and their characters are fairly likeable in the long-run.
The other reason that Howard gets major kudos from me is this: "Cocoon" has, by all accounts, the craziest damn sex scene I have ever seen. Reasons why it is jaw-dropping: it involves Steve Guttenberg and an alien. And they never touch.
Yes, my friends, we all know the old story: Guttenberg meets pretty alien, Guttenberg falls hard, Guttenberg gets hard in a magical pool, and thus the inter-planetary breeding begins. How many times have we seen it? Yet, "Cocoon"'s sex scene is done beautifully: Guttenberg and the alien (named Kitty) go in the pool, and you can feel the sexual tension rising. Magical lights literally start flashing above the pool, and the girl orgasms, presumably from aroused "life-energy". Sweet. It has to be seen to be appreciated, but I will say this: in what could have been treated as another snuff alien/flashing-light porn scene is handled by Howard with a subtle delicacy. Love has never felt so real.
Like/Dislike: C'mon man, who DOESN'T appreciate a movie with this sort of absurdity making enough money to earn a sequel, being critically praised, and winning a great actor an Oscar? "Cocoon" was made with the same sort of whimsy Howard added to "Splash"; this was way before Howard started doing heavy-handed dramas like "Apollo 13" and "Ransom" in the '90s. I guess the general reaction to Howard's involvement with "Cocoon" should be: "Oh really, Ron Howard directed that? Weird. That's pretty cool, I guess." For making "Cocoon" I like Ron Howard a little bit more.
Damn you, Howard family. The war over my opinion of you rages on.
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