Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
8 suggestions available
Watchlist
Sign in
Sign in
New customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Cocoon

  • 1985
  • PG-13
  • 1h 57m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
71K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,148
302
Cocoon (1985)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer1:27
96
3 Videos
99+ Photos
Quirky ComedyComedyDramaSci-Fi

When a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigor.When a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigor.When a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigor.

  • Director
    • Ron Howard
  • Writers
    • Tom Benedek
    • David Saperstein
  • Stars
    • Don Ameche
    • Wilford Brimley
    • Hume Cronyn
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    71K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,148
    302
    • Director
      • Ron Howard
    • Writers
      • Tom Benedek
      • David Saperstein
    • Stars
      • Don Ameche
      • Wilford Brimley
      • Hume Cronyn
    RENT/BUY
    Search on Amazon
    search Amazon
    • 115User reviews
    • 65Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 7 wins & 11 nominations total

    Videos3

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:27
    Official Trailer
    96
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:24
    Official Trailer
    25
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:24
    Official Trailer
    25
    COCOON Original Theatrical Trailer
    Clip 1:29
    COCOON Original Theatrical Trailer

    Photos112

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 106
    View Poster

    Top cast49

    Edit
    Don Ameche
    Don Ameche
    • Art Selwyn
    Wilford Brimley
    Wilford Brimley
    • Ben Luckett
    Hume Cronyn
    Hume Cronyn
    • Joe Finley
    Brian Dennehy
    Brian Dennehy
    • Walter
    Jack Gilford
    Jack Gilford
    • Bernie Lefkowitz
    Steve Guttenberg
    Steve Guttenberg
    • Jack Bonner
    Maureen Stapleton
    Maureen Stapleton
    • Mary Luckett
    Jessica Tandy
    Jessica Tandy
    • Alma Finley
    Gwen Verdon
    Gwen Verdon
    • Bess McCarthy
    Herta Ware
    • Rose 'Rosie' Lefkowitz
    Tahnee Welch
    Tahnee Welch
    • Kitty
    Barret Oliver
    Barret Oliver
    • David
    Linda Harrison
    Linda Harrison
    • Susan
    Tyrone Power Jr.
    • Pillsbury
    Clint Howard
    Clint Howard
    • John Dexter
    Charles Lampkin
    Charles Lampkin
    • Pops
    Mike Nomad
    • Doc
    Jorge Gil
    • Lou Pine
    • Director
      • Ron Howard
    • Writers
      • Tom Benedek
      • David Saperstein
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews115

    6.771.4K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    9TVholic

    Another under-appreciated gem

    "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light." - Dylan Thomas

    The senior characters of this modern day fable took this poem to heart.

    When we first meet the motley group, they are as many of us dread one day becoming. Kept in a nursing home, days filled with vapid activities like shuffleboard or mah-jongg, whiling away hours floating in a deserted swimming pool, watching people your own age drop like flies. When that changes through the magic of alien technology, they become, if not the picture of reckless youth, at least a semblance of the people they were once upon a time, proving the old cliché: you ARE only as old as you feel. In that, it's a good lesson for people heading into their golden years or even those of us just having midlife crises. We can't help but grow old. But it's up to us whether we want to BE old or merely mature.

    For a science fiction movie, it would appear to have few special effects. This is an illusion. There are quite a few effects shots, although the variety of effects is rather limited. The glowing aliens are quite good except for the all too familiar hand movements by Caprice Rothe, who first did the job for "E.T." Still, by and large the effects are impressive and convincing even when compared against the latest films of the 21st century. Even more impressive was the poolhouse, which was hastily constructed purely as a setpiece for the movie. It looks absolutely real, as if it had sat there among the Florida palms for decades.

    Tahnee Welch, daughter of the seemingly ageless Raquel, was wholesomely fetching here. Whether she was a limited actress or merely underplaying the role is for others to decide. Ron Howard wisely kept Steve Guttenberg's role limited, focusing mainly on the older characters. A little Guttenberg goofiness goes a long way. Also present are the standard Howard family repertory, with brother Clint as the nursing home attendant and father Rance making a brief appearance as a detective. Much as already been said about the excellent performances of the older cast members. This was, after all, the role that finally won an Oscar for Don Ameche. But they're slowly slipping away from us, one by one. First Jack Gilford, then Ameche, then Jessica Tandy and recently Gwen Verdon. At least we'll have this movie to remember them by. Maybe they weren't at the peaks of their careers, but quite possibly the roles they fit most comfortably.

    Two attempts to cash in on this movie failed. Both 1987's "*batteries Not Included," starring Tandy and Cronyn, and the 1988 sequel "Cocoon: The Return" flopped. Neither had the genuine warmth of this original. Ron Howard showed good judgement in turning down the chance to direct the sequel.

    As for the musical score, it's one of James Horner's better works, mixing symphonic grandeur with childlike wonderment. Alas, he does fall into old habits and reuse some bars and measures from his "Wolfen" and "Star Trek II" scores.

    It's a shame this movie never found the audience it deserved. I first saw this in a shopping mall four-plex a couple of weeks after its release. There couldn't have been more than 20 people in the entire theater. The whole movie holds up remarkably well in the 16 years since, except for the break dancing. My god, has it been 16 years already? Where can I find some Antarean life force?
    FilmFlaneur

    Charming fable that's still fresh

    Cocoon is a charming science fiction fable by the underrated Ron Howard. Howard is an amiable, frequently baseball-capped figure who, in the 70's, became a familiar face through his 6 year stint as Richie in TV's Happy Days. Cocoon followed immediately after Splash! (1984), another successful fantasy. It exchanges the Tom Hanks figure featured in that film with a similar one played by Steve Guttenberg, another romantic innocent. But whereas in the earlier film Hanks had a central role, here Jack Bonner (Guttenberg) has far less prominence. This is perhaps because of Guttenberg's modest acting abilities, but principally so the narrative can focus more securely on the characters that matter – the community of senior citizens facing their twilight years at the Sunny Shores Retirement Center.

    Cocoon's achievement as a film is all the more remarkable when one reflects upon the scarcity of active, old people in American cinema, let alone a group of them presented so positively in a state of sexual re awakening, then led to such an upbeat conclusion. Behind this apparent optimism, however, the thoughtful viewer can still reflect on some final doubts and uncertainties.

    The central circle of old people, around whom events turn, together prove a fine acting ensemble. Arthur (a still svelte Don Ameche), Ben (Selwyn Wilford Brimley) Jo (Hume Cronyn), Bernie (Walter Gilford), Alma (Jessica Tandy), Bess (Gwen Verdon) and the others are a convincing unit, squabbling, relating and facing the end of their lives with cantankerous dignity which is entirely convincing. Tandy and Cronyn were married in real life. Many of film's most poignant moments of the film spring from the relationships between these people. The quiet passing of Rose for instance, and her husband's grief by her bedside. Notable too is the wooing by former song and dance man Ameche of his new lady love, a process during which he shows no lessening of time-honed screen courtesy and assurance. During the opening of the film, Arthur and Jo's witnessing of an unsuccessful resuscitation is a stark reminder of the mortality of the principals, sadly off and on screen. Cocoon was a last hurrah for many of the elderly cast (although one or two survived advancing years to appear in the terrible Cocoon 2(1988)).

    The other major character group are the Antareans. Here too a refreshing leap out of the stereotypical is taken as the aliens prove reasonable, non aggressive and forgiving – perhaps characteristics inspired by Spielberg's influential and amenable ET (1982) or the religiosity of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Jack Bonner's near hysterical reaction to their initial unmasking ('If you try and eat my face off you'll be very, very sorry'), his following conversion then inevitable dalliance, are all handled with an effective lightness. Even Howard's depiction of an alien orgasm on screen as Jack romances Kitty (Tahnee Welch) without touching, in the life giving pool, is done sensitively. It is perhaps the most striking moment of its sort in Science Fiction cinema since Woody Allen's Sleeper (1973). Cocoon is a film in which sexual energy is equated closely to an amplified life force and is seen as both positive and welcome. Both young and old feel the replenishment of their passion, directly or indirectly, in connection with the cocoon tank. Here the items retrieved from the sea are settled at the bottom, somewhat ominous reminders of a life to come. The title itself is suggestive, not only of the typical dormacy of a chrysalis, but of impending rebirth such an object heralds. As the oldsters rejuvenate with the 'fountain of youth', they find new meaning and value in their lives, a belated development which even leads to the sad break up of families. The desire for life can be selfish, even when healthily expressed, and some prefer to 'stick with the hand nature has given' them.

    The Antarean's recovery of their 'ground crew' is what brings them to earth. While their leader's account of them having originally lodged themselves in what was Atlantis is slightly hoary (their bases apparently having sunk during the 'first great upheaval') the film wisely seers away from too much alien hardware. Apart from the pretty device on the deck of Bonner's boat, and the splendours of the returning mother ship, very little technology is glimpsed. The Antareans are certainly strange, but lacking much hard evidence of their difference enables the audience to relate to them easily. Even their unskinning, as they emerge as their true, shining selves, is a wonderous event, a shining transfiguration with no implicit threat to humanity.

    These are aliens associated with whiteness and with life, forgiving and considerate, exhibiting 'christian' values. They radiate and float like angels when emerging from human covering, and their ship takes the departing OAPs up into the light. Hollywood readily associates such light with the rewards of heaven (for other examples of the brilliance bestowed upon the departing see The Frighteners (1996) or Jacob's Ladder (1990). Substitute the pool of life for baptism, the smiling Walter (Brian Dennehy) for a prophet, and Cocoon's alien spaceship might just as easily be the Gabriel leading the faithful to paradise.

    But what of the end of the film? Is it really as happy and as affirmative as it first seems? Bonner has made great play with his responsibility as a skipper in an earlier scene with Kitty. At the conclusion he might, therefore, reasonably be held to account for his loss of a cargo of elderly transportees. At least one extended family is broken up by their leaving. And Walter has to return home, his mission a failure, together with a boatload of unexpected guests. At the least the final ascension is a complex event, leaving some tensions unresolved. That Cocoon manages to hold all these elements together in a satisfying whole is one reason to seek it out. To enjoy a warm hearted family film is another.
    tfrizzell

    Early Ron Howard Entertainer.

    Six elderly people (Oscar-winner Don Ameche in more of a lifetime achievement award, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Maureen Stapleton and Gwen Verdon) start swimming at a locked up housed swimming pool that has strange pods in it and then start doing things that contradict their ages. Of course the pods really house aliens from another planet and they are the reasons for the "fountain of youth". Ron Howard's sympathetic and clever direction saves this uneven project that starts out as a pure comedy and then turns into a rough drama as the clock ticks away. Brian Dennehy and Steve Guttenberg shine in smart supporting roles. 4 stars out of 5.
    8blanche-2

    Sweet film that probably means more today

    1985's Cocoon, directed by Ron Howard, asks - would you give up the emotional, mental and physical pain of growing old if you could?

    Baby boomers today feel that death is optional and seek out whatever it takes to make them feel and look young - so if Cocoon came out in 2008, it would perhaps resonate even more.

    The story takes place in a rest home inhabited by a group of friends: Arthur (Don Ameche), Benjamin (Wilford Brimley) and his wife Marilyn (Maureen Stapleton), Joseph (Hume Cronyn) and his wife Alma (Jessica Tandy) and a perky red-head Bess (Gwen Verdon). The guys have taken to going to an abandoned pool house and swimming - without permission, of course.

    Then the building is rented by a man (Brian Dennehy). This same man also rents a boat from Jack Bonner (Steve Guttenberg), who is down on his luck and can use the money. He watches Jack, his beautiful assistant Kitty (Tahnee Welch) and some other people skindiving and bringing up huge silver packages. These packages are then dumped into the pool.

    After the men swim there one day, they find themselves suddenly rejuvenated and start having sex, staying up, nightclubbing and having more energy. Meantime, on the boat, Jack has gotten a look at Kitty getting ready for bed...and notices that she removes her skin as well as her clothes and glows in the dark.

    This movie has many poignant moments - Alma coming to grips with the fact that her husband has always cheated, and the saddest of all, when Bernard (Jack Gilford) who has been violently opposed to the whole idea of the pool as a fountain of youth, desperately brings his wife there.

    Howard cast this with an eye toward man's normal immortality - children - with Raquel Welch's daughter and Tyrone Power's son, Tyrone Power Jr. As Pillsbury - while telling the story of people who have a chance at a different kind of immortality. Both Power and Welch bear strong resemblance to their famous parents.

    The old-timers in the cast are among the greatest actors of their generation and sadly, we've lost nearly all of them now. Only Wilford Brimley remains. The film revived Don Ameche's career, and the cast returned for a sequel, "Cocoon: The Return."

    A wonderful film to see the old stars in a very touching story and to ask yourself - if you had the chance, would you take it?
    7raymond-15

    Interesting and thought-provoking

    Made 20 years ago with some former well-known actors, this film has stood the test of time very well and delivers a very interesting and thought-provoking story about the mortality of man.

    A group of people in a retirement village discover a neighbouring swimming pool which is out of bounds, but they have fun in it nevertheless. There are some strange objects lying on the bottom of the pool, but even more strange is the fact that after swimming there the old folk feel transformed and the vigor of their youth returns to their bodies. This makes for some light comedy as their hormones begin to take over.

    These old people have a very serious decision to make and it is not an easy one. This is probably the best part of the film. Should they accept or decline the invitation? Having made the decision there is no turning back! We ask ourselves...what would we do placed in their circumstances? We feel very much involved. Thinking it over, isn't this proposal very much like what the Christian churches are promising us?

    The final memorial church service by the sea is such a fitting ending and the little grandson David gives such a knowing smile as he raises his eyes to the sky.

    More like this

    Cocoon: The Return
    5.4
    Cocoon: The Return
    Splash
    6.3
    Splash
    Enemy Mine
    6.8
    Enemy Mine
    Innerspace
    6.8
    Innerspace
    Romancing the Stone
    6.9
    Romancing the Stone
    The Jewel of the Nile
    6.1
    The Jewel of the Nile
    Crocodile Dundee
    6.6
    Crocodile Dundee
    Teen Wolf
    6.1
    Teen Wolf
    Backdraft
    6.7
    Backdraft
    Weird Science
    6.6
    Weird Science
    Cocoon
    6.5
    Cocoon
    Police Academy
    6.7
    Police Academy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Hume Cronyn was a Golden Glove boxer and lost sight in one eye. In the scene where he hits the young orderly, without depth perception, he actually hit the young man and knocked him out.
    • Goofs
      Kitty massages Jack's right leg just after he bangs it. However, when they are talking, the leg left is the injured one.
    • Quotes

      Joseph Finley: [to Alma] They say if we go with them, we'll live forever. And that's good. It's probably going to take you an eternity to forgive me... Alma, I'm sorry. I guess I was being ridiculous. I'm sorry. I love you. You're my whole life. I wanna go. But if it's a choice of only six more months here with you or living forever all by myself, well I'll take the six more months here with you. I don't want to live forever if you're not going to be with me.

    • Alternate versions
      UK cinema and video versions were cut by 2 secs by the BBFC to remove one brief use of the word 'fucking' for a PG certificate. The Blu-ray is uncut, upgraded to a 12 rating.
    • Connections
      Featured in Michael Sembello: Gravity (1985)
    • Soundtracks
      Gravity
      Performed by Michael Sembello

      Produced by Richard Rudolph (as Richard Rudolph) and Michael Sembello

      Courtesy of A&M Records

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ24

    • How long is Cocoon?Powered by Alexa
    • What is 'Cocoon' about?
    • Is 'Cocoon' based on a book?
    • Where are the aliens from?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 21, 1985 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Кокон
    • Filming locations
      • St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Zanuck/Brown Productions
      • SLM Production Group
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $17,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $76,113,124
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $7,936,427
      • Jun 23, 1985
    • Gross worldwide
      • $85,313,124
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 57 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Cocoon (1985)
    Top Gap
    What is the Hindi language plot outline for Cocoon (1985)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Production art
    Photos
    Hollywood Power Couples
    See the gallery
    Production art
    List
    July 2025 TV and Streaming Premiere Dates
    See the list
    Production art
    Photos
    Disability Community Icons of Film and Television
    See the gallery

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.