Men in Black (1997)

Director:

Barry Sonnenfeld

Writers (WGA):

Lowell Cunningham (comic)
Ed Solomon (screen story)

Release Date:

2 July 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Protecting the earth from the scum of the universe

Plot:

Two men who keep an eye on aliens in New York City must try to save the world after the aliens threaten to blow it up.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Men In Black | Bug | New York City | Technology

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 17 wins & 28 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Dec. 5	10:30 PM	TNT
Sun. Dec. 6	6:00 PM	TNT

Cast

Tommy Lee Jones	...	Kay
Will Smith	...	N.Y.P.D Ofcr. James Darrel Edwards III / Jay
Linda Fiorentino	...	Laurel
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Edgar
Rip Torn	...	Chief Zed
Tony Shalhoub	...	Jack Jeebs
Siobhan Fallon	...	Beatrice
Mike Nussbaum	...	Gentle Rosenburg the Arquillian Jeweler
Jon Gries	...	Nick the Van Driver
Sergio Calderón	...	Jose
Carel Struycken	...	Arquillian
Fredric Lehne	...	INS Agent Janus (as Fredric Lane)
Richard Hamilton	...	D
Kent Faulcon	...	1st Lt. Jake Jensen
John Alexander	...	Mikey

Also Known As:

MIB (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
Люди в Чёрном (Russia) [ru]
Adamianebi shavebshi (Georgia) [ka]
Barbati în negru (Romania) [ro]
Faceci w czerni (Poland) [pl]
Gvarim B'Shahor (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Hombres de negro (Argentina) [es]
Homens de Negro (Portugal) [pt]
Homens de Preto (Brazil) [pt]
Homes de negre (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Hommes en noir (Canada: French title) [fr]
Ljudi u crnom (Croatia) [hr]
MIB - Miehet mustissa (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
MIB - Svartklädda män (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Men in Black (France) [fr]
Men in Black (Germany) [de]
Men in Black (Sweden) [sv]
Men in Black (Italy) [it]
Men in Black (Norway) [no]
Men in Black - Sötét zsaruk (Hungary) [hu]
Men in Black: hombres de negro (Spain) [es]
Men in black - miehet mustissa (Finland) [fi]
Mozje v crnem (Slovenia) [sl]
Oi andres me ta mavra (Greece) [el]
Siyah giyen adamlar (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Vishwa-Rakshak (India: Hindi title) (dubbed version) [hi]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and sci-fi violence.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | DTS | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

Denmark:11 | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:AL (1999 video rating) | Australia:PG (re-rating on appeal) (rejected) | UK:PG (cut) | Philippines:PG-13 | South Africa:10V | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

54 Macdougal Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

The line Will Smith says after jumping on the double-decker bus, "It just be raining black people in New York", was improvised on the set, but the producers like it so much that they kept it.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As J is trying to follow Edgar after the gun fight outside the jewelry store, the pyrotechnic devices used for the cricket gun damage blasts are clearly visible for a few seconds before they burn out.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Nick the Van Driver: Goddamn bugs!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in U.V.O (2004)

Soundtrack:

The Promised Land

A great fantasy-comedy

I am very upset that most people take this movie too seriously This movie is just a nice comedy with a very intriguing subject. Most people try to find bug in this movie but i believe that they should just sit back and enjoy the great epic line. Let's be serious do you believe that a galaxy can be carried around a cat's belt or that "Elivs is not dead he's just gone home" ? For this reason I believe this is an excellent comedy with a Sf theme. I also appreciate that the acting is very good and the script is very nicely written. I urge people to stop taking the "noisy cricket" too serious! This movie is making fun of the people who take this sort of things too seriously.