Cocoon (1985)

Cocoon: Directed by Ron Howard. With Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Brian Dennehy. When a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigor.

“Some seniors find the long sought-after Fountain of Youth by accident, just by regularly sneaking into a neighboru0026#39;s pool. I donu0026#39;t know if Iu0026#39;d swim in a pool that has moss-covered boulders tossed into it, but these guys do, and find their youthful vitality returning.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eUnbeknownst to the men, aliens on a mission have rented the neighboru0026#39;s place, and set up the pool as their base of operations. Fortunately, these were post-ET/Close Encounters beings, so they had benevolent intentions.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGreat cast of some familiar faces, and the screen chemistry of the cast members is wonderful as they range from highly emotional to contentious in their interaction. The nursing home residents are marvelous in portraying their renewed joy of life. Don Ameche is dashing with the ladies, and acts the role of a youthful character very well. Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Mareen Stapleton, and Wilford Brimley are all great. However, the movie is certainly not all a feel-good warm fuzzies type of story; there are some sad tragedies that occur as the plot moves forward. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMy one criticism is that the film lacks the courage to address its central theme, the idea of eternal life, only skirting its ramifications. Only one character rejects the idea, but generic platitudes (like u0026quot;belonging hereu0026quot;) he says explain nothing of his reasoning. The film doesnu0026#39;t analyze the people who desire immortality enough, either. We get a few morsels about missing baseball, fishing, and grandchildren. But this shallow analysis gives insufficient insight to this infinitely critical decision the characters are faced with.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s an interesting tale, with a bittersweet message about our own mortality. A well done production that has you wishing the best for the characters, and contemplating what you might do if you were in their shoes.”