Cocoon

Directed by Ron Howard, Cocoon follows a group of senior citizens, including Don Ameche’s Art, Wilford Brimley’s Ben, and Hume Cronyn’s Joe, as they’re filled with youthful vigor after stumbling upon a swimming pool containing mysterious pods. Filmmaker Howard, working from Tom Benedek’s screenplay, delivers an affable yet erratic endeavor that’s rarely as compelling or engrossing as one might’ve anticipated, as the picture, which runs a palpably overlong 117 minutes, suffers from an overly languid pace and sporadically uneventful narrative that cumulatively pave the way for a decidedly hit-and-miss midsection. It’s clear, then, that Cocoon‘s arms-length atmosphere is generally alleviated by the superb performances and a smattering of engaging sequences, with, in terms of the former, the movie benefiting substantially from the top-tier, insanely charming efforts of its stacked cast – which includes, in addition to the aforementioned leads, Brian Dennehy, Steve Guttenberg, and Jessica Tandy. The crowd-pleasing bent of the film’s larger-than-life final stretch admittedly ensures that the whole thing concludes on a memorable, agreeable note, thus cementing Cocoon‘s place as a watchable (albeit far-from-flawless) sci-fi story that does, for the most part, feel like it should be much, much better.

**1/2 out of ****