‹ All movies
Close Encounters of the Third Kind poster

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

year 1977decade 70sdirector Steven Spielberggenre science fiction drama

135

IMDb
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Richard Dreyfuss Roy Neary
François Truffaut Claude Lacombe
Teri Garr Ronnie Neary, Roy's wife. Meryl Streep and Amy Irving also auditioned for the role
Melinda Dillon Jillian Guiler. Garr wanted to portray Jillian, but was cast as Ronnie. Hal Ashby
Bob Balaban David Laughlin, Lacombe's assistant and English-French interpreter
J. Patrick McNamara Project Leader
Warren J. Kemmerling Major "Wild Bill" Walsh
Phil Dodds Jean Claude
Cary Guffey Barry Guiler, Jillian's son. Spielberg conducted a series of method acting techniques to help Guffey
Merrill Connally Team Leader
George DiCenzo Major Benchley
Josef Sommer Larry Butler
Carl Weathers Military Police
David Abraham Cheulkar English-Hindi interpreter

Close Encounters of the Third Kind | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennesseyproducer Craig Horlbeck theme Big-Ass '70s Month
Explore episodeClose episode

Roger Ebert's review

Ebert's four-star reviews of the original and 1980 cuts are quoted before his and Siskel's responses are revisited.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:40:12Read transcript
  • Roger Ebert is reported to have awarded four stars to both the original release and the 1980 revised cut.
  • The quoted revised review calls the new version better and asks why Spielberg did not make the original version this good.
  • Ebert and Siskel are recalled as admiring the film while saying its middle section drags.
  • The panel argues that this pacing complaint now feels minor beside the film's lasting meaning and visual achievement.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Roy's railroad-crossing close encounter wins after an extensive field that includes air traffic control, Barry's bedroom, India, the abduction, the town hall, mashed potatoes, and the landing.

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:53Read transcript
  • The air-traffic-control sequence builds suspense from radio dialogue, camera movement, and overlapping controller reactions.
  • Barry's bedroom encounter is praised as a major practical-effects achievement and a precursor to Poltergeist.
  • Roy's railroad-crossing encounter and the UFO highway chase are nominated as an escalating seven-minute sequence.
  • The Northern India crowd singing the five-note theme is praised for communicating the melody's importance before its meaning is known.
  • Barry's abduction through the dog door is nominated while prompting questions about the house.
  • The Air Force town hall is nominated for showing Roy resist what is happening to him.
  • The mashed-potato dinner is praised for combining an ordinary family setting with Roy's mounting obsession.
  • Roy throwing material into the house, the eavesdropped UFO communication, and the final landing sequence complete the nominee field.
  • The final answer selects Roy's close encounter at the truck and railroad crossing, and another participant agrees.

The most GIFable moment

Roy's truck being lifted into the UFO light wins the Fortune 3 Clap Award for most GIFable moment.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:08Read transcript
  • The light lifting Roy at the railroad crossing receives the Fortune 3 Clap Award for most GIFable moment.

The most "year the movie came out" thing

The 1977 markers include World War II's recency, always-on television, rotary phones, neighborhood streets, and whole milk.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:32Read transcript
  • The story treating World War II as only thirty years earlier is proposed as a distinctly 1977 perspective.
  • Roy leaving broadcast television on for hours to receive news is identified as a vanished media habit.
  • A McDonald's sign advertising only twenty-four billion served is singled out as a period marker.
  • Rotary phones and neighbors gathering in the street are proposed as additional 1977 details.
  • A three-year-old child named Barry is treated as a name choice unlikely to recur now.
  • A pitcher of whole milk at the dinner table is the final period candidate.

What’s Aged the Best?

The direction, practical effects, Dreyfuss, Dillon, child performance, and suburban wonder have aged best.

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:25Read transcript
  • The film preserves wonder about UFOs while the panel debates whether extraterrestrial visits have occurred.
  • Recurring maps, crossroads, and shots of Roy moving against crowds are praised as visual expressions of his inner life.
  • Melinda Dillon's performance and the mission-control worker who solves the coordinate problem are separate Aged Best choices.
  • The film's combination of cynicism, wonder, spectacle, and family story is credited with influencing later event filmmakers.
  • Motion-control photography, Douglas Trumbull's effects, Bob Baker's marionette, and Spielberg's limited writing credits receive craft praise.
  • Gene Siskel's description of the film as a fairy tale for adults is praised as its best concise description.
  • Small-town suburban America is praised as a durable setting inherited by later adventure stories.
  • The film's refusal to explain the alien compulsion literally is said to keep it timeless.
  • Roy's half-face sunburn and Barry's performance are praised as memorable character details.
  • Spielberg is reported to have elicited Barry's reactions by slowly opening presents above the camera.
  • The giant globe, Devil's Tower plot, numbered youth shirts, and the family's domestic setting receive further period appreciation.
  • The long Spielberg-Michael Kahn editing partnership is reported to have begun on this film.
  • Melinda Dillon's 1977 work and her appearances in two famous mashed-potato scenes are praised.

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

Barry's abduction light, India, the crowd embrace, and the five-note board lead an unusually deep field.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:40Read transcript
  • The wide view of the house under the stars is nominated.
  • Barry's red-lit abduction doorway is nominated.
  • Roy and Jillian embracing while crowds stream around them is a leading choice.
  • The India sequence is nominated for its crowded composition.
  • The five-note communication board is selected as a chills-inducing image.
  • The wind-blown opening and Devil's Tower appearing on television beside Roy's sculpture are additional choices.

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

Larry Butler and Roy's failures as a husband and father are the main weak links.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:50Read transcript
  • Larry Butler is criticized as under-realized in an otherwise carefully cast film.
  • Roy is attacked as a husband and father for abandoning three children and his wife.
  • The panel also considers whether alien contact creates an obsession that makes Roy's decision unavoidable.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Some alien effects, too little period-appropriate smoking, the lack of PTSD awareness, stealth observation, and endless recutting have aged worst.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:20:39Read transcript
  • The child-performed alien suits are criticized while the marionette and final alien are defended.
  • The lack of cigarette smoking is selected as an element that does not match the film's 1977 setting.
  • The family's failure to recognize Roy's trauma and half-face burn as evidence of PTSD is judged to have aged badly.
  • The possibility of keeping UFO observation secret in a camera-phone era is rejected.
  • The forgotten television series Soap and its abduction plot are proposed as a dated reference.
  • The mothership interior in the 1980 cut and repeated recutting are criticized as revisions that aged poorly.

The Andy and Red – Zihuatanejo Award for What Happens the Next Day?

The segment imagines the consequences for Roy's family and Roy aboard the ship.

Flex pick · Sean Fennessey

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:25Read transcript
  • Sean selects the Next Day category as his flex choice. — Sean Fennessey
  • Roy's time aboard the ship is imagined as decades of invasive experimentation.
  • Ronnie is imagined rapidly rebuilding her life with a new partner after leaving Roy.
  • Roy's oldest son is predicted to become delinquent after the family's collapse.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Roy's decision to leave may be defensible, and the movie may be the best ever with a six-word title.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:00Read transcript
  • The panel argues that first contact with extraterrestrial life could justify Roy leaving his family.
  • Close Encounters is proposed as the best movie with a title of six or more words.
  • The Fellowship of the Ring and Everything Everywhere All at Once are considered as long-title alternatives, with Close Encounters preferred to Fellowship.
  • Dr. Strangelove, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford are proposed as further long-title contenders.
  • Borat is conceded to be funnier, but the panel still does not rank it above Close Encounters overall.
  • A hypothetical 2025 remake is criticized as likely to turn Roy into an online obsessive, medicate the children, provoke protests, and scare away the aliens with phones.

Casting What-Ifs

Steve McQueen, James Caan, Pacino, Hoffman, Hackman, Nicholson, Streep, Irving, and others are reviewed.

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:53Read transcript
  • Steve McQueen is reported to have declined because he could not cry on cue despite admiring the script.
  • James Caan, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Gene Hackman are reported to have declined the lead, while Jack Nicholson had conflicts.
  • Richard Dreyfuss is reported to have lobbied Spielberg persistently before salary demands briefly stalled the deal.
  • Hackman's troubled marriage and reluctance to leave Los Angeles, along with Caan's price, are given as reasons the alternatives failed.
  • Teri Garr wanted Jillian but was cast as Ronnie; Meryl Streep and Amy Irving also auditioned for Ronnie.
  • Hal Ashby is reported to have recommended Melinda Dillon, who was cast only days before filming.
  • Carrie Guffey reportedly lost the chance to play Danny Torrance because he was committed to other films.

Recasting Couch

The hosts keep the director but consider John Cazale, James Brolin, O.J. Simpson, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Nicolas Cage, Richard Gere, Bruce Willis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Chadwick Boseman.

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:12Read transcript
  • The panel initially finds no director replacement and briefly proposes John Cazale, James Brolin, or O.J. Simpson for Larry Butler.
  • Tom Hanks is proposed as Roy in a 1987 version.
  • Will Smith is proposed for a 1997 version and questioned as too handsome or heroic.
  • Nicolas Cage is proposed as another 1997 Roy.
  • Richard Gere is considered and rejected as too attractive or too old for the 1997 role.
  • Bruce Willis is considered and rejected as too old for the 1997 role.
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman is proposed for a 2007 version.
  • Chadwick Boseman is proposed for a 2017 version.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Research covers Schrader's rejected script, military noncooperation, the alien performers, the $3.3 million effects budget, motion-control advances, and Truffaut's response to the sets.

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 01:36:40Read transcript
  • Spielberg is quoted calling Paul Schrader's screenplay one of the most embarrassing scripts submitted to a studio or director.
  • Schrader's version reportedly followed an experiencer who threatened to expose the government after fifteen years of attempted contact.
  • The Air Force and NASA reportedly refused to cooperate, which Spielberg interpreted as encouraging evidence for the film.
  • Julia Phillips criticized Spielberg as a perfectionist before being removed from the production.
  • Fifty girls, each six years old and from Mobile, were cast as aliens after puppetry failed.
  • Douglas Trumbull supervised visual effects that advanced motion-control photography.
  • The visual-effects work is reported to have had a $3.3 million budget.
  • Ralph McQuarrie's contribution to the mothership is noted alongside his Star Wars work.
  • Truffaut reportedly ignored the giant landing-site set but praised the small hotel-room set as familiar to his filmmaking experience.
  • Truffaut's role is defended because communication beyond language is a central theme and his films influenced the filmmakers' generation.
  • The Searchers is cited as a visual influence, including its doorway and horizon compositions.
  • Topps reportedly issued sixty-six trading cards and eleven stickers, excluding Dreyfuss and Truffaut at their request.
  • Jaws, Rocky, Rocky II, and E.T. are cited as other films with card sets.

Apex Mountain

Spielberg is rejected before Dreyfuss and post-New-Hollywood UFO movies receive apex status.

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 01:41:15Read transcript
  • Steven Spielberg is considered and immediately rejected as being at his apex here.
  • Richard Dreyfuss is placed at his apex because he won an Oscar and starred in major films during this run.
  • The film is selected as the apex of UFO movies in the post-New-Hollywood era.
  • UFO-related sunburns are given an apex here.
  • François Truffaut is rejected as being at his apex here.
  • Melinda Dillon is considered near her apex because Close Encounters and Slap Shot arrived the same year.
  • Mashed potatoes and their use as construction material receive an apex nomination.
  • Movie fathers losing control is rejected in favor of The Shining and Goodfellas examples.
  • Muncie, Indiana is proposed as reaching its screen apex here.
  • Teri Garr's apex is deferred to her Tootsie and talk-show era.
  • Bad parenting in a major hit is debated against This Boy's Life and other examples.

Cruise or Hanks?

Hanks wins, though Cruise better fits the obsessive drive.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:44:53Read transcript
  • Tom Hanks wins because he better fits Roy's ordinary working-life identity.
  • Tom Cruise is praised as the stronger choice for Roy's obsession but risks turning the story into an action movie.

Picking Nits

Barry's dog-door escape, Jillian's response, sleep-gassing the animals, the returned pilots' calm, and the friendly conspiracy are questioned.

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:46:15Read transcript
  • Jillian allowing Barry to escape through the dog door during the abduction is criticized as implausible parental behavior.
  • Jillian is criticized for not immediately inspecting Barry when he returns from the spacecraft.
  • Putting the animals to sleep with gas is called an odd and weird choice.
  • The returned pilots are criticized for showing no shock or questions after learning that thirty-two years have passed.
  • The military and scientific conspiracy is criticized as implausibly kind and transparent.
  • After a separate Spielberg anecdote, the panel returns to government friendliness as the prevailing nitpick.
  • Lacombe's unusual authority on American soil is questioned.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

A prestige sequel about returned abductees is pitched while the original remains effectively untouchable.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:54:21Read transcript
  • A prestige series is proposed about returned abductees adjusting to families that aged without them.
  • Roy's eventual return is proposed as a first-season ending.
  • The panel notes Spielberg considered but rejected sequel opportunities despite making other sequels.

Is This Movie Better With…?

Doris Burke, a skeptical Jay Williams character, and Wilford Brimley are inserted into the film.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:55:26Read transcript
  • Doris Burke is proposed to address Roy's oldest son about becoming the man of the house.
  • Jay Williams is proposed as a skeptical commentator who minimizes Lacombe's achievement and questions the science.
  • Wilford Brimley is proposed to question Mitch about what Jillian finds at Devil's Tower.

Just One Oscar

Spielberg wins, with John Williams and the cinematography also considered.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:58:09Read transcript
  • Steven Spielberg is selected for the film's single Oscar.
  • John Williams and the cinematographers are considered as alternatives.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Roy's return, the abductees' aging, the family's response, and Roy's firing remain unanswered.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:59:26Read transcript
  • The panel asks whether Roy ever returned or saw his family again.
  • The abductees' lack of aging while aboard the ship is questioned.
  • The panel asks how Ronnie and the family respond to the altered house and Roy's disappearance.
  • Barry's future after the encounter is imagined through an Omen comparison.
  • Roy's unexplained firing and whether a scene is missing are questioned.

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

The jumpsuit, clay mountain, cymbal monkey, and a 1977 McDonald's burger are selected.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 02:01:43Read transcript
  • Roy's mission jumpsuit is selected as memorabilia.
  • Roy's clay Devil's Tower sculpture is selected as memorabilia.
  • Barry's cymbal-banging monkey toy is selected as memorabilia.
  • A 1977 McDonald's burger is proposed as a time-specific collectible and taste comparison.

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Trusting your gut can justify leaving everything behind, at least within the movie's logic.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 02:02:29Read transcript
  • The joking lesson says following an extraordinary intuition can justify leaving one's family.
  • The panel debates whether the lesson holds only if the aliens are real or if Roy is delusional.

More from the conversation

The opening reads the film as visually breathtaking, emotionally dark, and unusually personal for Spielberg.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:10Read transcript
The hosts place the film between paranoid 1970s cinema and the optimistic modern science-fiction cycle.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:22Read transcript
The three released cuts are compared, with the later director's cut preferred and the spaceship interior rejected.
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:17Read transcript
John Williams's five-note communication theme and the editing built around it receive extended attention.
Approx. transcript time · 00:38:40Read transcript