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The Rewatchables ·

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

year 1977decade 70sdirector Steven Spielberggenre Science fictiongenre Drama
host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennesseyproducer Craig Horlbeck theme Big-Ass '70s Month
All 36 categories

The film

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Directed by Steven Spielberg · Science fiction

135

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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

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

40:12

Roger Ebert's review
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. — Bill Simmons
  • The quoted revised review calls the new version better and asks why Spielberg did not make the original version this good. — Bill Simmons
  • Ebert and Siskel are recalled as admiring the film while saying its middle section drags. — Sean Fennessey
  • The panel argues that this pacing complaint now feels minor beside the film's lasting meaning and visual achievement. — Chris Ryan
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47:53

Most Rewatchable Scene

Roy's railroad-crossing close encounter

Roy's railroad-crossing close encounter

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. — Bill Simmons
  • Roy's railroad-crossing encounter and the UFO highway chase are nominated as an escalating seven-minute sequence. — Bill Simmons
  • The Northern India crowd singing the five-note theme is praised for communicating the melody's importance before its meaning is known. — Sean Fennessey
  • 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. — Bill Simmons
  • 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.
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50:50

“OK, Motherfucker” Award for When the Movie Goes Up a Notch

The UFO light behind Roy's truck marks the escalation.

The UFO light behind Roy's truck marks the escalation.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:50:50Read transcript
  • The UFO light appearing behind Roy's truck at the railroad crossing is selected as the moment the movie escalates. — Bill Simmons
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51:08

The most GIFable moment

Roy's truck being lifted into the UFO light

Roy's truck being lifted into the UFO light

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. — Bill Simmons
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58:32

The most 1977 thing

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

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. — Chris Ryan
  • Roy leaving broadcast television on for hours to receive news is identified as a vanished media habit. — Sean Fennessey
  • A McDonald's sign advertising only twenty-four billion served is singled out as a period marker. — Bill Simmons
  • Rotary phones and neighbors gathering in the street are proposed as additional 1977 details. — Bill Simmons
  • A three-year-old child named Barry is treated as a name choice unlikely to recur now. — Bill Simmons
  • A pitcher of whole milk at the dinner table is the final period candidate.
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1:02:25

What’s Aged the Best?

The direction, practical effects, Dreyfuss, Dillon, child performance, and suburban wonder

The direction, practical effects, Dreyfuss, Dillon, child performance, and suburban wonder

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. — Chris Ryan
  • Melinda Dillon's performance and the mission-control worker who solves the coordinate problem are separate Aged Best choices. — Chris Ryan
  • The film's combination of cynicism, wonder, spectacle, and family story is credited with influencing later event filmmakers. — Sean Fennessey
  • Motion-control photography, Douglas Trumbull's effects, Bob Baker's marionette, and Spielberg's limited writing credits receive craft praise. — Sean Fennessey
  • 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. — Sean Fennessey
  • The film's refusal to explain the alien compulsion literally is said to keep it timeless. — Sean Fennessey
  • Roy's half-face sunburn and Barry's performance are praised as memorable character details. — Sean Fennessey
  • Spielberg is reported to have elicited Barry's reactions by slowly opening presents above the camera. — Sean Fennessey
  • The giant globe, Devil's Tower plot, numbered youth shirts, and the family's domestic setting receive further period appreciation. — Bill Simmons
  • The long Spielberg-Michael Kahn editing partnership is reported to have begun on this film. — Bill Simmons
  • Melinda Dillon's 1977 work and her appearances in two famous mashed-potato scenes are praised.
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1:12:34

The Big Kahuna Burger Award for Best Use of Food and Drink

The mashed-potato mountain

The mashed-potato mountain

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:34Read transcript
  • Roy's mashed-potato model of Devil's Tower is the unanimous food choice.
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1:14:40

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

Barry's abduction light, India, the crowd embrace, and the five-note board

Barry's abduction light, India, the crowd embrace, and the five-note board

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:40Read transcript
  • The wide view of the house under the stars is nominated. — Bill Simmons
  • Barry's red-lit abduction doorway is nominated. — Chris Ryan
  • Roy and Jillian embracing while crowds stream around them is a leading choice. — Chris Ryan
  • The India sequence is nominated for its crowded composition.
  • The five-note communication board is selected as a chills-inducing image. — Sean Fennessey
  • The wind-blown opening and Devil's Tower appearing on television beside Roy's sculpture are additional choices.
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1:15:57

The Slow Ride / Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness Award for Best Needle Drop

No conventional needle drop

No conventional needle drop

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:57Read transcript
  • The film has no conventional needle drop beyond John Williams's score.
  • When You Wish Upon a Star is described as a structural influence and a removed closing cue after test audiences laughed.
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1:16:32

Chest Rockwell / Brock Landers Award for Best Character Name

Roy Neary and Claude Lacombe

Roy Neary and Claude Lacombe

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:32Read transcript
  • Roy Neary and Claude Lacombe are the two leading character-name choices. — Chris Ryan
  • Major Wild Bill Walsh is proposed as another strong name. — Chris Ryan
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1:16:46

The Sean Penn “I Brought My Own Pack” Award for Excellence in On-Screen Smoking

The segment proposes that Ronnie or Jillian should have smoked to fit 1977 Indiana.

The segment proposes that Ronnie or Jillian should have smoked to fit 1977 Indiana.

The panel proposes a new category here.

Flex pick · Chris Ryan

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:46Read transcript
  • The flex proposal argues that Ronnie smoking constantly would make her more period-authentic and relatable. — Chris Ryan
  • Jillian is also proposed as a smoker because smoking would have been common in 1977 Indiana.
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1:17:50

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

Larry Butler and Roy's failures as a husband and father

Larry Butler and Roy's failures as a husband and father

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:50Read transcript
  • Larry Butler is criticized as under-realized in an otherwise carefully cast film. — Sean Fennessey
  • 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.
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1:20:39

What’s Aged the Worst?

Some alien effects, too little period-appropriate smoking, the lack of PTSD awareness, stealth observation, and endle...

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

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. — Bill Simmons
  • The family's failure to recognize Roy's trauma and half-face burn as evidence of PTSD is judged to have aged badly. — Bill Simmons
  • The possibility of keeping UFO observation secret in a camera-phone era is rejected. — Bill Simmons
  • The forgotten television series Soap and its abduction plot are proposed as a dated reference. — Bill Simmons
  • The mothership interior in the 1980 cut and repeated recutting are criticized as revisions that aged poorly. — Sean Fennessey
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1:24:14

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

No clear winner; Balaban’s desert exposition is a tentative nominee

No clear winner; Balaban’s desert exposition is a tentative nominee

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:14Read transcript
  • The panel finds no clear overacting winner and offers Bob Balaban's urgent desert explanation only as a tentative nominee.
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1:24:25

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.

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. — Chris Ryan
  • Roy's oldest son is predicted to become delinquent after the family's collapse. — Chris Ryan
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1:25:00

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.

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. — Sean Fennessey
  • 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. — Bill Simmons
  • 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. — Bill Simmons
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1:28:53

Casting What-Ifs

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

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

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:53Read transcript
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1:33:11

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Robert Blossom

Robert Blossom

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:11Read transcript
  • Robert Blossom wins for being recognized as the farmer here and the elderly neighbor from Home Alone.
  • Bob Balaban and François Truffaut are considered as alternatives.
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1:33:32

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Carl Weathers — memorial choice

Carl Weathers — memorial choice

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:32Read transcript
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1:33:46

Brandy Booth Award for Best Performance by a Pet

Spielberg's Cocker Spaniel Elmer

Spielberg's Cocker Spaniel Elmer

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:46Read transcript
  • Spielberg's Cocker Spaniel Elmer wins for appearing among the released humans and as the Brody family dog in Jaws. — Bill Simmons
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1:34:12

Recasting Couch

Keep the director; consider John Cazale, James Brolin, O.J. Simpson, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Nicolas Cage, Richard Ger...

Keep the director; 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
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1:35:36

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

The five-note musical exchange works, but the extended mothership improvisation becomes awkward.

The five-note musical exchange works, but the extended mothership improvisation becomes awkward.

Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:35:36Read transcript
  • Craig says the initial five-note exchange works but the extended musical improvisation becomes awkward. — Craig Horlbeck
  • He argues that Spielberg and John Williams overextended the sequence once the brass and tuba-like sounds begin. — Craig Horlbeck
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1:36:40

Half-Assed Internet Research

Schrader's rejected script, military noncooperation, the alien performers, the $3.3 million effects budget, motion-co...

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. — Bill Simmons
  • Schrader's version reportedly followed an experiencer who threatened to expose the government after fifteen years of attempted contact. — Bill Simmons
  • The Air Force and NASA reportedly refused to cooperate, which Spielberg interpreted as encouraging evidence for the film. — Bill Simmons
  • Julia Phillips criticized Spielberg as a perfectionist before being removed from the production. — Bill Simmons
  • Fifty girls, each six years old and from Mobile, were cast as aliens after puppetry failed. — Bill Simmons
  • Douglas Trumbull supervised visual effects that advanced motion-control photography. — Bill Simmons
  • The visual-effects work is reported to have had a $3.3 million budget. — Bill Simmons
  • Ralph McQuarrie's contribution to the mothership is noted alongside his Star Wars work. — Bill Simmons
  • Truffaut reportedly ignored the giant landing-site set but praised the small hotel-room set as familiar to his filmmaking experience. — Bill Simmons
  • Truffaut's role is defended because communication beyond language is a central theme and his films influenced the filmmakers' generation. — Sean Fennessey
  • The Searchers is cited as a visual influence, including its doorway and horizon compositions. — Sean Fennessey
  • Topps reportedly issued sixty-six trading cards and eleven stickers, excluding Dreyfuss and Truffaut at their request. — Bill Simmons
  • Jaws, Rocky, Rocky II, and E.T. are cited as other films with card sets. — Bill Simmons
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1:41:15

Apex Mountain

Dreyfuss, post-New-Hollywood UFO movies, and UFO-related sunburns: yes

Dreyfuss, post-New-Hollywood UFO movies, and UFO-related sunburns: yes

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 01:41:15Read transcript
  • Steven Spielberg is considered and immediately rejected as being at his apex here. — Bill Simmons
  • 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. — Sean Fennessey
  • UFO-related sunburns are given an apex here. — Sean Fennessey
  • 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. — Bill Simmons
  • Movie fathers losing control is rejected in favor of The Shining and Goodfellas examples. — Bill Simmons
  • 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.
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1:44:53

Cruise or Hanks?

Tom Hanks as Roy

Tom Hanks as Roy

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.
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1:45:48

Scorsese or Spielberg?

Spielberg

Spielberg

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:45:48Read transcript
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1:46:15

What role would Philip Seymour Hoffman play?

Philip Seymour Hoffman would play Roy Neary.

Philip Seymour Hoffman would play Roy Neary.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:46:15Read transcript
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1:46:15

Picking Nits

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

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

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. — Bill Simmons
  • Jillian is criticized for not immediately inspecting Barry when he returns from the spacecraft. — Bill Simmons
  • Putting the animals to sleep with gas is called an odd and weird choice. — Bill Simmons
  • The returned pilots are criticized for showing no shock or questions after learning that thirty-two years have passed. — Bill Simmons
  • The military and scientific conspiracy is criticized as implausibly kind and transparent. — Chris Ryan
  • After a separate Spielberg anecdote, the panel returns to government friendliness as the prevailing nitpick. — Chris Ryan
  • Lacombe's unusual authority on American soil is questioned. — Sean Fennessey
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1:54:21

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

A prestige sequel about returned abductees

A prestige sequel about returned abductees

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. — Bill Simmons
  • Roy's eventual return is proposed as a first-season ending. — Bill Simmons
  • The panel notes Spielberg considered but rejected sequel opportunities despite making other sequels. — Sean Fennessey
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1:55:26

Is This Movie Better With…?

Doris Burke, a skeptical Jay Williams character, and Wilford Brimley

Doris Burke, a skeptical Jay Williams character, and Wilford Brimley

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. — Chris Ryan
  • Jay Williams is proposed as a skeptical commentator who minimizes Lacombe's achievement and questions the science. — Bill Simmons
  • Wilford Brimley is proposed to question Mitch about what Jillian finds at Devil's Tower.
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1:58:09

Just One Oscar

Spielberg

Spielberg

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.
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1:59:26

Probably Unanswerable Questions

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

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. — Bill Simmons
  • 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. — Chris Ryan
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2:01:43

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

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

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

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 02:01:43Read transcript
  • Roy's mission jumpsuit is selected as memorabilia. — Bill Simmons
  • Roy's clay Devil's Tower sculpture is selected as memorabilia. — Bill Simmons
  • 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. — Chris Ryan
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2:02:29

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

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

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.
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2:03:50

Best Double Feature

Starman and Asteroid City
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Starman
Asteroid City
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 02:03:50Read transcript
  • Starman is chosen for its shared tone of curiosity and wonder without cynicism. — Bill Simmons
  • Asteroid City is selected for combining alien contact with family melancholy.
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2:05:18

Who Won the Movie?

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 02:05:18Read transcript
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Steven Spielberg
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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