1985's COCOON was Ron Howard's first major blockbuster and put him on the map as a filmmaker to watch in the 80's. Howard has a classic stable of actors in Maureen Stapleton, Gwen Verdon, Don Ameche, Jack Gilford, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn and Wilford Brimley and puts them to great use in this story of a group of older, retired folks who stumble on the fountain of youth courtesy of some visitors from very far away.
Brian Dennehy and his visiting friends make some discoveries about themselves along with the retirees, culminating in an emotion packed last twenty minutes. Why haven't we seen more of Tawnee Welch (Raquel Welch's daughter) who made her screen debut here? I understand why we haven't seen more of Steve Guttenberg..... Some of the 80's music is really painful, but James Horner's score is very good. An Oscar winner for supporting actor Don Ameche and Special Effects, Cocoon is a solid little sci-fi/drama that is a lot more touching than you might remember. For everyone that only knows Wilford Brimley from his diabetes and Quaker Oats commercials, he will surprise you in Cocoon with a great performance. Cocoon wraps up a B.
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