Men in Black (1997)

From Barry Sonnenfeld, the director of THE ADDAMS FAMILY and GET SHORTY, and Executive Producer Steven Spielberg, bring us the 1997 action/sci-fi/comedy MEN IN BLACK. Based on the Marvel comic book series by Lowell Cunningham, MEN IN BLACK is about a grizzled and humorless senior agent name K (Tommy Lee Jones) and his newly recruited skeptical partner, former N.Y.P.D. Detective James Darrel Edwards III now named J (Will Smith), who work for a top secret agency that polices, monitors, and directs alien activity on the planet Earth. Every MIB agent wears black suits and neckties with white shirts, and carry a pair of black Ray-Ban sunglasses which they put on to shield themselves before activating a Neuralyzer, a device they carry to wipe witnesses' memories of what they have seen, and replace them with more mundane explanations. The plot of the film is about Both K and J trying to save the world from being destroyed as they go after an alien bug, who crash landed in New York and is disguised in the skin of a dead farmer named Edgar (Vincent D’Onofrio – Full Metal Jacket) who is searching for a miniature galaxy which is also a vast energy source. The film also stars Linda Fiorentino (After Hours) as the cynical Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Laurel Weaver, who won her role after beating Sonnenfeld in a poker game, Rip Torn (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story) as the head of the MIB chief Zed, and Tony Shaloub (TV’s Monk) as the alien posing Pawn shop owner Jack Jeebs. After Clint Eastwood turned down the role of K, Jones accepted the role after Spielberg promised the script would improve. He had been disappointed with the first draft, which he felt did not capture the tone of the comic. After reading the script, Will Smith did not want to accept the role of J, but his wife Jada Pinkett Smith convinced him to take the part and Sonnenfeld’s wife was a big fan of his on “THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR” and The role was originally turned down by Chris O’ Donnell and David Schwimmer. Producers Walter F. Parks and Laurie MacDonald wanted Sonnenfeld to direct because of the dark humor he put in the ADDAMS FAMILY films. After having been approved by both Sonnenfeld and Spielberg, Special Effects Make-Up artist Rick Baker was the man who led the film’s alien makeup and creature effects and has said it was the most complex in his career to date. Released on July 2nd, 1997, MEN IN BLACK grossed over $589,390,539 worldwide. MEN IN BLACK is one of the greatest movies of the 90’s and it’s a true favorite to all movie lovers.