Film Snail

7.4

Contact

PG·1997·150m

Drama

Science Fiction

Mystery

Drama

Science Fiction

Mystery

Summary

A radio astronomer receives the first extraterrestrial radio signal ever picked up on Earth. As the world powers scramble to decipher the message and decide upon a course of action, she must make some difficult decisions between her beliefs, the truth, and reality.

Cast

Jodie Foster

Ellie Arroway

Matthew McConaughey

Palmer Joss

James Woods

Michael Kitz

John Hurt

S. R. Hadden

Tom Skerritt

David Drumlin

William Fichtner

Kent

David Morse

Ted Arroway

Angela Bassett

Rachel Constantine

Geoffrey Blake

Fisher

Max Martini

Willie

Rob Lowe

Richard Rank

Jake Busey

Joseph

Tucker Smallwood

Mission Director

Jena Malone

Young Ellie

Sami Chester

Vernon

Timothy McNeil

Davio

Laura Elena Surillo

Cantina Woman

Henry Strozier

Minister

Larry King

Thomas Garner

Ian Broderick

Conroy Chino

KOB-TV Reporter

Dan Gifford

Jeremy Roth

Vance Valencia

Senator Valencia

Donna Kelley

Leon Harris

Claire Shipman

Behrooz Afrakhan

Middle Eastern Anchor

Saemi Nakamura

Japanese Anchor

Maria Celeste Arraras

Latina Anchor

Tabitha Soren

Geraldo Rivera

Ian Whitcomb

British Anchor

Jay Leno

Natalie Allen

Robert D. Novak

Geraldine A. Ferraro

Ann Druyan

Kathleen Kennedy

Michael Albala

Decryption Hacker

Ned Netterville

Decryption Expert

Leo Lee

Major Domo

William Jordan

Chairman of Joint Chiefs

David St. James

Joint Chief

Jill Dougherty

Haynes Brooke

Drumlin Aide

John Holliman

Bobbie Battista

Dee Dee Myers

Bryant Gumbel

Linden Soles

Steven Ford

Major Russell

Alexander Zemeckis

Major Russell's Son

Janie Peterson

Major Russell's Daughter

Philippe Bergeron

French Committee Member

Jennifer Balgobin

Dr. Patel

Anthony Hamilton

British Committee Member

Rebecca T. Beucler

NASA Public Relations

Marc Macaulay

NASA Technician

Pamela Wilsey

Voice of NASA (voice)

Jeffery Thomas Johnson

Mechanical

Yuji Okumoto

Electrical

Gerry Griffin

Dynamics

Brian Alston

Communications

Rob Elk

Pad Leader

Mark Thomason

Security

José Rey

Controller #8

Todd Patrick Breaugh

New VLA Technician

Alex Veadov

Russian Cosmonaut

Alice Kushida

Scientist

Robin Gammell

Project Official

Richardson Morse

Mission Doctor

Seiji Okamura

Japanese Ensign

Bernard Shaw

Mak Takano

Japanese Tech #1

Hiroshi Tom Tanaka

Japanese Tech #2

Catherine Dao

Life Support

Kristoffer Ryan Winters

Dynamics #2

Valorie Armstrong

Woman Senator

Jim Hild

Reporter #5

William L. Thomas

Reporter #6

Diego Montoya

School Boy

Jonathan Adler

White House Official (uncredited)

Robert Aguilar Jr.

NASA Controller #2 (uncredited)

Mark Bailey

Four-Star General (uncredited)

Matt Bennett

Senate Observer (uncredited)

Tony Boldi

Robert Hand (uncredited)

Christopher Boyer

Scientist (uncredited)

Christine Brady

White House Official (uncredited)

Ray Buffer

Press Reporter (uncredited)

Mark Byrne

Protester (uncredited)

Candice T. Cain

Supporter (uncredited)

Michael Chaban

Hadden Suit (uncredited)

Aixa Clemente

President's Secretary (uncredited)

Bill Clinton

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Derrick Damions

Ailing Believer (uncredited)

Elaina Erika Davis

Philanthropy Bureaucrat (uncredited)

Joey Dente

Factory Worker (uncredited)

Michael Egan

IMC Police Officer (uncredited)

Jeff Elmore

Monk (uncredited)

Pamela Fischer

Pedestrian (uncredited)

Carl Gilliard

Controller (uncredited)

William B. Kaplan

TV Interviewer (uncredited)

Boris Lee Krutonog

Astronaut (uncredited)

Ming Lo

Pod Systems Control (uncredited)

Sunshine Logroño

Puerto Rican Taxi Driver (uncredited)

Denise Loveday

Press Secretary (uncredited)

Neal Matarazzo

Kitz's Aide (uncredited)

Cassidy McMillan

Student Reporter at NASA (uncredited)

Bill Miller

Reporter (uncredited)

Molly Mueller

Family Exchange (uncredited)

Paul L. Nolan

Ellie's Attorney (uncredited)

Marisa Petroro

Oval Office Secretary (uncredited)

Errica Poindexter

Police Officer (uncredited)

J.A. Preston

Senator (uncredited)

Frank Principe

Ailing Believer (uncredited)

Billy Quinn

Security Guard (uncredited)

Thomas Reid

Senate Hearing (uncredited)

Leo Rogstad

Ailing Believer (uncredited)

Russell Sanderlin Sr.

Photographer (uncredited)

Frank Silva

Army Officer (uncredited)

John A. Taylor

Senate Hearing Attendee (uncredited)

Todd Thompson

News Reporter (uncredited)

Cenk Uygur

Reporter (uncredited)

Holly Cross Vagley

Religious Zealot (uncredited)

Eric Alan Wendell

Protester (uncredited)

Delaney Williams

Believer #1 (uncredited)

Gregory L. Williams

Extra (uncredited)

Crew

Director

Robert Zemeckis

Novel, Story

Carl Sagan

Screenplay

James V. Hart

Screenplay

Michael Goldenberg

Story

Ann Druyan

Reviews

talisencrw

May 2, 2016

I would readily admit this is one of my favourite science fiction films from the 90's. It's intelligent, well-acted and directed, and the special effects it has HELPS the story rather than IMPEDES it. Though she hasn't done much lately, either in the director's chair or acting, Jodie Foster is one of my favourite contemporary American actresses, and it's intriguing how her great talent's been utilized of late (ie., 'Elysium', and I'm still very mad at Spike Lee for having Christopher Plummer call her a 'cunt' in 'Inside Man').

Personally, I must admit that I myself have worried what other worlds' inhabitants would think of our civilization from the messages it might get from Earth. Though I thankfully haven't lost any sleep over it (I have 'Thumper' in the apartment above me to thank for that), as Led Zeppelin would say in the classic 'Stairway to Heaven', '...and it makes me wonder'.

As what happens in most of these movies, it's rather anticlimactic once the different cultures meet. I'll say to my dying day that the most difficult thing to do in cinema is end a film. Here (unlike perfect sci-fi masterpieces, like '2001: A Space odyssey' or the more recent 'Children of Men') the decent but otherwise unspectacular ending makes me avoid a perfect rating here. But it's awfully close, worth both owning and rewatching, and provides fairly early evidence (which would come to bold fruition in 'Killer Joe') that Matthew McConaughey could actually act. It's also a tossup between this, 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' and 'Back to the Future' for my favourite Zemeckis moment.