Gattaca (1997)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Andrew Niccol

Writer (WGA):

Andrew Niccol (written by)

Release Date:

24 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

There Is No Gene For The Human Spirit.

Plot:

A genetically inferior man assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Future | Space Travel | Hair | Birth

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Ethan Hawke	...	Vincent Freeman
Uma Thurman	...	Irene Cassini
Gore Vidal	...	Director Josef
Xander Berkeley	...	Dr. Lamar
Jayne Brook	...	Marie Freeman
Elias Koteas	...	Antonio Freeman
Maya Rudolph	...	Delivery Nurse
Una Damon	...	Head Nurse
Elizabeth Dennehy	...	Preschool Teacher
Blair Underwood	...	Geneticist
Mason Gamble	...	Vincent Freeman - Boy
Vincent Nielson	...	Anton Freeman - Boy
Chad Christ	...	Vincent Freeman - Teen
William Lee Scott	...	Anton Freeman - Teen
Clarence Graham	...	Personnel Officer

Also Known As:

The Eighth Day (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief violent images, language, and some sexuality.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Esperanto

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #34793) | Brazil:14 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 (video premiere) | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Barstow, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The exterior shots of Ethan Hawke and Jude Law's apartment is actually the CLA (Classrooms, Laboratories, and Administration) Building of Cal Poly Pomona by architect Antoine Predock.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jerome and Eugene are out at the club, on the table there is smoke coming out of Jerome's wine glass before he blows the smoke into it.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Director Josef: You keep your work station so clean, Jerome.
Vincent: It's next to godliness. Isn't that what they say?
Director Josef: Godliness. I reviewed your flight plan. Not one error in a million keystrokes. Phenomenal. It's right that someone like you is taking us to Titan.
Vincent: Has the committee approved the mission? There's been talk of delay.
Director Josef: You shouldn't listen to talk. You leave in a week. You've got a substance test.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

First Song (for Ruth)

One of my all-time favorite films

Director Andrew Niccol's Gattaca, in my humble opinion, is at the pinnacle of the motion picture art form. All aspects of the production serve the story spectacularly. The retro-style art direction, script, acting, music, and lighting all brought to life, much too chillingly, a cold and soulless world where the content of your genes counted for everything while the content of your character counted for nothing. Watching Ethan Hawke's (Great Expectations, Hamlet) Vincent evade the relentless pursuit of the authorities while pining to be on the Titan mission, romancing Irene (Uma Thurman), and micro-managing his samples from Jerome (Jude Law in a very impressive supporting turn) made for some the most riveting viewing ever. This story highlights the negative side of pursuing the eugenic ideal, an ideal that is not an unworthy pursuit, but one that must be approached with the utmost caution since its seekers hope to master a realm once the sole domain of the Divine.