RocketMan (1997)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Stuart Gillard

Writers (WGA):

Oren Aviv (story) &
Craig Mazin (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

10 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

He's just taking up space!

Plot:

Fred Z. Randall is geeky and obnoxious spacecraft designer, who gets the chance to make his dream come...

Plot Keywords:

Flatulence | Title Based On Song

Cast

Harland Williams	...	Fred Z. Randall
Jessica Lundy	...	Julie Ford
William Sadler	...	'Wild Bill' Overbeck
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Paul Wick
James Pickens Jr.	...	Ben Stevens
Don Lake	...	Flight Surgeon
Peter Onorati	...	Gary Hackman
Beau Bridges	...	Bud Nesbitt
William Arthur Jenkins	...	Mission Controller
Ken Farmer	...	Mission Controller
Blake Boyd	...	Gordon A. Peacock
Brandon Kaplan	...	Young Fred
Paxton Whitehead	...	British Reporter
Don Armstrong	...	Anchorman
Pamela West	...	Nun
Marjorie Carroll	...	Nun
Claire Birnbaum	...	School Kid #1
Sean Tweedley	...	NASA Lab Tech
Cindy Hogan	...	Reporter
Felicia Griffin	...	Reporter
Lidia Porto	...	Gary's Nurse
Richard Dillard	...	The President
Gil Glasgow	...	Bartender
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bryan Lee McGlothin	...	Mission Controler
Edie Mirman	...	Chimp Voice (as Edie Mir)
Raven	...	Ulysees (chimpanzee astronaut)
Alan Brady	...	Stand In (uncredited)
Dale Wade Davis	...	NASA Colonel (uncredited)
Shelley Duvall	...	Mrs. Randall (uncredited)
Michael Honig	...	Mission Control (Extra) (uncredited)
Gene Kato	...	Nasa Technician (uncredited)
Brent Mitchell	...	NASA Lab Tech (uncredited)
Tony Myrick	...	Bar Patron (uncredited)
Gailard Sartain	...	Mr. Randall (uncredited)

Directed by
Stuart Gillard

Writing credits (WGA)
Oren Aviv		(story) &
Craig Mazin		(story) &
Greg Erb		(story)
Craig Mazin		(screenplay) &
Greg Erb		(screenplay)

Produced by
Oren Aviv	....	executive producer
Lark Bernini	....	associate producer
Roger Birnbaum	....	producer
Jonathan Glickman	....	executive producer
Eric L. Gold	....	producer
Jamie Masada	....	co-producer
Richard H. Prince	....	co-executive producer
Peter Safran	....	co-producer
Jon Turteltaub	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Michael Tavera		(as Mike Tavera)

Cinematography by
Steven B. Poster

Film Editing by
William D. Gordean

Casting by
Rick Montgomery
Dan Parada
Beth Sepko

Production Design by
Roy Forge Smith

Art Direction by
Joseph A. Hodges
Michael Rizzo

Costume Design by
Daniel Orlandi

Makeup Department
John M. Elliott Jr.	....	makeup department head
Abiiba S. Howell	....	hair stylist: second unit

Production Management
Richard H. Prince	....	production manager
Veronique Vowell	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sean Kavanagh	....	second assistant director
Lincoln Myers	....	dga trainee
Brian Steward	....	second second assistant director
Michael Williams	....	assistant director

Art Department
Richard J. Bayard	....	construction coordinator
Gary Clark	....	lead head painter
Ray Fisher	....	lead man
James Fowler	....	art department assistant
Archie Hankins	....	carpenter
Angela Hinkle	....	construction accountant
Randy Manion	....	art department coordinator
James Robinson II	....	property master
Chris Telschow	....	construction foreman
Robert K. Weinberger	....	construction foreman
Michael Honig	....	window dresser (uncredited)
Randy Severs	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Courtney Talbot	....	set painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Scott Cochran	....	sound engineer
Pud Cusack	....	sound
Richard Dwan Jr.	....	adr editor
Richard Dwan Jr.	....	dialogue editor
Eric Gotthelf	....	foley mixer
Larry Kemp	....	supervising sound editor
Mark Ormandy	....	additional sound
Ross Simpson	....	boom operator
David Stanke	....	assistant sound editor
Dean A. Zupancic	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Bill Cobb	....	special effects electronics foreman
Steve Gindorf	....	special effects technician
Jeff Jarvis	....	special effects coordinator
Michael Miron	....	special effects laboratory

Visual Effects by
Christopher S. Baird	....	visual effects editor
Brigitte Bourque	....	visual effects compositor: Rainmaker Digital
Stephen Brock	....	visual effects best boy electric
Casey Cannon	....	computer graphics producer: BFTRE
Glenn Cannon	....	computer graphic artist
John Cornejo	....	digital compositor: Cinesite
Lisa Deaner	....	Inferno artist
Mark Franco	....	visual effects executive producer: Rainmaker Digital
Rocco Gioffre	....	matte artist
Tim Ketzer	....	computer graphics animator
Vincent Lavares	....	tape operator: Cinesite
Bob Lyss	....	digital compositor: elastic reality animator
Craig Mathieson	....	digital compositor
Alan McFarland	....	miniature spaceship lighting effects
Candice Scott	....	digital compositor: POP Film
Terry Shigemitsu	....	digital artist
Eric Swenson	....	miniature unit director of photography
Jeff Zucker	....	gaffer: visual effects unit
Andy Barrios	....	digital artist: Rainmaker Digital Los Angeles (uncredited)

Stunts
Rosa Collins	....	stunts
Randy Fife	....	stunts
Jody Haselbarth	....	stunts
Jim Henry	....	stunts
Ben Loggins	....	stunts
Stephanie Norris	....	stunts
David Sanders	....	stunts
Gary Stone	....	stunts
Diane Towery	....	stunts
Russell Towery	....	stunt coordinator
Verne Troyer	....	stunts
Danny Virtue	....	stunt coordinator
Jim Henry	....	stunt double: William Sadler (uncredited)
Adam Neuwirth	....	stunts (uncredited)
Lin Oeding	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Pasquale Caputo	....	key grip: second unit
Cheryl Clarson	....	rigging electric best boy
Peter Clarson	....	chief rigging gaffer
Ryan Gillard	....	second assistant camera
Doug Glover	....	assistant camera
Adam Harrison	....	electrician
John Johns	....	video playback operator
Jeff Lanes	....	dimmer board operator
George Lozano Jr.	....	electrician
Billy MacTavish	....	electrician
Anthony T. Marra II	....	key grip
Bruce McCleery	....	chief lighting technician
Peter D. Roome	....	additional first assistant camera
John Sheeren	....	first assistant camera
Mike Sheeren	....	dolly grip

Casting Department
Lauris Freeman	....	casting associate
Anna Liza Recto	....	casting associate: New York

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Valerie Zielonka	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Evan Fisher	....	assistant editor
David Orr	....	color timer
Ron South	....	first assistant editor
Lisa Willinger	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Andrew Dorfman	....	assistant music editor
Andrew Dorfman	....	composer: additional music
Robert Fernandez	....	scoring mixer
Billy Martin	....	orchestrator
Michael T. Ryan	....	supervising music editor

Transportation Department
Lance Cherniet	....	driver
Rick Damazio	....	driver
Ron Kern	....	transportation coordinator
Aaron Skalka	....	transportation coordinator: Los Angeles

Other crew
Newell Alexander	....	adr voice
Rosemary Alexander	....	adr voice
David Allsberry	....	head animal trainer
Kirk Bailey	....	adr voice
Alan Brady	....	photo double (as Alan Martin)
Ursula Brauner	....	animal trainer
Steve Bulen	....	adr voice
Craig Busch	....	location manager
Anne Carr	....	additional medic
Joe Chapman	....	adr voice
Matt Cohen	....	computer playback technician
Ned Dowd	....	head of production: Caravan Pictures
Brent Ekstrand	....	24 frame video playback technician
Brent Ekstrand	....	computer engineer
Joe Everett	....	unit publicist
Greg Farley	....	production assistant
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Patricia A. Fullerton	....	script supervisor
Angela Hinkle	....	construction accountant
Sherry Hursey	....	adr voice
Tommy Lamey	....	adr voice
Stephen Mapel	....	location manager
K. Lynn Martin	....	production assistant
Don Maxwell	....	adr voice
Mary Mooney	....	assistant to producer
Matthew Morrissey	....	computer playback supervisor
Paul Pape	....	adr voice
Bridget Sienna	....	adr voice
Raigen Thornton	....	set paramedic
Emily Vinas	....	assistant production coordinator
Mary Weeks	....	assistant to actor
Claudette Wells	....	adr voice
Connie Wang	....	assistant script clearance administrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Caravan Pictures
• Gold/Miller Productions
• Roger Birnbaum Productions
• Walt Disney Pictures (presents)

Distributors

• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Pictures (1997) (worldwide) (all media)

Other Companies

• American Humane Association, The  animal action monitoring
• Eastman Film  produced and distributed on
• Electronic Arts (EA)  clip from "Wing Commander" provided by
• Houston S.P.C.A.  animal action monitoring assisted by
• Louma L.A.  Dutch Plus 360
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)  launch footage courtesy of (as NASA)
• Space Chimp Productions  for purposes of copyright law in the United Kingdom this picture was created by
• Technicolor  prints by

Also Known As:

Rocket Man (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG for language, crude humor and thematic elements.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Germany:6 | Portugal:M/6 (video premiere) | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Houston, Texas, USA

Company:

Caravan Pictures

Trivia:

For the surface of Mars, the filmmakers shot in Moab, Utah, where they found giant cliffs, red rocks, a lack of vegetation, and the overall scale of what could be a distant planet.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the scene in which the crew first goes into space and everything is weightless, Fred Randall turns his head to the right, thus knocking his ear-microphone loose, and it falls straight to the ground.

Quotes:

Fred Randall: Mom, going to Mars shouldn't be referred to running away.
Mrs. Randall: Last time you ran away it was only to the garage.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Seeing Red (#6.19)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

Tossin' & Turnin'

Icht schlicken dokken, lug dee lug......

I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard during a movie. Harland Williams is a genius. "C'mon all you Chinese....." Who comes up with this stuff??? I got the feeling that the directors and writers just told Williams to work around the script and improvise whatever he wanted? Some of this stuff is so off the wall, you wonder just how much was scripted. And this is not your typical Jerry Lewis slapstick. Williams has a great deal of pure talent. Anyway watch it and just enjoy the wonderful absurdity that is Rocket Man.