Gattaca (1997)

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
Loren Dean	...	Anton 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 telephone Jude Law uses when answering Ethan Hawke's warning call is a B&O Beocom 5000 wireless.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Because they are occurring some distance away, the numerous rocket launches shown should not be audible until a several seconds after liftoff.

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:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Trilogy of Error (#12.18)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Nuages

Beautiful Film, makes me cry

I'm not a tearjerker but this one always makes me shed a few tears. It's not perfect but it is such an enjoyable watch and a sweet film. It's very thought provoking. I think that some of the lack of "scifi" which many seemed to criticize was intentional -- perhaps this future is really not as far ahead as the scifi nuts here would like to think.

For those who criticized the character writing, e.g. Jerome being not likable... you missed the point guys. Each individual has their own motives and driving forces, whether you like them or not. Jerome feels like his life of perfection (or near perfection) has been stolen away from him. Vincent is the only one who can at least make his pain subside to some extent and make life a challenge to be conquered once again. Uma's character wasn't more developed and perhaps better that way... we know enough to make the point and not overshadow the main two characters who need the most screen time and analysis.

For those screaming that some of the ideas are taken from Bladerunner, 1984, etc. I say that everything can be claimed to have been somewhat stolen/based upon/borrowed from someone else. But this film was unique. Bladerunner is perhaps one of my favorite films but this is definitely not Bladerunner and to compare the two misses the ultimate point about man's own cruelty and lack of compassion.

Gattaca didn't make it in the theatres as well because it was marketed as more of a Star Trek/Star Wars type film that was really more of a character analysis than a space age adventure. I stayed away. When I caught it on DVD I was so moved that I bought it. This is not mind numbing sci fi. This is the kind of film that reminds you why films were so much more interesting back in the day before most of them relied upon digital eye candy. This is a sweet, sad film about a time where people are made as good as they can be engineered and the horrific, frightening consequences of what happens when science permits us to create our own uberpeople... Very highly recommended.