THE REWATCHABLES · May 19, 2025
A 1977 sci-fi / drama movie directed by Steven Spielberg—and decision no. 56 in the Hanks–Cruise tape.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
The initial encounter launches Roy's fixation and the film's central mystery.
About 8 minRoy compulsively builds the Devil's Tower shape into the mashed potatoes, shocking his family.
About 48 minThe airport controllers repeatedly ask whether a UFO should be officially reported, building eerie tension.
About 48 minThe little-boy abduction through the dog door is cited as a chilling, memorable set piece.
About 48 minTheir connection amid the crowd is praised as one of the most emotionally resonant images.
About 48 minThe climax at Devil's Tower is described as an extraordinary payoff of imagery, music, and wonder.
About 8 minThe five-note communication is iconic, though one host thinks the later brass/jazz section goes too far.
About 56 minWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Bill SimmonsThe movie is more optimistic and romantic about the extraterrestrial than about human beings.
Sean FennesseyIt is not really down on humanity; it is simply outside Spielberg's usual family framework.
Bill SimmonsThe movie has a soft middle and critics noticed it even at release.
Chris RyanThe film is so visually strong that the pace issues are outweighed by the directing.
Bill SimmonsNo, the spaceship interior is unnecessary and weakens the mystery.
Sean FennesseyHe prefers the cleaner director's cut but also dislikes over-explaining the ship.
Chris RyanYes, if you encounter aliens first-hand, you take that chance.
Bill SimmonsHe still views Roy's abandonment as outrageous and hard to defend.
Calls it an incredible movie and one of Spielberg's major achievements.
Opening minutesSays it may be one of the best-directed movies ever made and praises Spielberg's mature craft.
Opening minutesFrames it as a dark, sad, and deeply personal Spielberg movie about obsession and loss.
Opening minutesTreats the mashed-potato scene as an all-time domestic meltdown sequence.
About 48 minRanks the air-traffic-controller sequence as a favorite rewatchable scene.
About 48 minArgues that the movie is a great case for physical media because its visual detail is so rich.
About 40 minSays Dreyfuss gives his best performance here.
About 24 minAcknowledges the ending is sad and strange but still emotionally satisfying.
Opening minutesLikes the version with structural edits but dislikes the spaceship interior added later.
About 32 minCalls Roy a terrible husband and father, though he understands the obsession logic.
About 1:12Says Spielberg makes the platonic ideal of movies.
About 2:00Praises Dreyfuss as an unlikely star whose odd career arc makes him compelling.
About 24 minThe film flips UFO stories from invasion panic to hopeful contact, while still treating humanity and institutions skeptically.
Opening minutesRoy's obsession and absence are treated as part of Spielberg's recurring father/family concerns.
About 16 minThey emphasize Spielberg's control of framing, pacing, blocking, and visual storytelling at age 29.
Opening minutesThe movie is placed between Watergate-era distrust and the brighter, adventure-driven sci-fi wave of Star Wars, E.T., and beyond.
Opening minutesThe five-note exchange, French interpreter, and nonverbal contact underscore a theme of translation beyond language.
About 1:44The film was made from Spielberg's long-gestating UFO idea and a 1970 short story about a Midwestern farming community seeing a light show.
About 16 minSpielberg initially wanted the lead to be a cop or soldier, but Dreyfuss ultimately plays Roy Neary, a power-company worker.
About 16 minThe movie had three versions: theatrical, 1980 re-release, and the 1998 director's cut.
About 32 minJohn Williams composed the score and Spielberg edited to the music.
About 32 minMelinda Dillon was also in Slap Shot the same year and later in A Christmas Story.
About 1:28Cary Guffey was directed as Barry by opening a present slowly to hold his attention.
About 1:04The house and visual effects were especially hard to appreciate on old TV broadcasts but shine in 4K.
About 40 minTopps made 66 trading cards and 11 stickers for the movie in 1978.
About 1:44Spielberg's dog Elmer appears in both Close Encounters and Jaws.
About 1:28Paul Schrader reportedly hated Spielberg's rewritten approach and called the script embarrassing.
About 16 minUsed as Spielberg's prior blockbuster and as a benchmark for his career.
About 8 minCited as the other giant 1977 blockbuster and part of the sci-fi shift.
About 8 minUsed to compare Spielberg's childlike wonder and family-friendly alien contact.
About 8 minMentioned as an earlier alien movie in which the visitors were not the same optimistic kind.
Opening minutesCited as part of the paranoid 70s cinema cycle.
Opening minutesNamed as an important visual influence on Spielberg.
About 1:44Referenced as an early emotional endpoint Spielberg wanted for the film's mood.
About 1:44Cited by Spielberg in a later feature as the best alien-contact movie since Close Encounters.
About 2:00Offered as a tonal double-feature companion.
About 1:52Mentioned as another melancholy alien-visitation film about family.
About 1:52Used in a casting what-if for Cary Guffey/Danny Torrance.
About 1:20Referenced via Dreyfuss's later Oscar nomination and a prior Rewatchables episode.
About 32 minUsed as a joke comparison for a death-dream reading of the film.
About 2:00 · medium confidenceReferenced as another example of an unseen force pulling a character toward a destination.
About 1:12Cited as a work that reframes Spielberg's family history and recurring themes.
About 24 minThe hosts repeatedly joke that the dog door is absurd and invites burglars or child-abduction problems.
About 48 minThey riff on one-take actors and the idea that Spielberg gets unforgettable reactions from children by performance tricks.
About 1:04Bill repeatedly slips into a joking nickname for Richard Dreyfuss.
About 16 minThey joke about the era's whole milk, cigarettes, and family-table habits as a time capsule.
About 56 minBill casually calls Spielberg 'Steve' and the others play along.
About 8 min“This movie is just incredible.”Opening minutes
“There are no bad shots in this movie.”Opening minutes
“Bizarrely mature for a 29-year-old”Opening minutes
“It's the ultimate payoff.”About 8 min
“This is a fucking undertaking”Opening minutes
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill Simmons125 tracked appearances · 56 H / 64 C / 5 ties
Chris Ryan77 tracked appearances · 36 H / 38 C / 3 ties
Sean Fennessey35 tracked appearances · 15 H / 17 C / 3 tiesCATEGORY CONTEXT
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