I generally get a kick out of stories wherein old timers (and for perspective, I'm almost there myself, already am by some reckoning), find renewed enthusiasm and vigor from a mythical fountain of youth. This one however only took me half way to the finish line. Maybe it had to do with the involvement of space aliens and giant pods, but more so I think with the virtually one sided opinion expressed by most of the central characters that giving up everything they have to live forever was the 'right thing to do' (sorry, that's just the way it came out, I wasn't thinking of Wilford Brimley's commercials).
The set-up with Brimley's character you see, seemed to be pointing entirely in the other direction. The relationship with his grandson begged for a thorough soul searching moment in which Ben (Brimley) would decide in favor of staying put to share in the the joys of watching his fishing partner grow up and become a man. Sure, there was that one moment of doubt that was discussed with wife Mary (Maureen Stapleton), but it was dismissed rather quickly. Ultimately, I came away feeling that Ben's decision was somewhat selfish. Additionally, the way the picture ended, with the young boy gazing happily heavenward, didn't ring true for me. After all, he would grow old and die someday, while his grandparents were tooling around the universe in immortality.
Without the whole alien pod subtext, I think the picture would have shown greater promise. There's nothing wrong with experiencing the sublime and magical, and if it makes you feel young again, so much the better. There may be 'better' things to do than running around the backyard with my own grandson as he tries to squirt me with his water gun, and falling down when he 'gets me'. But I don't think I'd want to give that up for a shot at living forever if I had to miss the experience.
I'm reminded of a 1962 Rod Serling 'Twilight Zone' episode titled 'Kick the Can' that also took place in a nursing home. In that one, a senior citizen believes he's found the secret of youth in playing children's games. As in "Cocoon", there's another resident like Bernie (Jack Gilford) who remains a hold out, in favor of acting his own age. The story ends when the old man realizes he missed his opportunity to be a kid again, as he watches his friends skip off into the darkness to revive their youth. That mere twenty five minute story holds a lot more poignancy for me than "Cocoon", and as support, I've remembered it for forty years since I first saw it.
The set-up with Brimley's character you see, seemed to be pointing entirely in the other direction. The relationship with his grandson begged for a thorough soul searching moment in which Ben (Brimley) would decide in favor of staying put to share in the the joys of watching his fishing partner grow up and become a man. Sure, there was that one moment of doubt that was discussed with wife Mary (Maureen Stapleton), but it was dismissed rather quickly. Ultimately, I came away feeling that Ben's decision was somewhat selfish. Additionally, the way the picture ended, with the young boy gazing happily heavenward, didn't ring true for me. After all, he would grow old and die someday, while his grandparents were tooling around the universe in immortality.
Without the whole alien pod subtext, I think the picture would have shown greater promise. There's nothing wrong with experiencing the sublime and magical, and if it makes you feel young again, so much the better. There may be 'better' things to do than running around the backyard with my own grandson as he tries to squirt me with his water gun, and falling down when he 'gets me'. But I don't think I'd want to give that up for a shot at living forever if I had to miss the experience.
I'm reminded of a 1962 Rod Serling 'Twilight Zone' episode titled 'Kick the Can' that also took place in a nursing home. In that one, a senior citizen believes he's found the secret of youth in playing children's games. As in "Cocoon", there's another resident like Bernie (Jack Gilford) who remains a hold out, in favor of acting his own age. The story ends when the old man realizes he missed his opportunity to be a kid again, as he watches his friends skip off into the darkness to revive their youth. That mere twenty five minute story holds a lot more poignancy for me than "Cocoon", and as support, I've remembered it for forty years since I first saw it.