Innerspace (1987)
77%RT Audience Score: 65%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
2 wins & 5 nominations total
A manic, overstuffed blend of sci-fi, comedy, and romance, Innerspace nonetheless charms, thanks to Martin Short’s fine performance and the insistent zaniness of the plot
Innerspace is a wild ride that will have you laughing and gasping for air. Martin Short’s performance is sweet and hilarious, and Meg Ryan is a joy to watch. The plot may be formulaic, but director Joe Dante’s screwball comedy takes it to a whole new level. The anatomical special effects are imaginative, but it’s the manic tone that really makes this film stand out. It’s like Fantastic Voyage, but with more laughs and less awe. So buckle up and get ready for a roller coaster of a movie that will leave you wanting more.
Production Company(ies)
Charles Chaplin Productions,
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Northridge Fashion Mall – 9301 Tampa Avenue, Northridge, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1987
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 59m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 1, 1987 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 9, 2002
Genre(s)
Comedy/Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, directed by Joe Dante, written by Jeffrey Boam, comedy, fantasy, adventure, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Sheila Benson, Gene Siskel, Ian Nathan, Pat Graham, Variety Staff, Geoff Andrew, People Staff, Lawrence O’Toole, Ángel Luis Inurria, Mike McGranaghan, Betsy Bozdech, PG, Michael Finnell, Warner Bros Pictures, Lt Tuck Pendleton, Jack Putter, Victor Eugene Scrimshaw, Dr Margaret Canker, Mr Igoe, sound mix, surround, hypochondriac, miniaturized marine, submersible, saboteurs, would-be thieves, sci-fi, romance, Martin Short’s performance, insistent zaniness, plot, Fantastic Voyage, visual effects, updated version, good actors, fun, entertaining
Worldwide gross: $25,893,810
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $69,116,661
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,197
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 7,537,259
US/Canada gross: $25,893,810
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $69,116,661
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 925
US/Canada opening weekend: $4,739,913
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $12,651,941
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 878
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $27,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $72,069,341
Production budget ranking: 584
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $38,809,340
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$41,762,021
ROI to date (est.): -38%
ROI ranking: 1,611
Martin Short – Jack Putter
Meg Ryan – Lydia Maxwell
Kevin McCarthy – Victor Eugene Scrimshaw
Fiona Lewis – Dr. Margaret Canker
Vernon Wells – Mr. Igoe
Director – Joe Dante
Producer – Michael Finnell
Writer – Jeffrey Boam
Director(s)
Joe Dante
Writer(s)
Jeffrey Boam
Producer(s)
Michael Finnell
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
2 wins & 5 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (8)
Densely inventive and consistently hilarious.
August 6, 2020
Sheila Benson
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
”Innerspace” is a classic example of a film that would achieve more if it tried less. But it still is an ambitious comedy made funny by Short’s sweet performance…
August 6, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
It doesn’t have the dark edge of Joe Dante’s other works, but brilliant performances by Martin Short and Meg Ryan make it a joy from start to finish.
August 6, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The plot is standard fantasy-adventure pulp, though director Joe Dante has so many screwball things going on in it that the comedy all but overwhelms the formulaic line of action.
June 8, 2007
Pat Graham
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Short has infinitely more possibilities and makes the most of them, coming into his own as a screen personality as a mild-mannered little guy who rises to an extraordinary situation.
June 8, 2007
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
While the anatomical special effects are imaginative enough, the manic rather than magical tone fails to achieve the sense of awe that made Fantastic Voyage — clearly this film’s inspiration — so fascinating.
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Watching Innerspace is like riding a familiar roller coaster: It’s decent fun but the thrill is gone.
August 6, 2020
People Staff
People Magazine
Noisy, witless and filled with unimpressive simulations of human tissue, Innerspace is a perfect example of small minds finding a suitable subject.
August 6, 2020
Lawrence O’Toole
Maclean’s Magazine
It’s entertaining and pleasing. [Full Review in Spanish]
June 15, 2020
Ángel Luis Inurria
El Pais (Spain)
Innerspace is a movie that sucks you in from the get-go, then keeps you hooked with the way it effortlessly moves from sci-fi to comedy to action, then back again.
August 3, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat
’80s sci-fi adventure comedy has some drinking, swearing.
May 4, 2012 | Rating: 3/5
Betsy Bozdech
Common Sense Media
While the sci-fi is pretty hard to fault for what it is, and the adventure is aces for a high-concept 1980s family movie, the comedy is awfully wan and reedy.
June 14, 2011 | Rating: 7/10
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy…
Plot
Tuck Pendleton is a cocky pilot, who is taking part in a miniaturization experiment. When some bad guys break into the lab to steal the technology, one of the scientists takes a syringe which contains the miniaturized Tuck and vessel. Now in the vessel is part of the material needed to restore him. But the other part which is the lab is stolen. The scientist’s shot but before dying he injects Tuck into Jack Putter, a hypochondriac, who feels that something is wrong with him all the time. When Tuck links himself to Jack’s systems, he discovers that something happened. So they go back to the lab, and discover what happened. Now they are told that unless they retrieve the material that was stolen they won’t be able to restore Tuck before his oxygen is depleted. Now the government rep decides that the only thing that matters that as long as they have the other half of the material, it is useless to the thieves. So Tuck eggs Jack to go out and find the thieves. They enlist the aid of Tuck’s old girlfriend, Lydia, who is a reporter. And it’s fortunate for them that she has a lead that pans out.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny comment about the film Innerspace on Fresh Kernels.
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