History YMMV / CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Is Roy a lovable everyman on a grand spiritual journey? Or a selfish, unstable jerk who abandoned his wife and children?

* CaliforniaDoubling: Mobile, Alabama, stands in for Muncie, Indiana. Additionally, nearby Bay Minette, Alabama, stands in for Moorcroft, Wyoming. Some scenes were filmed at the real Devil's Tower, though the climax was, of course, filmed on a sound stage... an aircraft hangar in Mobile, Alabama. The Ohio state line was filmed on the approach to the Vincent Thomas Bridge, in Long Beach California.

** Is Ronnie a sympathetic woman trying to deal with her husband's eccentric behavior? Or a shallow, dismissive, self-centered woman that unfairly blamed Roy for ruining their lives?

** Is Ronnie a sympathetic woman trying to deal with her husband's eccentric behavior? Or a shallow, dismissive, self-centered woman that unfairly blamed Roy for things that weren't his fault?

** Is Ronnie a sympathetic woman that reached a breaking point trying to keep her family together in the face of her husband's eccentric behavior? Or a shallow, dismissive, self-centered woman that unfairly blamed Roy for everything and showed no compassion for his plight?

* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: The film can be interpreted as a metaphor for a spiritual awakening and journey: An ordinary man (Roy Neary) has an experience with a higher power (encounters [=UFOs=] on the highway at night) that completely changes his life (becomes obsessed with [=UFOs=] to the detriment of his family and social life) and is subsequently compelled by this higher power (through a mentally implanted image) to make a pilgrimage to a predetermined location (travels to Devil's Tower, Wyoming) where he communes with the higher power (takes part in FirstContact with the aliens) and is ascended into the heavens (departs with the aliens after being chosen to join them). Roy getting sunburned by the [=UFOs=] during the initial encounter marks his symbolic baptism from normal everyman to alien contactee.

* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: The film can be interpreted as a metaphor for a spiritual awakening and journey: An ordinary man (Roy Neary) has an experience with a higher power (encounters [=UFOs=] on the highway one night) that completely changes his life (he becomes obsessed with [=UFOs=]) and is subsequently compelled by this higher power (through an implanted mental image) to make a pilgrimage to a predetermined location (a road trip to Devil's Tower, Wyoming) where he communes with the higher power (takes part in FirstContact with the aliens) and is ascended into the heavens (departs with the aliens after being chosen to join them). In addition, Roy gets sunburned by the [=UFOs=] during his initial encounter. In keeping with the spiritual awakening metaphor, the sunburn can be interpreted as the mark of Roy's symbolic baptism from normal everyman to alien contactee.

** Is Ronnie a sympathetic woman trying to keep her family together in the face of her husband's eccentric behavior and just couldn't take it anymore? Or a shallow, dismissive, self-centered woman that made no effort to empathize with Roy and unfairly blamed him for things that were beyond his control?

** Is Ronnie a sympathetic woman trying to keep her family together in the face of her husband's eccentric behavior and just couldn't take it anymore? Or a shallow, dismissive, self-centered woman that made no effort to empathize with Roy and unfairly blamed him for things that were beyond his control.

** Is Ronnie a sympathetic woman trying to keep her family together in the face of her husband's eccentric behavior and just couldn't take it anymore? Or a shallow, dismissive, and self-centered woman that made no effort to empathize with Roy and unfairly blamed him for things that were beyond his control.

** Is Ronnie a sympathetic woman trying to keep her family together in the face of her husband's eccentric behavior and just couldn't take it anymore? Or a shallow, dismissive, and self-centered woman that made no effort to empathize with Roy and seemed more concerned about maintaining the status quo than helping him?

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Is Roy a lovable everyman on a grand spiritual journey, or a selfish, unstable jerk who abandoned his wife and children?
** Is Ronnie a sympathetic woman trying to keep her family together in the face of her husband's eccentric behavior and just couldn't take it anymore? Or a shallow, dismissive, and self-centered woman that made no effort to empathize with Roy and cares more about maintaining the status quo than his mental health?

** Is Ronnie a sympathetic woman trying to keep her family together in the face of her husband's eccentric behavior? Or a shallow, dismissive, and self-centered woman that makes no effort to empathize with Roy and cares more about maintaining the status quo than his mental health?

** Is Ronnie a sympathetic woman trying to keep her family together in the face of her husband's eccentric behavior? Or a shallow, dismissive, and judgemental woman that makes no effort to empathize with Roy and cares more about maintaining the status quo than his mental health?

** Is Ronnie a sympathetic woman trying to keep her family together in the face of her husband's eccentric behavior? Or a shallow, dismissive, and judgemental woman that makes no effort to empathize with Roy?

** For reference, the communication music is known as "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBAOLqBjIFk Wild Signals]]."

* DesignatedHero: Roy is not a hero, merely the protagonist. He gets swept into constructing Devils Tower models like several other people for reasons he does not understand. Then he realizes he's supposed to go to Devils Tower and does, again only because he's compelled to. In the end he makes it past the army who are only trying to make sure FirstContact goes smoothly, and gets to go on the alien spaceship, making him the "winner". Compare his fellow trying-to-reach-the-aliens person Jillian, who is at least trying to find her lost son.

* ValuesDissonance: NewAge faith in [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens alien intelligence]] as a benevolent [[PowersThatBe Higher Power]], and in the [[EverythingTryingToKillYou sterile void of space]] as {{Heaven}}, doesn't resonate much any more, to say nothing of the hatred that comes down these days on a parent who abandons his family to pursue some other goal.

** Although Roy never left his family, it was his family that left ''him!'' On the telephone to his wife, he says he is trying to be a good parent and that he'll do anything his wife wants if she were only to return, implying he sincerely wants to try to put his obsession behind him. Given the way the conversation ends however, do you think his wife was ever considering letting him see the kids again? Its hard to argue that Roy has anything really left for him on Earth?
*** His wife was angry and freaked out. And even if she still wanted to leave him when things calmed down, it's not like he'd never see his kids again. Leaving earth was leaving his family behind forever, no matter how you look at it.
*** He may not have left his family, but he certainly drove them away. Ronnie was freaked out and obviously at the end of her rope during the bedroom scene; when Roy starts trashing the house and stealing chicken wire, it's hard to blame her for getting the kids as far away as possible.
*** One way or another, Spielberg had clearly attended MUFON meetings and/or read their literature. This has happened to thousands of people who are or believe themselves to be contactees. Much of what Roy does, other than the sitcom whackadoo stuff with the chicken wire et al, is typical contactee behavior -- the research, the night drives, meeting other contactees, etc. Looking for answers. Most spouses are supportive, but there will always be male and female Ronnies.
*** Spielberg himself has said that if he made the movie now he would've had Roy stay with his family.

* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: The film can be interpreted as a metaphor for a spiritual awakening and journey: An ordinary man (Roy Neary) has an experience with a higher power (encounters [=UFOs=] on the highway one night) that completely changes his life (he becomes obsessed with [=UFOs=]) and is subsequently compelled by this higher power (through an implanted mental image) to make a pilgrimage to a predetermined location (a road trip to Devil's Tower, Wyoming) where he communes with the higher power (takes part in First Contact with the aliens) and is ascended into the heavens (departs with the aliens after being chosen to join them). In addition, Roy gets sunburned by the [=UFOs=] during his initial encounter. In keeping with the spiritual awakening metaphor, the sunburn can be interpreted as the mark of Roy's symbolic baptism from normal everyman to alien contactee.

* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: The film can be interpreted as a metaphor for a spiritual awakening and journey: A ordinary man (Roy Neary) has an experience with a higher power (he sees [=UFOs=] on the highway one night) that completely changes his life (he becomes obsessed with [=UFOs=] and aliens) and is subsequently compelled by this higher power (through a mental vision implanted by the aliens that Roy begins to see in various objects; which he insists means something important but can't explain why) to make a pilgrimage (a road trip) to a predetermined location (Devil's Tower, Wyoming) where he communes with the higher power (making FirstContact with the aliens) and is ascended into the heavens (he gets chosen by the aliens to join them and leaves with them). The sunburn Roy gets from the [=UFOs=] during his first encounter becomes a visual representation of the symbolic baptism he's undergone.

* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: The film can be interpreted as a metaphor for a spiritual awakening and journey: A ordinary man (Roy Neary) has an experience with a HigherPower (he sees [=UFOs=] on the highway one night) that completely changes his life (he becomes obsessed with [=UFOs=] and aliens) and is subsequently compelled by this higher power (through a mental vision implanted by the aliens that Roy begins to see in various objects; which he insists means something important but can't explain why) to make a pilgrimage (a road trip) to a predetermined location (Devil's Tower, Wyoming) where he communes with the higher power (making FirstContact with the aliens) and is ascended into the heavens (he gets chosen by the aliens to join them and leaves with them). The sunburn Roy gets from the [=UFOs=] during his first encounter becomes a visual representation of the symbolic baptism he's undergone.

* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: The film can be interpreted as a metaphor for a spiritual awakening and journey: A ordinary man (Roy Neary) has an experience with a higher power (he sees [=UFOs=] on the highway one night) that completely changes his life (he becomes obsessed with [=UFOs=] and aliens) and is subsequently compelled by this higher power (through a mental vision implanted by the aliens that Roy begins to see in various objects; which he insists means something important but can't explain why) to make a pilgrimage (a road trip) to a predetermined location (Devil's Tower, Wyoming) where he communes with the higher power (making FirstContact with the aliens) and is ascended into the heavens (he gets chosen by the aliens to join them and leaves with them). The sunburn Roy gets from the [=UFOs=] during his first encounter becomes a visual representation of the symbolic baptism he's undergone.

* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: The film can be interpreted as a metaphor for a spiritual awakening and journey: A ordinary man (Roy Neary) has an experience with a higher power (he sees UFOs on the highway one night) that completely changes his life (he becomes obsessed with UFOs and aliens) and is subsequently compelled by this higher power (through a mental vision implanted by the aliens that Roy begins to see in various objects; which he insists means something important but can't explain why) to make a pilgrimage (a road trip) to a predetermined location (Devil's Tower, Wyoming) where he communes with the higher power (making FirstContact with the aliens) and is ascended into the heavens (he gets chosen by the aliens to join them and leaves with them). The sunburn Roy gets from the UFOs during his first encounter becomes a visual representation of the symbolic baptism he's undergone.

* DesignatedHero: Roy.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The communication music has forever been associated with films about aliens. Also, the score is done by [[JohnWilliams John Motherfucking Williams]]. Case closed.