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It might be easy to forget what a damn perfect little movie Men in Black really is, but its endurance over time speaks for itself. With a total gross of over $250 million, multiple sequels, a theme park ride, and merchandise to boot, the film essentially cemented a then up-and-coming Will Smith as a bonafide action-comedy star. Clocking in at a compact 98 minutes, the action sci-fi comedy flick hits every nail on the head – even two decades later.
That’s right. 20 years ago today, Men in Black blasted into theaters and thrilled a generation, and it hasn’t stopped since. The delightfully bonkers Barry Sonnenfeld buddy flick turned Smith and Tommy Lee Jones into an iconic duo and left us with a handful of snappy one-liners and ridiculously 90s style moments, but there may be a few things you don’t know about this flick (yes, even you die-hard fans). We compiled a fun list of facts for anyone mildly interest in the impact of the newly 20-year-old Men in Black – and we promise you won’t forget them. (Unless you’re neuralyzed, of course).
'Men in Black' is the highest-grossing buddy action comedy of all time.
Even 20 years later, Men in Black remains the top-grossing buddy action comedy flick of all time, coming in with a total gross of $250,690,539. Rush Hour 2 nearly dethroned it in 2001 with a gross of approximately $226 million, but it’s maintained its spot on the top of the list. In third place? 22 Jump Street, coming in at around $192 million.
Director Barry Sonnenfeld didn't want to work with Tommy Lee Jones because of his rumored temper.
In a 1997 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Barry Sonnefeld admitted that he was reluctant to cast Tommy Lee Jones as Agent K. “I saw Tommy do a TV interview a few years ago, and he was so mean I remember thinking, ‘Thank god I never have to work with this jerk,'” he admitted. “But I ended up loving every minute of it. He can be difficult if you don’t have clear opinions, but we got along extraordinarily well.”
Vincent D'Onofrio's "bug walk" was inspired by basketball braces.
D’Onofrio’s bizarre walk came from sports medicine gear, he told Allocine in 2009. “I was walking by a sporting goods store one day, and I saw these braces that the basketball players wear,” he recalled. “I went in and I tried one on and I realized you could lock it off, you could tape the hinges so that you can’t bend either way. So I bought two of them and I took them home and I put them on. So, I slightly bent my leg and locked off the braces so I couldn’t move either way, but it was slightly bent and I taped off both my feet and I tried to walk and it created this restrained, physical odd thing.” (He also apparently watched a lot of bug documentaries).
The 'Men in Black' theme song was Will Smith's first solo hit as a music artist.
While his musical stylings were no secret thanks to The French Prince of Bel-Air, Smith actually did not see any solo success until the Men in Black theme song topped the charts. It wound up winning him a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, and perhaps kicked off what would become a prolific post-credits music career.
Will Smith didn't believe it was really Steven Spielberg on the phone when Spielberg first called him to talk about 'Men in Black'.
When Steven Spielberg, who executive produced the film, first called Will Smith to talk about him joining the cast, Smith thought it was a joke. After meeting, the confusion was soon cleared, and Spielberg and Smith went on to collaborate on multiple projects.
"It just be raining black people in New York" was improvised by Will Smith.
In the beginning of the film (before he joins the MIB), NYPD Officer James Darrell Edwards III (Smith) pursues what he later learns is an alien in human disguise on foot. During the chase, he jumps off a bridge and onto the top of a double decker bus and says “it just be raining black people in New York”, a line that Smith improvised.
John Landis & Quentin Tarantino turned down directing the film.
While Tarantino’s reasons were unclear, Landis declined the chance to direct Men in Black, citing that it just felt like “The Blues Brothers with aliens”. He later admitted that he was wrong and regretted the decision.
Clint Eastwood turned down playing Agent K, and Chris O'Donnell and David Schwimmer turned down Agent J.
That’s right. Agent K could have been even grumpier than he is already, and Agent J was almost played by Robin or Ross Geller. The reasons? For Eastwood and Schwimmer, it’s not entirely clear, but O’Donnell admitted he feared it was too similar to the “new recruit” role he had already played in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.
No cockroaches were harmed in the making of 'Men in Black'.
As few riots as there probably would have been if any cockroaches had been stepped on during production, according to the Humane Society, none of the much-maligned insects were actually hurt. To simulate squashing the bugs, Smith and the other actors actually stepped on mustard packets.
Frank the pug was a total diva.
Mushu the pug, who played foul-mouthed alien-disguised-as-a-dog Frank, was apparently quite the diva. His owner, Cheryl Shawver, gave an interview to The National Enquirer back in 2002 about his lavish life, and it does not disappoint:
“He travels by crate in Business Class with Cristie [his trainer]… He goes under the seat. He stays in the hotel room with her, sleeps on her bed. She orders his meals from room service — steak, chicken… He drinks only bottled water when he’s on the road. He’s a VIP!”
