Contact (1997): cast, story & where to watch
1997 · Film · ★ 7.4
Released in 1997, Contact is a drama, mystery and science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, running about 150 minutes. “If it's just us, it seems like an awful waste of space.” — that tagline sets the tone.
What it’s about. A radio astronomer receives the first extraterrestrial radio signal ever picked up on Earth. As the world powers scramble to decipher the message and decide upon a course of action, she must make some difficult decisions between her beliefs, the truth, and reality.
Who’s in it. Contact stars Matthew McConaughey as Palmer Joss, Jodie Foster as Ellie Arroway, James Woods as Michael Kitz and John Hurt as S. R. Hadden, among others.
How it landed. With an audience score of 7.4/10, Contact has been warmly received by audiences. It went on to earn $171.1M at the box office.
Where to watch. In US you can stream it on The Roku Channel and rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Contact page.
If you liked it. Fans of Contact tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.
Frequently asked
- Where can I watch Contact (1997)?
- In US, Contact is available to stream on The Roku Channel, and rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Google Play Movies. Availability varies by country — check our where-to-watch page for every region.
- Is Contact worth watching?
- Contact holds an audience score of 7.4 out of 10, and is a strong pick if you enjoy drama, mystery and science fiction. Most viewers rate it highly.
- Who stars in Contact?
- Contact stars Matthew McConaughey, Jodie Foster, James Woods, John Hurt and William Fichtner.
- When was Contact released?
- Contact was released in 1997, with a runtime of about 150 minutes.