Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones), a member of the super-secret unofficial government agency that is charged with providing immigration and regulation of extra- terrestrials who choose to make earth their home, needs a new partner. After a careful weeding-out process, he chooses a young NYPD officer (Will Smith) who has had an alien encounter of his own. Once his identity has been erased from all forms of electronic media, the new recruit, now known merely as J, is issued the black suit which is the uniform of the Men in Black.
At first he isn't trusted with a weapon, much less the memory-eraser which helps MiB agents cover their tracks. But when it is discovered that a fearsome alien known as a "bug" has assumed human form (Vincent D'Onofrio) and may threaten the planet's very existence, all stops are removed. Tracking their prey through the easily dismissed reports of the tabloid press, K and J manage to cross tracks with the malevolent creature time and again. They also cross tracks repeatedly with New York's deputy medical examiner Dr. Laurel Weaver (Linda Fiorentino), who knows a little too much about what's going on.
Fun and funny with great special effects, clever ideas, and an abundance of humor, "Men in Black" is the epitome of escapist summer fare. Tommy Lee Jones is exceptional as the wry, all-business half of the team, while Will Smith's flippant attitude is easier to take in this film than in any of his others. Director Barry Sonnenfeld, best know for helming "The Addams Family", is developing into a talent on par with the inventive Tim Burton ("Beetlejuice"). Composer Danny Elfman, long a Burton confederate, provides the film’s rousing score.