The Astronaut Farmer
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Movie Reviews of The Astronaut Farmer
Movie Review: Cute Sweet Family Film
Summary: 4 Stars
Its not so sweet that it will choke the adults in the room, but it is a nice movie that the whole family could watch together. Billy Bob is great as a droll dry humor kind of guy who is relentless in his pursuit of flying his rocket into space and returning home safe. Crazy right? This is a fun movie.Movie Review: Great
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great movie. I was never a fan of Thorton but I think in this movie he is at his best. It has good engineering techniques and is very inspiring. I reccomend this movie to people who like intense scenes and inspiring dreams 4 StarsMovie Review: Well done, not overdone.
Summary: 4 Stars
I was expecting something else, but instead I got a story that was (although cliched) was touching and well acted. The dialogue is witty and spot-on. The cinematography and music is very good. Don't
let the title fool you.
Movie Review: Astronaut Farmer: magic of the dreamer not rocket science....
Summary: 3 Stars
So many panned this film and but I enjoyed it. Many of the negatives about it stemed from the fact that instead of looking at the piece as story about dreaming and loss innocence, too many writers got caught up in looking at technical stuff as we have been taken been over and captured in the hi-tech world of ipods, blackberries, hi-def, hi-tech innovation, hi-gadgetry and the god of science and hi-innovation. Dreaming somehow is lost and that is good because it is has no circuits and logic boards to examine therefore can dreaming be good for us?
Critics nitpicked and complain about technical mistakes in term of aspects of the rocket. Why was more not shown of them building the rocket? The fuel mixture was crazy. One person could never build such a device. To complicated for one. It would never fly and other technicalities on and on. However, their complaints are while perhaps somewhat legit are also irrelevant in the space of the story. It is not about space or rockets or fuel ratios anymore than Field of Dreams was tale of baseball. It is entertainment first and foremost and a metaphor for the dreamers among
us.
The Polish Brothers wanted to make a more Hollywood type piece but true to their sensibility would not give in to the Hollywood model and wanted to tell the story in their own way. This film would not have worked if the big Hollywood machine had been trucked in with high price gunslingers playing the parts. It is the Polish brother's material and thankfully they kept with their own ideals and Kudos' to them for sticking to their personal vision. Listen to the praise in the DVD from comments by Billy Bob Thornton and others that he gives the Polish Brothers so much credit for staying with their ideals.
This story does not resonate with many of who are have become cynics to anything not empirical thus and given up on dreaming. Dreams are dangerous. They are a threat to many who believe in big brother or the experts and government for directing telling them what can be done and what is right or wrong. As the film and its commentary notes, we have lost the magic of believing we can do anything we want if and believe it hard enough and put enough effort in to make it happen.
Yes, to enjoy the film your belief must be suspended. However, you do that in most films anyway so it is not a huge issue. The idea is building of a rocket is stretching things. So be it. Although note that in the real world at last 1 person has tried to follow the example of what Charles Farmer was doing in the picture.
It is family centered about people supporting each other and believing in something so much and supporting themselves standing alone when society has dictated what want to do in cant be done because experts have forbidden it. As the characters say we have many laws to protect from other laws. The film hints we are being driven by legislated common sense. Family values rooted in a world where the concept of family is broken down. As Ms. Madsen herself says in her comments, it is about family with heart and soul and being told in the right way. This does come across in the piece whether you believe the rocket could work or pigs fly.
There is electric chemistry between Madsen and Thornton. They light up the screen in the support for each other. Thornton was a great casting choice, Very much the guy next door you could like and Madsen is his pillar and counterpoint. (Spoiler alert coming) really letting her husband (Thornton know when she starts to see the rocket idea affecting the family core values and structure). The flying saucer scene shows Madsen's great strength as an actress going from two opposite ends of emotions and coming back in a to where she began in powerful believable piece of acting.
It is good storytelling all around. Polish Brothers show they have depth and want to take their turn to make a more glossy Hollywood type production on their own terms with their own edge and humor.
Appropriate that the rocket was called the Dreamer. Perhaps this might have been a title. The dream, the dreamer and loss of that dream magic with a few hard life lessons added in were all woven together This resonated with me through the film.
Was it perfect no? But as a creative dreamer, I connected with the message and the believable characters. I was not overly picked that science was not perfect.
tms
Movie Review: The Don Quixote Movie of 2007
Summary: 3 Stars
"The Astronaut Farmer" stars Billy Bob Thornton. This is the sort of movie which is "sort of", "kind of" watchable, from bed or wherever your favorite DVD comfort spot is. However, it is pretty slow going...posible need? Some serious editing.
It is about a man named Farmer (get it? And he's an astronaut?) who used to be in training at NASA, but he had to leave and go home to save his family from losing their farm when his father dies. So he loses his opportunity to go into space. However, he hangs onto the dream, and decides to build his OWN rocket in his backyard.
As Judy Tenuta always says, "Like this could haaaaapen!"
Billy Bob's movie family are loyal and true, except for the occasional tantrum from his wife when they run out of food. I hate when my husband is a failed astronaut and we run out of food, too. Of course the family are all adorable looking and look like they all came out of a children's clothing catalog. They frequently run around with wildflowers filling their arms. I don't know what it is that they farm. Possibly I was dozing off at that point. Or maybe they actually FARM wildflowers.
Billy Bob stares into space, a lot. He does some serious emoting in this movie. It's pretty heavy, being him.
It has a Don Quixote aspect to it, which is poignant. Therefore, watch out: because...
You might not want anyone to see you crying when this movie gets sappy. And sappy it gets. I cried several times. Or let's just say this: I got "dust in my eyes " several times, and snuffled quietly from "a sudden hay fever attack".
Let's also say this movie is ridiculously improbable. If it is a true story I will eat my cowboy hat. Or my laptop.
It has lovely performances by supporting cast members Virginia Madsen and even Bruce Willis: you have to figure the real Billy Bob has a lot of pals and cronies in Hollywood. None of which you can hate. Yes, Billy Bob WOULD have cronies. And Bruce Dern apears, looking a zillion years old. Either that is a really good make up job, or The Dern Family has the genetics of Yoda. Whoa!
One good thing about this film is that you can do a lot of stuff like wash dishes, etc., and come back to check in on it, and nothing much has happened. I liked that aspect, as I always have stuff to do around the house.
The son's acting was great--he was loyal and devoted... and his name in the movie was Shep. Note to self: I must name my next kid (or German Shepherd) Shep--awesome name! What is THAT a nickname for? Shepardly? Shepardoo? Shepardusty? I could go on all day.
Ah!
My husband enlightened me: the kid was named Shep for Alan Shepard, OBVIOUSLY.
He further informed me that Alan Shepard was the first American in space. He then read me what is known as "Shepard's Prayer". I can't print it here, but I think we all can relate to it.
There is one inexplicable scene which appears to have spun crazily back in time to the 1800's for gratuitous reasons and as such is very dramatically shot, with sunset back lighting and stark silhouettes. Because one of my favorite movies is "Unforgiven", by Clint Eastwood, I see some references to that film shoehorned in there at that spot for dramatic effect. You'll know what I mean if you choose to see this.
I do love a nice Billy Bob movie upon occasion, even though I find him, as a person, incredibly frightening. I would not like to be caught in a dark alley with Billy Bob. In REAL LIFE. Or in an elevator, a rocket, a bar in Vegas, or in the same state, for that matter.
I would give this movie, The Astronaut Farmer, a B minus. I did indeed watch it, and I did indeed cry, so that is why it gets a B minus instead of a C minus. I wonder what Tennessee Williams would have done to the screenplay. Just an idle thought for fun.
Well, there's nothing left to say but that I admit I like movies about people who have hopes and dreams, no mater how idiotic. I am just a sucker for that. I do love people who try.