The Astronaut Farmer

I received free passes to an advance screening of Astronaut Farmer and figured, "what the hell, free movie in advance. I'll take it." I proceeded to the theater, which was packed with children and adults of all ages. I settled into my seat and let the magic begin.

Astronaut Farmer is the story of Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thorton), a man who used to work for the military, but was forced to retire to save his family farm. He dreams about going into the inky blackness of space, a place he has aspired to reach for a long time. So he sets out building a rocket in his backyard, which soon draws the attention of NASA, FAA, FBI, CIA, and the press.

When you go into Astronaut Farmer, be prepared to throw the laws of physics and logic out the window, as this one tries to be real, but suffers from a few flaws. First, the rocket is built in Billy's garage, which is made of timber. Timber would incinerate immediately on take off. Good idea? NO! The movie also pulls out the cliché handbook and takes an example from every chapter. The looming bad guys, the goofy sidekicks, the bank's foreclosures, the family tension, failing now and succeeding later, and poor jokes. The movie is entertaining enough, but there's something wrong with a movie that's 100 minutes and feels like 2+ hours.

Would I have purchased tickets to see this? No, but I probably would rent it on DVD. It is a good film for the family though, so on that level I'd say see it (the movie is rated PG). Or just wait until it comes to DVD and rent it for the family then. Fun movie, but only worthwhile in a family environment.

The reviewers who rated this movie low were obviously expecting a Star Wars or Sci-Fi type of movie, and not a family movie. This movie has heart and l thoroughly enjoyed the "ride!"

I just came back from an advanced screening of this film in Toronto and I really did not know what to expect. I had a free coupon for it and really had no idea what the film was about. Although being skeptical at first I must say that this is an amazing film. It's humorous, it's engaging, and in general a real feel-good movie, with solid performances by everyone including the child-actors. Even though the story may seem outrageous and unrealistic, the emotions evoked are completely genuine and make this film one of the greatest surprises for me this year. I definitely recommend this film for everyone as it demonstrates how dreams define who we are and should never die.

Saw this last night at an advanced screening. This was a really nice feel good movie for the entire family. I brought my 6 year old daughter and she thoroughly enjoyed it. The thematic content I believe was appropriate for someone as young as her, but I might not bring a younger child to this movie. There were about 5-6 swear words, but she didn't even pick up on them. Billy Bob Thornton did a great job in this movie. Bruce Willis' cameo really was nice. The movie was slow in a few parts. The grandfather's role wasn't totally clear to me, and some of the comedic parts seemed a bit forced. Overall, I enjoyed this movie quite a bit.

"If we don't have our dreams, we have nothing" Charles Farmer

How do you take an inherently interesting story about a former pilot and astronaut drop out, who launches himself into orbit, and make that story slow, dull, and corny? The Polish brothers (director, writers) achieve that state possibly because the modest $13 million budget is still much more than they ever had and their approach is too reverential to the hero, who by any standards pursues a quixotic goal of launching himself at the risk of jettisoning his family and close friends.

Charles Farmer (Billie Bob Thornton) is determined to achieve his goal in the face of losing his too well ordered and clean farm and his loving, dutiful, and way too accepting wife, Audrey (Virginia Madsen). Thornton, underplaying with that fetching drawl and highly-developed outsider persona, does a credible job of dreaming his impossible dream without appearing unstable or psychotic. Madsen, while always attractive, has such a clichéd part as the long-suffering mate that the character could appear to be even more unrealistic than her husband.

The two young daughters mug for the camera or make too much happy to be credible. Only two characters ring true all the time: Farmer's son, Shephard (Max Thierot), who is cool as a teen mission controller; and an uncredited Bruce Willis, who plays an ex-astronaut friend of Farmer trying to talk him out of a potentially disastrous launch. Everyone else is a caricature, as the film itself is almost a parody of the American dream: It relies on the American tradition of individualism, evenat the expense of those closest to the dreamer. That's an American tragedy.