Astronaut

If you're old, life isn't over. That's the crux of the story. It has a big heart and it eventually wins you over.

Sure it's slow. Yes it's pretty unrealistic. And it can be cheesy at times, but for the most part, it's a touching story of trying to fulfill your dream at any age.

Richard Dreyfuss, as always, is great. His performance holds it all together, though there are some other good performances too.

Leading a fulfilling life is important but it's not all about your dreams. It's those who surround us who make it truly worthwhile. Ultimately, it's about family.

Angus (Richard Dreyfuss) is an old man who lives with his daughter's family and is a widower. Angus has had a lifelong dream of one day becoming an Astronaut and going into space. But unfortunately for Angus, this never happened in his life. However, Angus soon discovers that a billionaire is running a new competition which will allow one lucky winner to go into space. Angus decides to enter to the competition, but in order to qualify he lies about his age. Soon it is announced across the world that Angus is now a runner up and it's up to the world to vote who gets to be the winner.

Astronaut is a drama film but thankfully there are many heart felt moments which I feel many movie fans will find appealing. It's also a nice feeling to see actor Richard Dreyfuss as a leading character in a film again. His performance here is very satisfying. However, Angus as character is somewhat vague, particularly at the start of this film. As an audience, it is unfortunate that at first we don't quite understand all of Angus's reasons and desires for wanting to go into space. While answers are given and explained later in the film, it's revealed at an unusual moment in the film and feels like it would have been more suited to come earlier.

As an overall film I will confess that I personally really wrestled with this film back and forth. While I can say the story is a heartfelt one and the performance by Richard Dreyfuss is positive, I felt there are a few minor elements that really held this movie back.

Some of these elements include how the film is loaded with many coincidences. For example, every time a TV or radio is turned on it talks about the space competition. Side characters with side stories develop but never feel like anything gets properly resolved, instead the film's prime focus going back to Angus. But for a good portion of this film I struggled to develop feelings or a connection.

Overall, it's welcoming to see actor Richard Dreyfuss take a lead in this heart felt drama. Performances from the leading actor are positive and the story here is truly a great concept. Unfortunately, as a film there were moments where I didn't feel the emotions the film intended for me to feel. There are multiple reasons as to why I feel this way and I truly wrestled with my score on this film. Thankfully, there were many moments that movie lovers will enjoy as we witness a man trying to fulfil a long life dream. 5.6/10 - Walkden Entertainment

In a nutshell: The Astronaut is a brilliant heartwarming movie ! Period !

Actor, turned writer/director Shelagh McLeod, makes her full-length feature film directorial/writing debut in Astronaut.

Her camera work was that of a seasoned director, but some of the scenes certainly needed some editing/cutting down. Although a great story, her inexperience shows in her screenplay with some plot and technical issues. At 97 min long, the slow pacing made the film feel much longer. Had the pace been faster or the length edited down, the story would have shined.

The cinematography was great, and the music/score perfect. Performances were good, but with a little more experienced direction, could have been great. Richard Dreyfus played his character well.

I'm surprised at the current low IMDb rating. Overall for a low-budget B-grade film - coming from a newbie writer and director, it was a thoroughly enjoyable warmhearted tale that will entertain the entire family. Thus it's a well deserved 8/10 from me. And if anyone thinks my review is fake, click on my username to see my 1000+ ratings and 600+ reviews, and read my bio on how to properly review/rate a film based on it's merits and production value.

If only for the sake of having one of your biggest and longest dreams of your life come true, Richard Dreyfus made me a believer; and in turning 60 years old soon enough; I only hope this becomes a reality for me some day too. Cheers to all dreamers and astronauts, great 🎥