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The Astronaut Farmer
Directed by: Michael Polish
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton
Genre:
Drama
Run Time: 104
min.
Release Date:
February 2007
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
“I have a dream!” Those
words echoed by Martin Luther King and the multitude of followers have
since become a mantra for many. And there’s nothing wrong with having a
dream. Following it, though, can lead to problems. Especially if that
dream is expensive, dangerous, maybe a bit psychotic, and possibly
illegal ...or all four.
When a man named Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton,
THE ICE HARVEST)
from Texas wants to blast a space rocket out of his barn and into orbit,
one might think “cool idea.” But how far can one man’s dream go before
it becomes a damaging obsession? Damaging to his life, his family’s
life, and maybe even the nation.
Charles’ family shares his dream, a kind of mass psychosis, about
launching a private rocket (with Dad at the controls) into outer space.
His wife Audie (Virginia Madsen, SIDEWAYS) supports him undyingly but
has her doubts about him ever launching the rocket. His eldest son
Shepard (Max Thieriot) will be his mission control, and his two young
daughters Stanley (Jasper Polish) and Sunshine (Logan Polish) worship
their father’s dream in an almost biblical sense. But when foreclosures,
FAA regulations, and the wavering support of his town develop, Charles
must take drastic measures. Nearly killing himself with his first
attempt, Charles’ dream of spaceflight fades and with it the man and all
those around him. His wife realizes what must be done, for without the
dream her husband no longer exists.
Being a HUGE Polish brothers fan (NORTHFORK is one of my all-time
favorite films), I expected much from identical twins Mark and Michael,
but they sadly disappointed me with THE ASTRONAUT FARMER. Plot and story
are rapidly slashed in order to keep the movie moving forward, giving
the entire film an unrealistic feel. There’s no hallelujah moment
(although the film would have you believe there is) simply because
there’s no way the watcher could get behind the characters and care
about them with a story that didn’t allow you to get and remain close to
them.
This is the Polish brothers’ most mainstream Hollywood film to date,
with well-known actors and actresses at the top of their game (Bruce
Willis, Bruce Dern, Tim Blake Nelson, etc.) but Hollywood cookie-cutter
cutout film making doesn’t seem to jive with Michael and Mark Polish’s
style. Their previous movies (Northfork, JACKPOT, TWIN FALLS IDAHO) have
focused specifically on the minutiae of characters and events, giving
their films a surrealistic feel. The Astronaut Farmer is more direct and
thus loses much that has made the Polish boys an underground success.
I’m hoping that the brothers get back to what they do well; that is,
making movies that extend beyond the mainstream. Although I could see a
few Polish brothers details in The Astronaut Farmer (specifically the
names of characters which are paramount to the story ...Shepard, Farmer,
Sunshine, etc.), there were too many other problems that destroyed this
unfortunate film.
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Image from The Astronaut
Farmer
DVD cost: $11.41
Purchase:
Tower.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
While the movie is set
completely in Texas the filming was all done in and around Santa Fe, New
Mexico.
Movie Quote: "You
are one fabulous father. You got your family dreaming together."
Other Actors/Actresses
from The Astronaut Farmer
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