The Astronaut Farmer

The Astronaut Farmer(480P)

source: The Astronaut Farmer

source: The Astronaut Farmer

A ridiculous story? Totally unrealistic? Yeah, you could say that, but who cares? The fact remains it was a fun movie to view.....and not to be taken seriously. Those who did, scoffed and called it stupid. They missed the point. It's full of ludicrous situations and pontificating that is sometimes just laughable. There is no way this event could happen - a guy building a rocket ship in his backyard enabling him to orbit the Earth, and actually doing it without someone stopping him, and having his 15- year-old as head of "mission control!" And, yes, the portrayals of the government men are Hollywood stereotypes. Yet, despite the stupidity of this story it was very entertaining but more than that - it was a nice film, a feel--good one that made you glad you watched it. I simply viewed this as pure fiction, akin to something like "Field Of Dreams," and totally enjoyed. It also was fanatically filmed. This is a beautiful-looking movie. Kudos to David Mullen, director of photography. What a nice family, too! Boy, if all of us could only have such a supporting spouse and great kids like "Charles Farmer" had in this movie. Despite coming with an eyelash of financially ruining his family, his wife sticks with him and his kids all love him greatly and will do anything to help him. Virginia Madsen's plays Charlie's wife "Audie." Outside of one fight, they are seen in a loving manner. Even cranky old Bruce Dern is a good guy in here, playing the grandfather. The film is filled with surprises, including a big--name actor, Bruce Willis, who makes a small appearance. He looked like he enjoyed himself and I'm most viewers share that if they like a nice, feel-good family, fantasy adventure story. This is good escapism that should leave a smile on your face. Don't dismiss it, or overlook it.

boring, what else i can say .. well maybe boring again? the plot is intriguing but.. that's it .. a lot off bla bla about a guy that want to fly a rocket. a little drama here, a little drama there. i did like the fact that US officials are made bigots, @%#^ heads and so on, because sometimes they are. There always is a bigger plan that sweep under the carpet the little guy and his dreams. Bruce Dern was like a paralytic or something.. literally he can fall apart in some scenes. Thorthon was OK, but i think that he can fit in the jack ass role much easier and can play a lot better. Damn boring.. i almost fall to sleep during this movie..

This is a good and appropriate movie for a family with young children, but dreadfully boring for anyone with some intellectual sophistication to see how passé' the plot and characters are. The characters are a wishful-thinking bunch. Settled in a down-to-earth ranch out somewhere in Texas, it is a solid marriage where the wife stands by her man, even with all his short-comings. The children are there, and guess what, they are pulled out of public school for a few weeks of "off-school" learning on space aeronautics. They have a dog. They have a gas-guzzling large old pickup truck. These are the good guys. The bad guys are employees of the various federal agencies. These are dressed in black, drive black vehicles, and are photographed with the sun in the background so that instead of their faces, we see their shadows. The only good guy in that bunch is an astronaut that hangs around the family holding a bottle of Bud. Another bad guy is the bank that is foreclosing on the ranch. Not exactly bad, but not good either, the public school is defined as a place where "what is he going to learn there anyway". So, not much positive on public schooling here. So, if you want to drive large gas-guzzling vehicles, do not believe in public schools, dislike federal government employees, pawning your ranch to pursue a quixotic mission like launching yourself into space, and have a solid marriage with lots of kids and a dog and no apparent source of income or steady job or whatever and live in a farm remote from the rest of society, then you will like this movie. All this with the happy feeling-good Hollywood music in the background. "October Sky" was much better. At least the characters in that movie knew what they were against, and made a real and credible effort and achieved a well-deserved success. In comparison, this movie here was humorous and laughable.

This is a story of man with a huge ego. He wants to launch a giant rocket into the air with himself in it so he can....I don't know, brag? He treats his family terrible. Rather than letting this be a family dream, he takes it upon himself to do this alone. He ignores the stress he puts his family through, and pretty much tries to destroy them financially. The government has good reason to stop him, but they are portrayed as people trying to keep the man down. Even when events transpire that prove the government correct, where he could've potentially killed people it's treated like almost nothing. The moral of this story is that you should put yourself at risk, ignore your family to the extent of ruining them financially and emotionally crippling them, and do things that could potentially kill your neighbors in the pursuit of your 'dreams'.

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.

I saw this movie and was very disappointed. I must confess that when I went to see it it was as a last resort and wish I hadn't seen it. The movie was a very depressing one when you think of the expense and disasters that this man put his family through and the headaches he causes to pursuit a "dream" which is nothing more than bankrupting his family and sending them to the edge of sanity. Add to that this man cares nothing about bringing the government to his home and totally thinks of himself when confronted with the possibility that his family will be taken away from him and he locked up in the, excuse the pun, funny farm. Also he pursuits this goal, not out a pure desire to see space or to open it up for many people. It is simply for himself and trying to get rid of guilt over leaving NASA and his father's committing suicide. Again this did not inspire me but rather depressed me. There is no grand Americana and there is no ground swell of support it is simply a man against the world which does nothing to bring people to his aid. In moment he threatens murder, this is not the kind of inspired leadership that would hope for or expect. If you want to make yourself feel terrible, feel angry at the world and your family, and basically burn money for no good reason then go see this movie.

The Astronaut Farmer At first glance, it might seem as though the twin film-making brothers Michael and Mark Polish (both write, while Michael directs and Mark acts) have scuttled their inclination toward oddball delights as seen in their previous films, Twin Falls Idaho, Jackpot, and Northfork. True, there are only upright Americans in The Astronaut Farmer and none of the conjoined twins, professional karaoke singers, or wandering angels here that populated their earlier work. Yet, even though the Polishes' purview has downshifted from damaged exotics to grassroots individuals, their perspective remains refreshingly skewed toward the unusual and uncommon. The Astronaut Farmer could almost be a relic from the golden age of Hollywood, an inspirational drama about staying true to one's hopes and ideals no matter the social, economic, or emotional cost. "If we don't have our dreams, we have nothing," goes the story's underlying refrain – a mantra that might sound like pure cheese were it not delivered with such note-perfect gravity by Thornton, who stars as Charlie Farmer. A former astronaut, Charlie quit NASA's program when tragedy struck on his family's farm back in Texas (New Mexico filled in for Texas during the shoot). However, having always wanted to go into space, Charlie has taken his can-do spirit and built a rocket ship in an empty grain silo on his property. With his 15-year-old son, Shepherd (Theriot), as his one-man ground-control operation, Charlie eventually blasts off, much to the government's chagrin. The feds don't seem to want anyone with a modified John Deere and contraband rocket fuel to steal their thunder. Plus, the anxieties dredged up by our modern age of terrorism lend an extra edge of suspicion and confrontation to the government's interference in Charlie's affairs. Although The Astronaut Farmer feels something like a throwback to a gentler time, what makes the film work is its utter sincerity and perfect command of the overall tone. Madsen, as Charlie's wife Audie, is equally disarming as the emotional ballast that keeps Charlie and their family afloat. The actors all achieve a certain ingenuous tone that helps sell the movie. It matters little that we have no idea of things like how the farm survives when nobody seems to be working it or why no one balks when Charlie pulls the children out of school to help him with his project. Shot in stunning widescreen by the Polishes' longtime cinematographer, M. David Mullen, Audie and the others are frequently backlighted to achieve that certain heavenly glow. And Willis turns up as a fellow astronaut in an unbilled role that provides the movie with some bomber-jacket cachet. Fans of the Polish brothers and fans of inspirational movies may all depart the theatre scratching their heads: The Astronaut Farmer is not exactly the movie any of these viewers expected to see. This is almost always a good thing – even if the movie is a deserved head-scratcher. AUSTIN CHRONICLE Marjorie Baumgarten [2007-02-23]