On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 24/48 |
Kim Hollis |
An uplifting story that is well acted and original. |
| 44/50 |
Michael Bentley |
Instead of a heart-warming family comedy/drama, we get a disappointing, inexplicable movie filled with plot-holes galore. |
| 200/214 |
Max Braden |
An okay family film, but poor writing and directing make this a boring and uneven drama. Rent October Sky instead. |
Billy Bob Thornton stars in this film as Charles Farmer, a former astronaut-in-training who is dismissed from the NASA space program. Not one to be daunted by others telling him what he can and cannot do, Farmer decides that he will build his own rocket, thereby bringing to fruition a dream he has harbored his entire life.
As Farmer comes closer and closer to achieving his vision, he finds himself facing a number of battles. His ranch is in danger of foreclosure, the residents of his small town find him overly eccentric, the FAA objects to his potential use of airspace, and the FBI wants to shut him down because he's a danger according to Homeland Security. Farmer becomes determined to face the seemingly impossible odds to show himself and his children that belief and faith go a long way in this world.
Along with Thornton, The Astronaut Farmer has a solid cast that includes Virginia Madsen, Bruce Dern, Tim Blake Nelson and J.K. Simmons. Michael Polish, previously responsible for such indie flicks as Twin Falls Idaho, Jackpot and Northfork directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with twin brother Mark. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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