Dir.: Michael Polish;
Billy Bob Thornton, Bruce Dern, Jon Gries, Kiersten
Warren, Mark Polish, Sal
Lopez, Tim Blake Nelson,
Virginia Madsen, Max
Thieriot, Jasper Polish,
Logan Polish, J.K. Simmons.
Extras:
"How to Build a Rocket: The
Making of The Astronaut
Farmer" featurette, "A
Conversation With NASA
Astronaut David Scott"
featurette, outtakes.
(Warner).
Movie Spotlight
The Astronaut Farmer Release
Date:
February 23, 2007 Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Director: Michael Polish
Screenwriter: Mark Polish, Michael Polish Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen, Bruce Dern, Tim
Blake Nelson, J.K. Simmons Genre: Adventure, Family MPAA Rating: PG (for thematic material, peril and language) Official Website:
TheAstronautFarmermovie.com
Plot Summary: Dismissed from NASA's space
program, former astronaut-in-training Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton)
pursues his lifelong dream by building his own rocket in the Polish Brothers'
family film "The Astronaut Farmer." On the eve of his launch, he must battle
foreclosure on his ranch, a small-town community of disbelievers, the FAA, and
FBI agents who want to shut him down in the name of Homeland Security � but
remains determined to reach his goal and instill in his children the courage to
pursue their own dreams, no matter the odds.
EN 5 Second Review:
A little slow, but uplifting, better date fair than this
weeks the Number 23, just as thrilling, just in a different way.
The
Astronaut Farmer is a heap of rugged individualism, perched atop a silo
of corn Michael Phillips: Chicago Tribune
It's meant to be a tall tale, and Thornton emits just enough
low-level strangeness as a screen actor to keep the role, and the film,
from pure reverence. There are setbacks, but Farmer believes and dreams
and pounds away in his lavishly scaled, rocket-sized barn out back....more
There
is the kind of formula that fuels rockets, and there is the
kind of formula you feed babies John Anderson: Newsday
The rare film that can make you question your own sanity,
but The Astronaut Farmer is so lacking in
plausibility, explanation, motivation and physical science
that you start to ask: Is it me? Rest assured: It's them....more
The
Astronaut Farmer offers dreams, obsession, faith,
courage, and redemption James Berardinelli: Reelviews The Astronaut Farmer is one of those movies
that makes an audience want to cheer and clap. From a real
world engineering standpoint, the movie doesn't stand up to
scrutiny, but it is dramatically effective. Some might think
the PG rating signals a kids' film but, while The
Astronaut Farmer represents suitable viewing material
for younger audiences, it evidences dramatic and thematic
maturity. No adult should feel ashamed seeing it because,
regardless of the age of the viewer, the reward is worth the
investment of 100 minutes...more
We would love to know what you think, sound off on the
movie message boards and let us know how you liked the movie!
Actor Billy Bob Thornton ("Slingblade,"
Bad Santa," Monster's Ball") talks to "Sidewalks"
host Cindy Rhodes about how he got started in the
business, winning an Oscar® with "Slingblade," and
about the film and the cast of "The Astronaut
Farmer."
A NASA astronaut (Thornton), forced
to retire years earlier so he could save his family
farm, has never given up his dream of space travel
and looks to build his own rocket, despite the
government's threats to stop him
Release
Date:
February 23, 2007
EN 5 Second Review:
A little slow, but uplifting, better date fair than this
weeks the Number 23, just as thrilling, just in a different way.
There
is the kind of formula that fuels rockets, and there is the
kind of formula you feed babies