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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.
(from MovieWeb.com)
| | Film Review
When you hear the words "Billy Bob Thronton" and "Movie," the feeling you get probably isn't very pleasant. Thronton has the
unfortunate tendency to plague his films with crude remarks, most recently in the film School for Scoundrels where his dialog
marred most of the movie's screen time. However, like any other person he can be forgiven- and with this movie, The Astronaut
Farmer, Thronton seeks to get into a family setting and convince viewers that he can pull it off. Thankfully for the audience,
including myself, he did.
The Astronaut Farmer tells the heart-warming (but not cheesy) story of former NASA employee Charles Farmer and his quest to
build and launch his own backyard rocket. Farmer, while at NASA, had his own chance to become an astronaut, but suffered a breakdown
after his father committed suicide and was forced to leave NASA. Not one to quit, Farmer gathers military scrap and creates a makeshift
manned rocket in his barn over the span of several decades. Thanks to the support of his loving family, Farmer is able to successfully
complete the rocket, but not without the constant dogging of the local police, FBI, and FAA.
I know it sounds like your run-of-the-mill family cuddle story- but the storyline of the film has a word that immediately catches
your attention regardless of whether you like these types of movies or not: 'rocket.' Just when you thought everything has been done before,
director and screenwriter Michael Polish has come up with something neat and original. Several iconic elements make themselves known
in just the first twenty minutes: the importance of family, the need for a relationship between father and son, and the drive to dream.
Later in the film, Farmer's father-in-law remarks that Charles is a good father: "I couldn't even get my family to eat together," he
says, "...but you've gotten your family to dream together." Charles and his wife have certainly succeeded at parenting on several
different fronts.
I liked Thronton as Charles Farmer. Usually he's typecast as a jerk, but this time around we got a breather and see a glimpse of
what Thronton could be like if he was in more family-orientated movies. The Farmer family is dotted with homespun actors and actresses
that make their screen time worthwhile; not to mention the Farmer girls, Sunshine and Stanley, who are played by none other than director
Michael Polish's own children. Bruce Willis (this even surprised me) makes a memorable appearance in one of the nicest roles I have ever
seen him in. Everything and everyone works together to make the impression of the Farmer family real and engaging, rather than over-the-top
happy or superficial.
I don't remember anything of concern in the film, besides spots of language here and there. This film is PG, so you cannot expect
too offensive to show up. The Astronaut Farmer is pretty squeaky clean.
In the long run, The Astronaut Farmer takes a valuable stance as both a piece of entertainment and a memorable story.
Rather than dwell on the negative hardships of their situation, the Farmers look to positive attitudes and dreaming the impossible,
to the point of even making it happen.
If you have any questions or comments about the film, knock yourself out and go ahead and
e-mail me.
Until the next film,
- Zachary Anderson
(reviewed: 2/26/07)
Parental Guide: Quick Summary of Content
 Sex/Nudity: Charles and Audie kiss in bed and she motions to
take it further but stops when she finds that he smells from working in the barn (so nothing else happens);
Charles sees an ex-girlfriend who comments on him building the rocket and he reminds her that whent hey went to the prom, he
mentioned taking her to the moon. She sarcastically remarks that that was about "getting laid;" Phyllis' questions to Audie
about the rocket sound like they can be taken as double-meanings sexually
Vulgarity/Language:
3 "s" words (1 of them shown written on an oar), 1 "g*dd*mn," 6 "a" words, 5 "h*ll," 2 "d*mn," 2 "S.O.B.,"
2 "G-d"
Alcohol/Drugs:
In two different scenes, Charles is scene sharing a beer with another person
Blood/Gore:
After a crash, Charles has some bloody marks on his face, we later see them dried up as they're healing.
Violence:
Charles throws a brick through a banks window (mad about his house's foreclosure);
Audie throws some plates in anger; We see a test of the rocket go wrong and crash (injuring Charles
and putting in him the hospital)
** Disclaimer: All reviews are based solely on the opinions of the reviewer. Most
reviews are rated on how the reviewer enjoyed the film overall, not on content. However, if the content
really affects the reviewer's opinion of the film, it will definitely affect the reviewer's rating.
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** (see below notation)
- for thematic material, peril and language.