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Review
BY CHRISTOPHER J. TROILO
UMConnection Movie Reviewer

With cold weather still here and top film awards now in the hands of winners, many movie theaters find themselves with last year?s celebrated leftovers. New releases are few and far between, and among these slim pickings you?re always hoping there may be one or two that are at least entertaining. 'Astronaut Farmer' is probably the best you?re going to get, but it?s still mediocre at best.

Director Michael Polish is having his first 'at-bat' with 'Farmer,' and while he didn?t strike out, he?s a long way from hitting a home run. Serving also as one of the screenwriters, you can tell that Polish has some good ideas, but his problem lies in putting them together.

'Astronaut Farmer' is a film about dreams - everyone?s dreams, to be exact. In this movie they are embodied in Charles Farmer, played by Billy Bob Thornton, who wants nothing more out of life than to build a rocket in his barn and launch himself into space.

The concept is, of course, a little silly, but somehow that?s okay in the beginning. This movie starts off with such innocence and heart that audiences will be easily won over. The only thing really standing in his way is the big, bad, black-suited, sunglass-wearing agents of the Government. They are fun to boo and hiss at, because you want to believe with Farmer that his dream is possible.

This formula works pretty well for a while, during which Polish nails some great family dynamics, but then suddenly he derails. The second half of the movie just feels disconnected, almost like looking into a freshly opened jigsaw puzzle box.

If I had to identify one real problem, it would be pacing. The first half of the movie feels smooth and natural, but then in the middle of the second act, it?s as if Polish felt like he had to beat the clock. The director offers too many easy solutions to complications that didn?t need to exist in the first place.

These criticisms however, are from a film-making perspective. Discussing the theme is a different story.

There is something to be heavily applauded in this movie, and that is the message it attempts to convey. Whether it be 'Rudy,' 'Rocky,' or 'Miracle,' there is something about watching a person, a man, a woman or a team being told that something is impossible and having them turn around and prove that with enough passion, there is no such word.

'Farmer' explores this so incredibly well, and there?s really no denying that. How many little kids, even today, cheerily play make-believe, pretending to fly off into outer space? There?s a great point in the movie that Charlie Farmer makes about how parents and teachers tell kids they can be anything they want when they grow up. Why does that ever stop?

'The Astronaut Farmer' wasn?t the best constructed or even the most entertaining movie I?ve seen, if not ultimately forgettable, but it did make me think.

It made me want to run home and quickly draw up a list of things I want to do in my life, no matter how extraordinary they seem to be. I think, especially as we grow older, we often forget about doing those things that we once felt so passionate about.

This is a very appropriate and good movie for families. One of the things I really appreciated during the film was how supportive and loving Farmer?s family was. They were rational and cautious, but in the end, they stood by Dad. It would be a lot of fun to take little ones and ask them about their dreams after credits roll, and maybe remember a few of your own.

6.2 out of 10

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