Well, Billy Bob Thornton, Bruce Willis, and Bias all start with the letter “B”, but I’m not going to say nice things about The Astronaut Farmer because of that. Its true that I am a big Bruce Willis fan (but you already knew that - or else you’re new around these parts…the search box is on the right). But, I’ve not been impressed with the movies that Billy Bob Thornton has starred in until now. I didn’t find Friday Night Lights to be much fun to watch, although I did try to. But, the only football movies that I liked were The Waterboy and Varsity Blues.
I’ve always been a sucker for stories of hope, though, and The Astronaut Farmer falls into that category without confusion at all. The film stars Billy Bob Thornton, the delectable Virginia Madsen, Max Thierot, and a slew of others. This movie was pretty good. It was not on par with Pay it Forward, but it definitely is a must see if you like stories of hope about the human spirit.
Plot Summary fron IMDB:
A NASA astronaut (Thornton), forced to retire years earlier so he could save his family farm, has never give up his dream of space travel and looks to build his own rocket, despite the government’s threats to stop him.
This movie touches on a big topic and a sore spot for many Americans which is NASA and its role. I don’t know how this issue of private space flight versus government agency space flight will play out in the future, but it is a hot topic. The sad thing is that this is not a fantasy. A private individual cannot get his spacecraft in flight due to the stranglehold that the Space Agency has on the “market.” Is this good? Is it right? The film hints at this isue, but doesn’t go into too much depth, as that would cause too negative of a feeling towards this issue, in my opinion. It will be visitied int he fure, though, I am sure.
Watch this movie for the entertainment. You will be entertained.
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