The Astronaut Farmer

Posted by Tara Settembre (tara@filmschoolrejects.com) on February 20, 2007

The astronaut farmer in The Astronaut Farmer is not only a real farmer but his name is too — Charles Farmer, played by Billy Bob Thornton in this heart-warming inspirational film about determination and pursuing your dreams. Usually such inspirationally themed stories are centered on sports feats as with Invincible or Rudy, but rather than the journey toward a championship, The Astronaut Farmer is about the dream of space exploration.

Although, the film’s producer Len Amato notes that the film isn’t necessarily about space travel either, but is “a story about overcoming obstacles, it can apply to any accomplishment where there’s always a certain amount of doubt and a chorus of naysayers and you have to push through with you own vision to make something where there was nothing before.”

The plot focuses on Charles Farmer and his obsession with making it into space. He had been an engineer and Air Force Pilot but was forced to retire from the NASA Astronaut training program so he could save his family farm after the passing of his father. Decades later now that he is a dad too, he still can’t give up his dream of space travel and employs his engineering skills and builds his own rocket ship. His wife (Virginia Madsen), and three charming children–two young girls and a 15-year-old boy eager to be his father’s “ground control” are all invested in Farmer’s dream too and believe he’ll launch his rocket and himself into space despite the financial costs and the criticism of outsiders.

Besides the cost and skepticism, another problem arises when he tries to buy 10,000 gallons of high-grade fuel. The FBI and FAA now consider him a threat to national security and have him put under surveillance and scrutiny, causing the media to also camp out on the family farm to see the rocket man and his renegade project. In this respect, he is defending his freedoms and taking on big government, becoming a citizen vs. government story as well.

However, despite the obstacles Farmer is determined to chase his dream and show his kids that you never give up and that dreams are possible.

The film is charming and I easily became invested in the story and quirky characters. However, I found Virginia Madsen’s constant bubblyness to be annoying. That aside, the acting overall is strong. I was also surprised and excited to see a cameo from Billy Bob’s Armageddon and Bandits co-star Bruce Willis, since he isn’t credited for this film or shown in the trailers, but he plays a NASA astronaut with his own agenda. Actor Bruce Dern also stars in the film as Farmer’s father in-law.

The film is set in Texas on a beautiful ranch and the directors never forget this fact and show lots of beautiful scenery shots, not usually expected in such films. As for the special effects, without giving away too much, the sound in the theater made my seat feel like it was rumbling inside a rocket as well when ever they turned on the rocket’s engines.

Read more articles by Tara Settembre