Synopsis
Texan Charles Farmer left the Air Force as a young man to save the family ranch when his dad died. Like most American ranchers, he owes his bank. Unlike most, he's an astrophysicist with a rocket in his barn - one he's built and wants to take into space. It's his dream. The FBI puts him under surveillance when he tries to buy rocket fuel, and the FAA stalls him when he files a flight plan – but Charles is undeterred.
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Cast
- Billy Bob ThorntonCharles Farmer
- Virginia MadsenMrs. Farmer
- Max ThieriotShepard Farmer
- Jasper PolishStanley Farmer
- Logan PolishSunshine Farmer
- Jon GriesFBI Agent Killbourne
- Mark PolishFBI Agent Mathis
- Bruce DernHal
- Tim Blake NelsonKevin Munchak
- Sal LopezPepe Garcia
Recommendations
- 83
Entertainment Weekly
After teeny indies, this studio release retains the trademark love of warped American gothic that the Polishes share with David Lynch and the brothers Ethan and Joel Coen. But the unexpected streak of yearning sunniness -- the Spielbergian touch of boyhood dreams propelling a grown man -- gives The Astronaut Farmer a warmth that's new for them. - 80
L.A. Weekly
This is gloriously self-aware hokum, a fantasy movie that is, above all, about our need for fantasy and escapism -- and even our need for movies like The Astronaut Farmer -- to help us combat the depression and disappointments of the everyday. - 75
ReelViews
The Astronaut Farmer is one of those movies that makes an audience want to cheer and clap. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
The Astronaut Farmer, is goofy, wholesome and, well, sweet. Despite some droll humor and on-target political jabs delivered deadpan by a uniformly strong cast, "Astronaut" often is too corny for its own good; it could have used more of those zingy lines. - 70
Variety
Thornton carries the film with relaxed authority, though the earnest tone doesn't let him explore the nuttier aspects of a character who, from any reasoned distance ought look more screwy than heroic. Madsen is radiant. - 70
Village Voice
This movie works precisely because it's bereft of modern cinema's cynicism. - 67
Austin Chronicle
Fans of the Polish brothers and fans of inspirational movies may all depart the theatre scratching their heads: The Astronaut Farmer is not exactly the movie any of these viewers expected to see. This is almost always a good thing – even if the movie is a deserved head-scratcher. - 67
The A.V. Club
Too odd for a studio movie, too cornpone for the independent scene, The Astronaut Farmer finds its creators stuck awkwardly between worlds, making what amounts to a deep curiosity.
