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Years have passed since Charles Farmer (Billy Bob
Thornton) dropped out of the astronaut program to care for his ailing
father, but the former NASA pilot’s dream of soaring into outer space
never faded. Though his neighbors in Story, Texas, view him as nothing more
than a harmless eccentric, there’s no question in Farmer’s mind
that he will one day travel into the stratosphere. After all, he’s
building a rocket in his barn. Nobody outside his circle, however, notices
until he attempts to buy 10,000 pounds of rocket fuel. Before you can say
“Lift-off!” the feds descend on Farmer’s farm, and it
looks as if he’ll be lucky to even leave the state, let alone the
planet. Of course, Farmer’s determined to complete the
mission, and a good chunk of The Astronaut
Farmer is devoted to his fighting the
bureaucracy and raising enough money to keep the wolves from the barn door.
Thornton perfectly displays the sort of quiet can-do spirit that movie
heroes of this sort require, showing an unwavering devotion to his beliefs
that is admirable, if impractical, in this day and age. The actor dominates
the film, which proves to be a double-edged sword because his co-star, the
talented Virginia Madsen, is given little to do other than play the
supportive wife. Double-edged, too, is the message The Astronaut Farmer sends. On one
hand, it’s a Frank Capra-esque celebration of American optimism,
awash in iconic imagery sure to evoke warm, patriotic feelings, yet the
film depicts an American government willing to crush the civil liberties
and dreams of its citizens. Too bad that’s the part that’s
real.
This article appears in Feb 15-21, 2007.
