A NASA astronaut, forced to retire years earlier so he could save his family farm, has never given up his dream of space travel and looks to build his own rocket, despite the government's threats to stop him.
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; the FAA stalls him when he files a flight plan - it's post-9/11, after all. His wife is angry when she finds out their bank is initiating foreclosure. Charlie fears failure and decides, precipitously, to launch. Are twenty-first century American dreams just a sign of insanity? Are those who believe in dreamers only fools?—<[email protected]>
Charles Farmer, played by Billy Bob Thornton, is a soft-spoken, wellliked, small town family man who has spent years building a rocket ship in his barn. As he nears completion of his project, however, several complications appear in his trajectory in the form of government interference and economic problems. Once the media got a hold of the story, the money woes seemed to make less sense to me. Look for Bruce Willis as a former astronaut, who visits Farmer. We spend the film watching and wondering whether these issues can be overcome and allow him to launch, and whether or not he should even try. Virginia Madsen stars as his supportive wife and Max Thieriot is his fifteen-year old son and assistant.
(this first appeared on realmoviereview.com)
