THE ASTRONAUT FARMER
Director: Michael Polish Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen, Bruce Willis, J.K.Simmons
Reviewed by PETER MALONE
What to make of this rather odd piece of Americana which tantalises with the juxtaposition of the two occupations of its title? The title, by the way, is like Good Will Hunting – it looks as if it means something but it is the name of the central character. Here he is Charlie Farmer, played by a genially obsessed Billy Bob Thornton.
A strong caution is in order – not a moral caution because the film is quite a wholesome tale of family, hopes and dreams and values. No, the caution is a warning to hyper-realists. You will not like this film and probably think that the plot is not only implausible but impossible. Actually, the caution could well extend to ordinary realists as well. While it is all filmed as a realistic, even naturalistic, story, it is an American fantasy: anybody can achieve their dream, no matter what.
So, this is the story of Charlie Farmer, his wife Audie (Virginia Madsen) and their three children who live on a farm in a small Texas town. So far, so ordinary. But, Charlie, with the help of his son Shep, has built a rocket in his barn and intends to go into space. When he rides around his property, he dresses in his space suit.
Not only is the audience sceptical, so are some of the folksy townspeople although they come to embrace him and his cause. The media descend on the town as well. Most sceptical are NASA and the federal aviation officers. The FAA man to confront the would-be-astronaut Farmer is the no-nonsense, J.K.Simmons. He wants to forbid the whole project. More congenial is the NASA expert who has been in space. He is played by a nice Bruce Willis who tries to dissuade Charlie by reason and common-sense.
If this sounds improbable, then this is not your film. Even trying to be sympathetic to characters and situations, it does seem highly unlikely that a farmer and his son could build a spaceworthy rocket in their backyard, so to speak. When they build another one (and keep it secret from the officials, though two men do stay in the town to report back but they are presented as clowns, with the Darth Varder theme for their mobile phones), credibility is more than strained. Father and son have also developed a successful system for radio contact.
It’s not giving away too many secrets to say that the mission is a success. Charlie has had a peak experience and shown that any dream is achievable. In searching for what American reviewers thought of the plot, I noticed that one used a word that I would not normally use, but one which does seem apt. Despite the niceness, it is ‘wacky’.