Space will never be the same

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, James Garner, James Cromwell, Marcia Gay Harden, William Devane, Loren Dean, Courtney B. Vance, Barbara Babcock

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"I was just reciting the Shepard's Prayer. Alan Shepard's prayer. Oh Lord, please don't let us screw up. Amen."
– Tank Sullivan, when asked to say a pre-launch prayer

Why watch this? There nothing not to like in the geriatric romp through the space program.

Plot Summary: NASA needs help with a failing Russian satellite and discovers that the guidance system was designed decades earlier by a retired engineer named Frank Corvin. Frank, a former test pilot who was denied his chance to go to space, agrees to help only if his original four-man team can accompany him. Despite their age, these seasoned veterans, along with two younger astronauts, embark on a perilous mission to fix the satellite and fulfill their lifelong dream.

Dad's Preview: When you gather together four of cinema's most iconic actors, enlist the directorial skills of Clint Eastwood, and pick our space program as the backdrop, it seems like a slam dunk. Well, it kinda is. There is definitely a "we know as much as you young whipper-snappers" vibe, and the film leans into it. The acting is superb, the plot engaging, and the space segments more breath-taking than you might expect. Sure, it's at bit clichéd and corny. It's tame enough for your kids. In my book, that's a good thing.

Village Roadshow Pictures, Clipsal Films, Malpaso Productions,
Mad Chance Productions; Warner Bros. Pictures