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Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen, Max Thieriot, Jasper Polish, Logan Polish ... see more see more... , Bruce Dern , Jon Gries , Mark Polish , Tim Blake Nelson , Sal Lopez , J.K. Simmons , Bruce Willis , Kiersten Warren , Rick Overton , Richard Barela , Richard Edson , Elise Eberle , Julie White , Graham Beckel , Marshall Bell , Kathleen Arc , Lois Geary , Dianne Anderson Mathis , William Lawrence Allen , Gregory Chase , Forrest Fyre , Janelle Sperow , Robert E. Fleischer , Kathy Lamkin , Charlie Brown , Gary Houston , Richard Holcomb , Adam Taylor Gordon , David House , John Lawrence Page , Mark Mathis , Matthew Kimbrough , Richard McClarkin , Brian McCallister , Jay Leno , Doris Hargrave , George McKelvey , Steve Cormier , Scarlett McAlister , Deborah Martinez , Benjamin Petry , Cheyenne Serano , Robyn Reede , Olive Gallagher , Kevin Wiggins , Joan Findley , Mary Sue Evans , Ida Darvish , Eugene Nomura , Vikrum Shah , Yvans Jourdain , Jennifer Chu , Dallas Raines , John Burke , Roy Costley , Esodie Geiger , J.D. Garfield , J. Michael "Yak" Oliva , Richard Gunn , Marc Miles , Jenny Gabrielle , Hannah Wiggins , David Marcilla , Joey Solis , Mark DeLisle , Robert Michael Lee , David Sullivan

An aspiring astronaut who was forced to forsake his dream of exploring space in order to save the family farm begins building his own personal rocket as a means of reaching the stars in this quirky ru... read more read more...ral drama starring Billy Bob Thornton. There once was a time when Charlie Farmer (Thornton) seemed like a shoo-in for NASA's esteemed astronaut training program. An Air Force pilot who held a degree in aerospace engineering, Charlie was well on his way to blasting off when a family crisis grounded his celestial aspirations. Of course, Charlie's feet may be firmly planted on terra firma these days, but his thoughts are constantly ascending into the clouds and beyond. It's been ten long years since the man who would navigate the stars began tending to the family farm, and during that time, Charlie has dedicated every moment of his spare time to building the rocket that will one day launch him into space. Though his devoted wife, Audie (Virginia Madsen), the pair's three children, Sunshine, Stanley, and Shepard, and even his father-in-law, Hal (Bruce Dern), all support Charlie in achieving his lifelong goal of becoming the nation's first independent astronaut, a last-minute hitch on the eve before the big launch unexpectedly stalls Charlie's countdown. It seems that Charlie's quest to obtain a substantial amount of high-grade rocket fuel has attracted the attention of not only the FBI, but the CIA, the FAA, and the United States military as well. Now, as the powers that be attempt to ground Charlie, citing concerns for civilian safety, a media frenzy descends upon the once-quiet farm as the reluctant renegade hero vows to show his children just how far one's courage and willingness to pursue one's own ideals can get a person when one refuses to give up hope. Northfork writing/directing duo Mark and Michael Polish team up to tell the tale of a man considered an oddity by his neighbors, a criminal by the government, and an inspiration by the media and the people. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

52% liked it

281,036 ratings

Critics

57% liked it

134 critics

PG, 1 hr. 44 min.

Directed by: Michael Polish

Release Date: October 15, 2006

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DVD Release Date: July 10, 2007

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Stats: 10,103 reviews

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Jonathan Gries The Astronaut Farmer Virgina Madsen - plays working mom - Audrey 'Audie' Farmer The Astronaut Farmer The Astronaut Farmer (2006) The Astronaut Farmer The Astronaut Farmer (2006)
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Flixster Reviews (10,103)

  • spielberg00
    August 12, 2011
    spielberg00
    This movie was silly--okay, stupid--a lot of times. I wouldn't recommend it.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    January 27, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    The Astronaut Farmer is the fictional story of a former NASA astronaut who builds his own rocket to travel in space. The film follows the same feel good formula that many other films have taken, and the results are somewhat mixed. The film is average and can almost be seen as rec... read moreycled ideas from previous films dealing with achieving the impossible. Obviously the character building his rocket will have obstacles to overcome and there'll be a period where he'll just want to give up, but he's encouraged to continue. The feds get involved because they believe that Charles Farmer is building a WMD in his barn. He faces the feds, skeptical neighbors, but he'll prove them wrong. Astronaut Farmer is typical of the feel good film. The film is good to watch, but it doesn't do anything new or original with the script. The Astronaut Farmer is a good film to watch with your family. Unfortunately the film is flawed and at times the film feels a bit stupid in it's dialogue delivery. Some parts made me cringe. The Astronaut Farmer is an average feel good film with decent acting, and average plot. However it's clear that the script suffers, and the full potential of this picture is strained and has yet to realized. Good, but not great. The thing with this film is that they were plenty of opportunities to craft something pretty good, but the filmmakers decided to recycle old ideas, and at times the film feels rushed. Still decent entertainment.
  • bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    July 29, 2010
    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    C
  • briandeguelle
    January 26, 2009
    briandeguelle
    It's a nice feel good movie here,a great sunday afternoon flick we some nice performances from the cast.worth checking out if your feeling down.
  • flixsterman
    January 6, 2009
    flixsterman
    This film would have benefited from a competent technical adviser.
  • bbcfloridabound
    March 21, 2008
    bbcfloridabound
    Great Movie for the family, clean
  • Redlats
    February 9, 2008
    Redlats
    It's good to have dreams. That is the message of the movie, but I found the movie unbelievable and somewhat sappy.
  • sanjurosamurai
    September 27, 2007
    sanjurosamurai
    i loved this movie but i was fairly conflicted while watching it. in some regards the main character was a great family man concerned about his family above all else. in other regards he put his own dreams before the well being of his own family in a major way. ultimately it w... read moreas a good family film and a delight to watch. you really root for the guy to get to space the whole time and they didnt try and tell too much story. they told what they needed to. i was suprised to see bruce willis in this film because they didnt promote him when the movie came out in theatres, he has a decently important role in this film even though it is a small one.
  • thefog1331
    September 10, 2007
    thefog1331
    There's a bit much to swallow to stay with this story but in the end it's worth it. It's not a bad family film if you have teens-- any younger and you'll be groaning in embarrassment over some of the dialogue.
  • DrZeek
    May 16, 2007
    DrZeek
    Charles Farmer: Hey kid you know what you want to do when you grow up?
    Child: I dunno.
    Charles Farmer: Well better know what your going to do, before someone knows it for you.

    There are two things that sum up how to take this movie.

    The first is the fact that it is a fantasy mo... read morevie that happens to be set in the real world. Some logic is applied to the situations presented, but it doesn't matter, and will only hurt you to think about it too hard. This is about a man's dream, and whether he can succeed or not, with characters that are either supportive or not towards him.

    The second thing is that this is a silly movie. A former military man, who always dreamed of going to space, decides to build a rocket of his own, with his family as his construction crew; that really is the stuff dreams are made of. It's silly, but its a well done kind of silly.

    Billy Bob Thorton holds this movie together. He is completely in character as Charles Farmer. It is especially evident during the end credits that he is into this character, portraying him as a real man, who could be believably crazy, despite being a good hearted family man.

    Virginia Madsen is pretty good as the supportive wife, as well as the kids playing his children. Bruce Dern is a little underused as Grandpa, but still has the necessary "old man wisdom" moment. Bruce Willis comes in for a good enough cameo, just to prove that these guys are friends on and off screen. Then there are also a number of supporting actors that work well with what they have.

    Being a PG movie, it only has things like minor peril, but actually quite a bit of language, but still, the conflicts in this movie are enough to keep the viewer watching, nothing to depressing or intense, and I didn't mind. I liked seeing this character, despite there being no real surprises along the way. Billy Bob has a natural charisma that makes this film work.

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Critic Reviews

Peter Howell
February 23, 2007
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

You either roll with the hokum or you don't. If you do, the essential message of realizing your dreams flies as well as Jimmy Stewart's angel wings. If you don't, reality is as close as the nearest wi... Full Review

Ruthe Stein
February 23, 2007
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

The Astronaut Farmer's goofy quality makes it totally endearing. It's also super entertaining. Critics are fond of referring to movies as a 'great ride.' With this one, the words couldn't be more apt. Full Review

Steven Rea
February 23, 2007
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Filled with lovely images (the opening credit sequence, of Charlie in his spacesuit, riding the range on horseback, is a beaut) and nice character turns, The Astronaut Farmer nonetheless veers too clo...

Stephen Whitty
February 23, 2007
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

What could have been a sagebrush Fitzcarraldo wants to be a feel-good fable. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
February 23, 2007
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

I was content to go along for the ride with this excellently cast labor of love -- which shows just how much you can accomplish with $12 million and more imagination than most big-studio re leases can... Full Review

Jack Mathews
February 23, 2007
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News

It's hard not to like a movie so determined to make you feel the love of a family, to make you feel that every dream can become a reality and that every mortgage can be rescued by the sudden death of ...

Colin Covert
February 23, 2007
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Thornton's serene certainty that he can touch the stars all on his own has an irresistible pull. Even as the sensible part of you is hoping he won't be a dadgum fool and endanger his life, the visiona...

Amy Biancolli
February 23, 2007
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Look, there's Bruce Willis, an old astronaut buddy from Farmer's aeronautics-training days! No, Mission Control, this isn't Armageddon. Ben Affleck is nowhere in sight... Full Review

Liam Lacey
February 23, 2007
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

You keep waiting for the other shoe to drop: When will the irony start? The twist is there isn't one. The Astronaut Farmer starts out looking like a parody of wholesome inspirational fare and then get... Full Review

Tom Long
February 23, 2007
Tom Long, Detroit News

The Polish boys have a fine time poking fun at government paranoia, mass commercialization, bureaucrats, banks, WMDs and all manner of modern nonsense. But throughout the film two things remain centra... Full Review

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The Astronaut Farmer Trivia

  • Who portrayed Charles Farmer in the film The Astronaut Farmer ?  Answer »
  • What film has this quote: Will Beacon: " Mr Farmer how do we know we aren't constructing a WMD " Charles Farmer:"Sir, if I was building a mass destruction you wouldn't be able to find it ?  Answer »
  • What is the name of the rocket in The Astronaut Farmer.  Answer »
  • Who starred in the following films -Catch that Kid -The Pacifier -The Astronaut Farmer -Nancy Drew  Answer »
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