This
private space entrepreneur and his contest to win a free trip into outer space
is sort of like an interstellar Willie Wonka and his golden tickets. To enter,
Angus Stewart must lie about his age, but not his idealism. However, he is
still more of an engineer than a spaceman. Perhaps it is therefore fitting when
his quest for the stars takes a Feynmanesque turn in Shelagh McLeod’s Astronaut,
which opens today in New Jersey, following its North American premiere at the 2019
Fantasia International Film Festival.
“Angus,”
as he insists he be called, even by his daughter Molly and grandson Barney,
generally had a good life, but the last few years have been a little rocky. Now
in his 70s, he has been forced to move in with Molly and her husband, due to
the debt his late wife incurred when she purchased a donkey farm while in the
throes of dementia. On the plus side, he can teach Barney about astronomy and
try to pass along some of his passion for space exploration.
Unfortunately,
for health and financial reasons, Angus’s son-in-law successfully forces him to
move into an assisted living facility with especially annoying staff. Out of
frustration with his new circumstances, Angus enters the lottery for a spot on
the first private space tourism flight, offering by a transparently Musk-like entrepreneur.
Obviously, he lies about his age and health.
Of
course, he is chosen as one of the twelve space idol finalists, because that is
the whole premise of the film. However, Angus will not stay in contention for
long. Instead, most of his efforts will be spent raising questions about the
mineral erosion potential going on beneath the super-long runway.
In
a way, Astronaut represents a return to the galactic curiosity and
optimism of Close Encounter, which made Richard Dreyfuss’s career, but
this film cannot hold a candle to the quality and entertainment value of the
Spielberg classic. Still, it offers plenty of warm fuzzies and a few nice PSA’s
for greater investment in STEM education.
Dreyfuss
really seems to enjoy playing Angus and the film definitely respects everything
he represents. Still, the cranky codger with a heart of gold act gets more than
a little cliched. Arguably, the best aspect of the character is his complicated
but affectionate relationship with his son-in-law. Yet, perhaps the biggest
surprise is Graham Greene’s risky but ultimately quite poignant performance as
a stroke victim in the senior home. It is also fun to watch frequent big-screen
villain Colm Feore play against type as the driven but decent space capitalist.
