A REVIEW OF "OCTOBER SKY" by Ryan Ellis
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Pure honesty and boyish enthusiasm are two traits that far too many films in this decade don't care to embrace. As a result, recurring criticisms of countless pictures is that they're not believable, they're unlikable, or the whole project is just plain stupid. With all the mega-movies about disaster and imminent death (which seems to automatically require a $50 million budget for the outrageous special effects alone), the proverbial 'Little Movie That Could' is often overwhelmed and forgotten by the ticket buyers.
So, here comes "October Sky" with its message of dedication, love, and hope. It's a good movie, and I don't mean that to provide a bland analysis. I mean "good" in the sense that it's got a good heart with wonderful intentions. There's no real villain here or some higher goal to destroy people or things. Sure, it has some special effects, but this is one time where they help the story along, instead of dominating the dog-eared script. Not once do you sit in the theatre mulling over how the folks at Industrial Light and Magic did this or that. You're too busy engrossed in the lives of the small town and its coal miner mentalities.
Based on the book, "Rocket Boys" by Homer H. Hickam Jr., "October Sky" chronicles the day-to-day hardships of Coalwood, West Virginia. It's the fall in 1957 and Russia has just launched "Sputnik" into orbit. Young nobody Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal, who is earnest and well-cast) seems to be floating through life until he sees the satellite shooting by their small community up in the sky. He's captivated with the idea of getting into space and rockets become his full-time passion. He and his chums, Roy Lee (William Lee Scott) and O'Dell (Chad Lindberg), make friends with the town geek, Quentin (Chris Owen). The four boys enthusiastically study and learn and fail in their attempts to get a rocket to successfully shoot off into the wild blue yonder.
Meanwhile, Homer's father, John (Chris Cooper), runs the town's coal mine. Mining is his life and he thinks it should be Homer's life, too. The obvious conflict is father vs. son, but it's also about the desire to shoot for the heavens and keep out of the ugly pit of hell--up vs. down. Now, that's not to say that John Hickam is the devil. He's a hard man, but a good man. He treats most people right, but he's tough on his family, especially the passionate Homer. John is sternly against his son's hobby (or is it an obsession?) and pushes him to get into the mining business. After being blamed for a forest fire caused by a "rocket", their equipment is confiscated and they are forced to stop experimenting. Glumly, they accept their fate and temporarily quit.
Homer never gives up on his dreams, though, even when he has to fill in for his father on the job. After John saves the lives of a dozen men (but nearly loses his eye and his life), he's laid up for a few weeks. Homer realizes his obligation to the family and goes to work in the coal mines. He doesn't like it, but he's a natural miner. Meanwhile, Miss Riley (Laura Dern), the boys' high school teacher, continues to inspire them (particularly Homer) to do something great with their lives. She wants them to enter the National Science Fair and is only satisfied when they do. Because this is based on a true story, it has a positive ending with some bittersweet aspects, too.
In the middle, this film loses its focus on Homer's rocketeering efforts and gets into the family conflicts. Near the end, as the miners strike and the town looks to be crumbling, family tensions increase until everything blows. While those scenes are necessary, the film's strength is in its laugh-out-loud humour, warmth, and ingenuity of the boys and their rockets. Ironically, I softly criticize the filmmakers for forgetting about the rocket exploits, yet these family scenes were the ones I could best understand. Still, it's not easy to watch a story of a boy and his father who cannot relate and don't get along because that's my story, too.
Director Joe Johnston has made a fine film here--better than "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids", for instance, which was also a sweet movie about families and technology. Johnston uses the technical aspects well in conjunction with the story in "October Sky". One of the most important facets is the support for the "Rocket Boys" by the entire community as they willingly help the boys out in a heartfelt, but honest way. This film is not sappy or manipulative and it's bound to bring a tear to the eye at the resolution, especially if you can relate to these people like I can. Rockets and mines are the metaphors. Love, forgiveness, and hope are the messages. When "October Sky" isn't entertaining you, it's touching you.
USELESS TRIVIA--Producer Charles Gordon also produced "Field Of Dreams", a movie with a very strong element of father/son forgiveness and acceptness.
This film gets a 9/10.
THE RYAN RATING SYSTEM SAYS... 10/10--absolutely outstanding 9/10--excellent 8/10--pretty darn good 7/10--sure, go on and give it a peek 6/10--so-so; ye ol' recommendation point 5/10--not quite worth the dollars 4/10--only if you have a free pass 3/10--don't go, PLEASE don't go 2/10--avoid even if you DO have a free pass 1/10--"Showgirls" territory; truly crappy 0/10--bang your head off a wall instead
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