OCTOBER SKY
A movie review by Joe Barlow
(c) Copyright 1999
STARRING: Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen,
Laura Dern, Natalie Canerday, William Lee
Scott, Chad Lindberg
DIRECTOR: Joe Johnston
WRITER: Lewis Colick
RATED: PG
RELEASED: 1999
RATING: *** 1/2 (out of a possible ****)
"I'm not the man they think I am back home;
I'm a rocket man." -Elton John
"October Sky" is a cinematic testament to the power of dreams, and why they make life worth living. Based on the true story of four teenage boys who strove to make their lives extraordinary, the film is uplifting, involving, and triumphant. It's a tale rooted in the tradition of emotional filmmaking; in a some ways, I was reminded of a teenage "It's a Wonderful Life."
It's October 1957, and seventeen year-old Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal) is, like the rest of the nation, captivated by the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik satellite. Most of his fellow townsfolk in the small mining community of Coalwood, West Virginia see the device as something to fear ("Are they gonna use it to drop bombs on us?" frets a nervous housewife). But Homer is not a typical teen, and his imagination embraces the scientific possibilities now stretching out before mankind. So taken with these eye-opening new ideas, the impetuous youth soon embarks on a quest to build a rocket.
Most of his friends think he's crazy, but Homer finds a trio of allies who share this unusual dream: the cocky Roy Lee (William Lee Scott), his friend O'Dell (Chad Lindberg), and the brainy Quentin (Chris Owen), whose knowledge of physics and chemistry far exceeds their teacher's. Working with supplies "borrowed" from local businesses, the boys soon turn an abandoned lot into their own personal Cape Canavrel as they construct their model rocket, which they christen AUK1 (a tounge-in-cheek gesture: an auk is a small, flightless bird).
The name is an unfortunately apt one, and the boys suffer numerous hardships while attempting to get the device ready in time for the county (and hopefully national) Science Fair. They have the drive to keep trying, however: Homer in particular sees the AUK project as not just a hobby but a possible means of escape from the trap of Coalwood. He desperately wishes to attend college, but the only way he could afford it would be to win a football scholarship, as his brother Jim did. Homer is not the athletic type, however, and so AUK becomes his driving force and a powerful symbol: not only does he hope the rocket will soar, he hopes it will take him with it, right out of Coalwood, with an academic scholarship attatched.
Although his mother Elsie (Natalie Canerday from "Sling Blade") and his teacher Miss Riley (Laura Dern) are both supportive in this new endeavor, Homer's father John (Chris Cooper) thinks the boy is wasting his time. Father and son do not relate well, and on a certain level that's the main story of "October Sky": how two vastly different people learn to respect each other and set aside their differences. The film handles their relationship smartly, as we watch the two men try to comprehend each other's motives. John expects Homer to follow in his footsteps and work in the town's coal mine; Homer dreams only of the stars and his precious rockets. John doesn't realize that his own driving passion for mining is just as strong as his son's love of rocketry, and one of the best scenes occurs when Homer accuses his father of loving the mine more than he does his family.
The relationship between father and son becomes the story's emotional cornerstone. Their lives are an interesting juxtaposition: the scenes with Homer and his friends testing their prototypes in the great outdoors contrast sharply with the dark, claustrophobic shots of John working in the mine. It's no surprise that they have trouble relating to each other: their worlds don't overlap in the slightest. If the final reconciliation between Homer and John reeks a bit heavily of saccharine, it's still effective when seen in context with the film as a whole.
"October Sky" contains a wealth of characters, most of whom are well developed-- not surprising, since the film is based on a true story. (A nice touch: the closing credits contain Super 8 footage of the real people the story is based on.) But sadly, Roy Lee and O'Dell are given only token attention here, and seem to be included only to be historically accurate. Neither boy does anything of consequence. I would've liked to learn more about them, but alas, they're both too shadowy and insubstantial to get a handle on.
If we remove the inconsequential characters, the film is basically the tale of Homer and Quentin's quest to build a rocket. On a larger level, it's also the story of one boy's coming of age, and how he found the courage to struggle ahead in the face of adversity. In that sense, "October Sky" is as big and glorious as its title.
E-Mail: jbarlow@earthling.net Joe Barlow on Film: http://www.ipass.net/~jbarlow/film.htm
If you'd like to receive new film reviews by e-mail, please write to: joefilm-subscribe@listbot.com
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==---------- http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews