The Astronaut's Wife (1999) 1/2 star out of 4. Starring Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron
The only purpose I can see for "The Astronaut's Wife" is using it as a cure for insomnia.
This dull excuse for a science fiction thriller is about as exciting as a countdown, as enthralling as a systems check.
The film holds your attention by putting you into a stupor. It lulls you to sleep. You'll find more excitement in reading "Goodnight Moon."
What's unfortunate is that "The Astronaut's Wife" offers a first-class cast, headed by Johnny Depp as the astronaut and the beautiful Charlize Theron as the wife.
Depp affects one of those cool, laid-back Southern drawls that sounds like an audition for "Gone With the Wind". This is not one of Depp's finest hours on film.
He is a first-rate actor, as proven by his work in "Edward Scissorhands", "Cry Baby" and "Ed Wood." He has the ability to inhabit a character, of making whoever he portrays a full-bodied individual, no matter how bizarre or outrageous.
In "The Astronaut's Wife," though, he is defeated by a script that basically gives him nothing to do but try to look spooky while reassuring the Mrs. that he's the same good ol' boy rocket jockey he was before his last space mission.
During that flight, Depp's Spencer Armacost and his partner, Alex Streck (Nick Cassavetes), lost consciousness and were out of contact with Earth for two minutes.
It is what happened during those 120 seconds that is the crux of the story.
If you have seen enough "Twilight Zone" or "Outer Limits" episodes, or read enough science fiction, you can pretty well figure out the details.
But writer-director Rand Ravich decides to stretch the obvious to the intolerable.
We know what happened, of course. Most of the characters sort of have an idea of what took place, so why try to create a mystery and milk suspense from a situation that is so blatantly apparent?
Probably because Ravich had a premise but did not know what to do with it. At least that's what it seems as Depp and Theron merely play cat-and-mouse until the inevitable finale and expected plot twist.
The premise of an extraterrestrial spouse was done with more chills and excitement in the 1957 B-offering "I Married a Monster From Outer Space."
That movie, despite its minuscule budget and cheesy special effects, packs more wallop in five minutes than all of "The Astronaut's Wife."
What is difficult to comprehend is how "The Astronaut's Wife" was green-lighted because the script's shortcomings are so clear.
Ravich expends all his time and energy trying to create an atmosphere of suspense where none exists.
You can almost hear him straining.
"The Astronaut's Wife" is a major letdown, a snoozer, a movie that will soon be consigned to the sales bins at your local video outlet.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at cbloom@iquest.net
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