Space Station 76

When I first heard about this movie, I was quite interested in it. I grew up watching those sci-fi movies and TV shows from the 70s, all those leisure suits and haircuts and the wonderfully cheap special effects. Retro is my thing, and anything with punk in it – steampunk, dieselpunk, atompunk – so I was looking forward to seeing Space Station 76.

Now, for the positives: it was well made, well acted (especially from Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson and young Kylie Rogers), well directed. In addition, it looked like something that could have been made in the Seventies, which was obviously the intention: the computer graphics, the smoking, the Valium, the beige, the videocassettes, the robot therapist (although the exterior space shots and interior zero- gravity scenes looked a little too good – no strings to be seen!).

Where it fell for me was the story. This is *not* a science fiction movie. It may be set in space and the future, with all the expected trappings, but it could just as easily had been set in a suburban street in the Seventies, or in a groovy apartment complex. The plot lines are all very human and Earthbound (and certainly not anything that would have been part of any movie or show from the era): the alcoholic, closeted gay Captain, the lonely little girl who can't keep her pets alive, the bitter couples in the broken, empty relationships where even affairs are just masturbation by proxy, and the infertile Assistant Captain who arrives onboard the station (although everyone keeps calling it a ship) unwittingly brings all the tensions to the surface. There's an asteroid headed for the station, an obvious metaphor for the proverbial lid that's about to blow among them, but it doesn't really play a part in all of this.

I had read the other reviews that warned not to expect Galaxy Quest, Spaceballs, Red Dwarf or other laugh out space comedies, and I'm not some neophyte cinephile unfamiliar with black comedy, but I had expected *some* laughs. I laughed once. More often than not, I was sad, which was more a testament to the performances. Billing this as a comedy, even a black comedy, is misleading.

To be honest, I'm not sure who this might be for: the sci-fi fans will be mostly disappointed, as will the comedy fans, and those looking some adult psychodrama might be confused by the retro-future setting.

This is probably one of the stranger movies I have ever seen but I liked it. It is not, however, in any way a comedy and the trailer is hugely misleading.

Basically, and bizarrely, this story, about unhappy and lonely people, is staged in a 70s style space station. The acting is fantastic (absolutely everyone is good) and the sound track is delicious, but there is absolutely no comedy, apart from strangeness linked to the setting and a few gimmicks, (all done in the first 5 minutes).

The film is even a bit depressing. But, as I mentioned before, I liked it. It's almost like a strange hallucinogenic trip.

Reading the comments and ratings, this movie does not seem to be watched by the right people. I think the problem seems to be in the expectations and the movie being something different than what we are used to these days when you read the plot of the movie.

If you expect a normal sci-fi, where the sci-fi part is important for the story, it's not, it's just the setting. The cheap 70's sci-fi look is humor for me.

If you expect a comedy, with clear, loud jokes, or people being funny, it's not. I found the humor more in the irony and in the annoyingness and painfulness of the characters.

If you expect a spectacular blockbuster, it's not, it's almost more an art-house movie.

If you expect a serious drama, it's not, although it is about loneliness and emptiness in people.

So yes, I actually did enjoy it, because it was different and well made.

Unless the viewer is *very* familiar with the 1970s ... the fashions, culture, music, attitudes, behaviors, etc ... much of the impact of this movie will be lost. There are a multitude of references to that era that are presented with such subtlety that they are very easily missed. From the top-loading VCR to the mood ring to Tab soda can to the "I'm OK, you're OK"-speak of the robot shrink to the rainbow color distortion in the telecoms projection, the film is loaded with them. Clearly the production designer, costume designer, and set decorator did their research on the period. That aspect of the film was wonderful. The story line? Not so much.

I can't remember the last film I saw that frustrated me as much as SPACE STATION 76. I remember reading reviews when it hit the festival circuit and thinking how awesome it sounded. Then I was disappointed when it was finally released on home video and never found it's way into stores. I finally ordered it on Amazon (DVD because there was apparently no Blu-ray release) and…ugh…I want to like this movie more. It's not horrible. In fact, there's a lot of hilarious stuff in this movie. But the execution...the lack of any real main plot thread…it's aggravating. The premise is perfect: a science fiction film based on the imagined future of the 70's with a modern bent. Jessica Marlowe (Liv Tyler) is a new arrival on the station and finds that she's having trouble with her new crewmates. Captain Glenn (Patrick Wilson) is a closeted homosexual, an alcoholic, and a misogynist who resents Jessica's assignment under his command. Ted (Matt Bomer) and Misty (Marisa Coughlan) are unhappily married and have a daughter, Sunshine, who suffers more than anyone else aboard the station. Finally, there's Steve (Jerry O'Connell) and Donna (Kali Rocha); another picture perfect couple, Steve cheats on his wife while she remains home drinking wine and tending to their newborn child. SPACE STATION 76 is basically a comedy/soap opera that follows the lives of our deep space rejects as the tensions mount. The movie is apparently based on a stage play and I'm sort of curious to see it.

Rarely had I seen a movie with so much going on but very little actually happening. Of all the subplots bubbling around each other, the thread with Marlowe, Ted, and Misty could probably be considered the "main" plot since it gets the most attention. Jessica and Ted are also the only decent people in the whole movie. Literally everyone else in the movie is pretty unlikeable. Funny, but unlikeable. The crew of the station and their significant others are two-faced, fickle, and brimming with distaste for everyone around them. You really start to feel bad for the little girl trapped in the middle of it all. At no point do they come together to overcome some obstacle or achieve a goal; there is no growth of any sort in SPACE STATION 76. In the end, no one has learned any sort of lesson or changed in any sense. The big climax seems to be the realization that their squabbles are small and stupid in the grand scheme of things. It's all very unsatisfying, story-wise. Although, with some tweaking, this could have worked as a mini-series or potential full television series. Actually, that sounds pretty good. I'd watch that. But as a 90 minute film, it falls pretty far short. It's a bummer because I wanted to love this movie. Still, aside from the aimless nature of the plot, this movie works well in most every other sense. SPACE STATION 76 is obviously someone's passion project and it shows in the details.

The production design and the visual gags are where the movie shines. Casual audiences might not see the charm in the simplistic sets and retro costuming. Fans of cheesy 60's and 70's science fiction will love it. It's very much a classic design with a modern (miniscule) budget. The CG effects are limited and cheap, and they fit the vibe of the film just right. Most of the film's humor is derived from the setting and it works. A prime example: the station has a therapist on board, Mr. Bot. Mr. Bot looks like a cheap 80's children's' toy robot and he's programmed to latch on to key phrases, distributing advice…and Valium…to his patients. It's a fun recurring gag. Ted is missing a hand and has had it replaced with what reminds me of an old Nintendo power glove that he must physically plug into a wall to recharge. There's a great ongoing bit where one character's repeated attempts at suicide are foiled by the system's automated safety protocols. There's a lot of really good stuff in this movie and there were more than a few scenes that got a laugh from me. The problem is the dull ensemble melodrama it's all wrapped around. I hate to say it but I'm not sure there's enough to elicit a recommendation out of me. Fans of the genre it's satirizing will probably find enough to enjoy but, if you're like me, it'll leave you feeling unsatisfied. It's all sadly forgettable.