User reviews

We own this movie in our home collection and we haven't watched it in a while. Saw it again tonight on TV, and realized that it is still a good movie.

Clint Eastwood produces and directs this movie, and draws some "experienced" actors to help him fill the lead roles. They manage to extol the trials and tribulations of the senior years, while still capturing the exuberance of youth from the past.

the story leads a mildly predictable pattern, but in this case it is not the end of the story that is primarily important, but instead how they get there. Also, all 4 lead actors all come off as really having a good time in the movie, it feels like they really enjoyed making this one and it comes out on the screen in the performances.

The pace is even and smooth, again demonstrating Clint Eastwood's legacy of directing and acting in watchable, enjoyable movies, no matter what the gender.

I should also mention that the special effects and the space sequences are stunning and much better done than most other movies in near-earth space. That would be the industrial Light and Magic team doing it again.

Overall, enjoyable.

What movie with Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones. James Garner, James Cromwell, Donald Sutherland, and Marcia Gay Harden wouldn't be worth a look. This one has it all, but mostly laughs. This Clint Eastwood produced and directed movie is great simply because the cast doesn't appear to take it seriously. They are just having fun. And special effects? They are better here than other movies like Armageddon and Deep Impact.

If you like movies where people are considered outdated or replaceable and prove the experts wrong, then this is the one. I watch it and keep getting reminded about all those COBOL experts who were back making the big bucks just prior to the millennium change.

Space Cowboys builds its humor around a quartet of aged characters who seize their first and last opportunity to fulfill their lifelong goal of going into space. Space Cowboys satirizes the traditionally romanticized conception of the young hero by portraying its characters as sagacious --yet imperfect-- old men.

Space Cowboys revisits its embittered protagonist, the retired Air Force test pilot Frank Corvin (Clint Eastwood), forty years after a humiliating episode where he is replaced by a monkey for a 1958 NASA mission to space. Unexpectedly, Frank is summoned by ex-boss and NASA official Bob Gerson (James Cromwell) to fix a Russian communications satellite that is soon to crash, and that contains the obsolete guidance system that he and his colleagues designed for the earlier satellite, Skylab. Realizing he is the only one who can fix the system, Frank coerces the desperate Bob into rehiring his old team: pilot Hawk Hawkins (Tommy Lee Jones), structural engineer Jerry O'Neil (Donald Sutherland), and navigator Tank Sullivan (James Garner) --all seemingly unlikely candidates for the task at hand. Gaining the trust of NASA Engineer Sara Holland (Marcia Gay Harden) and the mistrust of flight director Eugene Davis (William Devane), the reunited "Team Daedalus" face the biggest mission of their lives.

Space Cowboys, which benefits from the performances of four seasoned actors, successfully establishes its four main characters as the source for all its comedy. Space Cowboys' initial introduction of its protagonist (in the brief black and white sequence which includes the humiliating incident with the monkey), offers a convenient setup which allows the ellipsis of forty years to hyperbolize the four characters' emotional states and to justify their subsequent actions. Furthermore, this initial sequence, which also depicts the four characters as audacious US Air Force pilots, establishes itself as a point of reference against which the present inconsequential lives of Frank, Hawk, Jerry and Tank will be contrasted.

Space Cowboys subtly and effectively creates an analogy between the characters and the troublesome "guidance system": while the men's present occupations are portrayed as rather useless, the guidance system's design is described as old and obsolete, yet neither the men nor the system are entirely expendable. (This suggested duality of man/system is emphasized by Frank's ironic statement: "...it wasn't designed for this duration.") While Space Cowboys draws its humor from the characters' efforts to revert to their prior occupation and regain importance, the second part of the film --the mission-- serves a dramatic purpose, where the characters' true mission is to disprove the others' belief that they are outdated and replaceable. Narratively, Space Cowboys' space sequence does little more than simply prolong the characters' task of proving themselves, yet visually, it offers eye-catching special effects and set design.

Nevertheless, Space Cowboys succeeds more as a comedy that deconstructs its heroes than as a drama that exalts their heroism.

This was a pretty enjoyable tale of "The Ripe Stuff," four old geezers going up into space to help save a project they had a hand in years ago. It's pretty long at 130 minutes but the four diverse characters help keep your interest. Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and James Garner are quite a foursome. Add Marcia Gay Harden to the mix, along with Loren Dean, Courtney Vance and James Cromwell and you have a fabulous cast.

This is a drama but one in which there is a fair amount of comedy and some romance. There are some Hollywood clichés (a suspect boss, arguing pals going back-and-forth all the time, a weak minister, etc.) but they aren't as blatant as usual.

The storytelling is pretty good but the real show here is not the story but that group of veteran actors. One joke was overplayed: Sutherland and the size of genitals. Not real classy stuff but, overall, the movie is fine. Definitely a rental, at the least.

There is so much about "Space Cowboys" that is unrealistic and, if you think about it, silly. But, it manages to tell this story in an entertaining fashion. So, my advice is just turn off your brain and enjoy.

The story begins in 1958. Despite all their training towards orbital travel, NASA is created and the Air Force folks who were working towards space were told to stand down. This part of the story is true and some of the pilots from all different branches of the military went on to become NASA astronauts. But some didn't...and the story now jumps to the present (2000). Frank (Clint Eastwood) is still rather bitter he never got a chance to go to space when his project for the Air Force was canceled...but now, in his senior years, an opportunity arises. A Soviet satellite is falling out of orbit and somehow the only person on a planet of 7,000,000,000 people who can fix it is Frank!! He insists that he doesn't want to tell a young astronaut how to fix it but will go to space himself...provided NASA also allows his three friends who were ALSO with project Daedalus to join him on the flight.

What follows are lots of old geezer jokes and montages. Eventually, the four guys are shot into space with two young hot shots. Unfortunately there are two huge problems. The satellite is NOT a communications satellite AND one of the crew members might just endanger millions because he's a horse's butt.

So is any of this believable? Not really. But it is engaging and the special effects quite amazing for 2000. My only real quibbles are that James Garner's character is poorly written, as he acts nothing like a Baptist minister (how many Baptist ministers say the Rosary as well as quote Alan Shepard instead of making a simple prayer??) and a lot of what surprises everyone in the film seems telegraphed. But the good far outweighs the bad and the picture is never dull.

This is one of the greatest action/dramas that I have ever seen. Not since ARMAGEDDON has there been such a movie that managed to satisfy my craving for action, laughter, and drama all at the same time. Clint Eastwood returns to show us that he can handle any role that comes his way. While the film was not a really big hit in theaters, it managed to catch my eye at the video store because it had to do with a failing Russian satellite and since the four lead actors are so good. Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner and Donald Sutherland are the title characters and our heroes in SPACE COWBOYS, one of the most memorable movies of the year for me.

I enjoyed the way the film slowly develops the characters and shares with us their past history. The film is great in my opinion. The supporting cast includes James Cromwell, Marcia Gay Harden, William Devane, Loren Dean and Courtney B. Vance (Loren Dean and Courtney B. Vance both being men). All of the key actors and elements of the film are wonderful and create a film that is both memorable and, in my opinion, timeless. SPACE COWBOYS gets 5/5.

NASA is in a pinch. A Russian communications satellite is about to crash after an obsolete guidance system fails. The system was designed by Dr. Frank Corvin(Clint Eastwood)retired Air Force test pilot. Corvin and his old crew team up to ride to the rescue. The aging astronauts are as humorous as they are fit for duty; well. The other space "cowboys" are:Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Southerland and James Garner. Garner is a bit of a disappointment among the "cowboys", but other notables in the cast are:Marcia Gay Harden, James Cromwell and William Devane. This is a fun watch. No great shakes, but really enjoyable.

While much of the film is predictable (except for a couple of surprises) and and almost certainly implausible, the movie was enjoyable because of the camradarie between the characters and the theme of redemption. How often does someone get a second chance and then also make good on it? The sets and special effects were very convincing and Eastwood seems to be good at both the artistic and technical aspects of directing. There's great chemistry between the stars as well. All in all, a very enjoyable movie, 8/10.

I enjoyed this one, good not great, with old man humour from a fantastic cast who all seem to be having a great time working together -which in itself makes this worth a watch.

The story flows, even if it tends to go on a bit and feel clichéd at times, its entertaining. Directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars as one of a group of retired former pilots, recruited by NASA 40 years after their heyday to stop a runaway Russian satellite from hitting earth. He insists that his equally old teammates accompany him into space. They go through training again, bar fights, old wounds are healed, romances begin. Decent special effects and a bittersweet ending "fly me to the moon"

The opening flashback scene from the 1950's also makes this worth a watch, where we get to see young lookalike actors portraying Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones and James Cromwell -using voiceovers from the real men. Very clever.

This did remind me of Armageddon -which I watched about a week ago, almost the same story, a bit less action here, not sure which came first?

I went into Space Cowboys expecting to like it, but came out fairly disappointed. First of all, it seemed to be confused, trying to be an action/comedy/drama film, and failing at each of these. Although very funny at times, even the good performances of D. Sutherland and Tommy Lee Jones can barely give the audience reason to care about this group of geriatric astronauts, and Eastwood is a non-factor.

As always. The people putting in the post here are looking for too much in this movie. This was a fun old geezer movie. So what if it reeked of Armageddon. Client Eastwood going around collecting men to help him save the world. Just like Bruce Willis did. So what if a lot of the "Scientific Facts" did not mess out correctly. Who cares. This was a funny and entertaining movie. I laughed in all of the right places. Just pure entertainment. Nothing to take all serious. Get over it!!!!! If you wanted something serious - read a book.

In 1958, during the Cold War four astronauts(Toby Stephens,Asher, Matt McColm) from project named Dedalus are retired and substituted by a new astronaut, a chimpanzee. In the post Cold War, when a Russian communications satellite orbit towards earth threatening to crash, a engineer(Clint Eastwood)is recruited by Nasa ruled by a despicable chief(James Cromwell) . He's living a simple life along with his wife(Barbara Babcock). He insists the reunion his old pals, a daredevil pilot(Tommy Lee Jones) , a parish preacher(James garner) and a roller coaster designer(Donald Sutherland).The four old men must to pass a strong physical examination. The four veterans get immense popularity and are interviewed by Jay Leno's Late Night. Meanwhile the astronauts fall in love with NASA scientific(Marcia Gay Harden, Blair Brown). Then they are accompanied by two younger astronauts(Loren Dean and Courtney B. Vance) and are ultimately launched on the spacecraft to fix the Russian satellite.

This Sci-fi movie packs comedy, adventure, perceptible friendship and is quite entertaining. The film relies heavily on the relationship between the four protagonists but adding humor and spiritual fight. Barely credible situations and sometimes ridiculous premises, however is a good-natured fun. Good musical score by Lennie Niehaus and colorful cinematography by Jack N Green, both are usual of Eastwood. Spectacular production design by Henry Bumstead who worked for Alfred Hitchcock.After this movie Eastwood directed his greatest hits(Mystic River, Million Dollars Baby,Flags of our fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima). The motion picture is especially appointed for enthusiastic of the stars.

The storyline is secondary when you have four seasoned veterans like Eastwood, Garner, Sutherland and Jones entertaining you. They have the ability to raise the level of any writing with their professionalism. At no time could you detect any scene stealing. All four are comfortable in their own abilities and don't need to resort to gimmicks or scene stealing. Eastwood is at his economic story-telling best behind the camera.

Despite my constant adulation of Eastwood's films of the decade ending 2009, I had never managed to see either Space Cowboys or Blood Work. Surely, I thought, I should be rushing to see both of these, given my fondness for that period of the director's career. Surely they would conform to this extraordinary block of raw talent.

An ex Air Force scientist denied the chance to go into space following the establishment of NASA, Frank Corvin is called upon to bring down a dangerously unstable Russian satellite which employs a now-archaic system he designed. Spying the opportunity to achieve his onetime dream, he rounds up the old team for one last mission.

I think it way have been the nature of Space Cowboys which perhaps subliminally kept me from getting around to it. A cast littered with highly esteemed names, a massive budget, a high-concept premise. None of these things were ever present for the slew of masterpieces which followed (some big names appeared, I grant you, but never so many simultaneously), a factor I must have considered an ill omen for this film's chances with me. I like my Eastwood dark and dramatic, not lighthearted and action-filled. Nevertheless, I was willing to get invested and involved, the cast offering names the like of Eastwood, Jones, Sutherland, and Cromwell, all of whom I'm deeply fond of. The plot is of course rather far-fetched and requires a considerable leap of faith. If you approach this film with cynicism you will be lost immediately upon learning that NASA is willing to send a force of geriatrics into space. That said, it is explained as best as possible; given that Corvin is literally the only man for the job, the government's acceptance of his terms is somewhat less fantastical, especially considering the delicate balance of international relations thereon dependent. The narrative structure is, beyond the age issue, pretty standard, following the well established path of gradual training and the resolution of whatever issues are encountered. When a serious problem threatens the success of the mission, a creaking cliché steps in to fix it. We all know the story, for so many times have we seen it unfold. And yet, in spite of all the problems of sheer unoriginality and a formulaic implementation, the film is damn enjoyable. There is a heart-warming charm to be felt in seeing these actors occupying the screen together and having quite so much fun in the process. They crack jokes, compete physically and sexually, and behave like little boys. Maybe that is the key to the film's charm: the participant's tongue-in-cheek acceptance of their own age, and a bold defiance of the societally imposed limitations thereof. In a way, the absurdity and ridiculousness of the premise is entirely intentional, allowing these onetime cowboys to ride again and feel the vigour of youth. And who are we to deny them that?

Though it is completely and utterly ludicrous and requires quite a substantial suspension of disbelief, one gets the impression that Space Cowboys plays upon just that very aspect of itself, breathing a renewed life into its elderly participants and vicariously so into its audience. An ode to youth and a firm middle finger to the limitations of age, one cannot help being drawn into its fantasy.

Great movie I really enjoyed it.. wish the ending was a little bit more dramatic and maybe emotional. I felt like the ending was short and didn't grab those heart strings like it could have

Maybe not the best movie directed by Clint Eastwood and maybe not the best space movie but certainly enjoyable enough to watch. The scenario is not highly believable but then again it's just a movie. I seriously doubt that those elderly men would pass any of those NASA tests, but Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and James Garner are apparently cut out of another wood then us. I thought all actors did their job like they should. There are no Oscar performances here but it doesn't really matter. It's a nice adventure movie where you don't have to think too much. The story is simple and I wasn't expecting much more out of it. Old guys sent to space to save the world. Mission accomplished...

Eastwood leads a cast of rock-solid veterans in a comic space fantasy/adventure full of dad humor and ... well, a fairly cliched story of old space jockeys coming back to show the grasshoppers how it's done.

Space Cowboys isn't thoughtful sci-fi, but it's well-acted across the board and the effects hold up very well. It also doesn't hurt that the camera sure does love these guys (Tommy Lee Jones especially). The running time is on the long side and almost feels like two movies in one; but I enjoyed it for the most part, and the final shot is a real grabber.

Good luck getting that Sinatra song out of your head.

The year is 1958. Frank Corvin, a bit of a rebel and a hothead, leads Daedalus, a small Air Force team training to be the first men in space. However, his lead pilot, William "Hawk" Hawkins is even wilder. He pushes a test flight beyond its limit. They have to bail out. The plane is destroyed, and it leads the project director, Bob Gerson, to pull the plug on Daedalus and set his sights on putting a chimp into space first instead.

We cut to the present (circa 2000). A Russian "communications satellite" is experiencing problems and will return to Earth if it isn't fixed. We see a Russian General, Vostow (Rade Serbedzjia) and Gerson (James Cromwell), now a NASA director, agreeing to attempt repair. The only problem is that the guidance system is so antiquated--it's the same as the old Skylab guidance system--that no one in NASA can quite figure it out, and they only have a few weeks to act. It turns out that Corvin (Clint Eastwood) designed the guidance system. Gerson and Corvin understandably hate each other because of the events in 1958, but Gerson gives the okay to contact Corvin to see if he can fix the system somehow or train others to do it. Corvin finally agrees, but only if Gerson consents to a seemingly crazy plan--Corvin wants the four members of Daedalus--Hawkins (Tommy Lee Jones), Jerry O'Neill (Donald Sutherland), Tank Sullivan (James Garner) and himself, all now senior citizens--to be sent up in the space shuttle to fix the satellite.

As many have pointed out, Space Cowboys seems like a bit of a riff on Armageddon (1998), and understandably so--an unlikely, gruff, motley crew are sent into space by NASA on short notice to stave off some kind of impending disaster. However, it would be difficult to say that Space Cowboys was directly influenced by Armageddon. They're too close in time, and scripts have a tendency to float around Hollywood for a while before they're picked up and greenlighted. What seems more likely is that Space Cowboys was just another one of the films riding on a trend in the late 1990s for sending motley crews into the face of danger in some kind of insular vehicle, against all odds, to "save the planet". It wasn't only Armageddon that had that plot, and at any rate, anyone who regularly reads my reviews knows that I disagree with the "cult of originality". Films aren't better just because they're unprecedented. Space Cowboys does the plot just as well as Armageddon.

Besides, like Armageddon, there are other stories happening here, too. The focus is much more on the geriatric crew and their relationships to each other and a few select NASA employees. After the period intro, the bulk of the film focuses on Corvin fighting for the agreement to get his friends into space, trying to get his friends regrouped, fighting against Gerson, who is trying to sabotage him in various ways, and Daedalus' training period.

Given that structure, the casting was extremely important. Eastwood, who also directed, produced and contributed some of the music, put together an excellent bunch. Eastwood, Jones, Sutherland and Garner mesh extremely well, even if Sutherland and Garner do not get nearly as much screen time. This is a fairly serious film in many ways, but it also has a strong comic element running throughout. Eastwood and scriptwriters Ken Kaufman and Howard Klausner find a nice balance between the film's various modes. Although the NASA-oriented material works well enough, the best moments arrive through the core cast's more mundane interactions, including the scenes where Corvin first tracks his friends down.

We know that Eastwood as a director is extremely skilled and multifaceted. Even at that, it was surprising initially to see him tackle film with sci-fi elements, but he's just as adept here, whether it's creating suspenseful moments that hinge on dial-loaded equipment or achieving attractive "space" cinematography. He proves a natural at the latter--the closing scene of the film is one of the more poetic yet economical in cinema history.

However, some of the film's minor flaws also arrive with the sci-fi material, but seem to emanate from the script. The dialogue can become too jargony and/or gobbledy-gooky to follow, especially during a few crucial moments. I never did quite follow the final solution to the dilemma, despite rewinding the DVD a couple times and putting on the subtitles, although I was able to figure out the gist of it so it made sense in a more fantastical way.

But even without a full comprehension of the plot details when it came to technology-oriented ideas, Eastwood as a director is able to completely wrap you up in the film emotionally. The climax is sustained and will have you on the edge of your seat, ready to cheer the penultimate scene, despite realizing how ridiculous it is to do this towards your television.

Although it's not a "perfect" film, Space Cowboys delivers just what it should--a very entertaining "ride" with a fair amount of poignant subtexts about friendship, loyalties and our culture's off-base conventions/popular beliefs about age and ability.

It's "grumpy old men" meeting "Armageddon". okay, i had a couple of laughs, I admit. But the script is so...bad I amazed that someone even wanted to make this movie. I can only say that if you thinking of seeing this movie, don't. Spend your money on a burger instead. It will satisfy you better...

This has to be one of my all time favourite films. I wasn't sure what to expect. The acting had to be some of the best I've seen in a long time, but with four such amazing lead actors it was hard to believe it could be any other way. The story didn't let the film down either. It could have been so easy for them to have just put in four really well loved actors and then not bother with an exciting and heart wrenching storyline. This is a film which has every emotion flowing, one minute your laughing, the next your on the edge of your seat and can't believe what is happening. It is very rare to come out of the cinema and be blown away by a totally amazing film but this did it. I now have four films which impressed me in the cinema and I'm very pleased to add this one to my list.

It actually sounded like a comedy movie when I heard about it, but it wasn't.

But it was fun to watch.

What a turkey!

It's sad, really. The basic story isn't bad, and could've made for a fun and exciting flick... if the writers weren't seemingly going out of their way to make the viewer laugh and/or cry at the ludicrous details.

Why? Why do people try to write science fiction and then not even bother trying to learn at even the most basic about their chosen subject? It's a lament that's as old as movies, I suppose; still, "Space Cowboys" is one of the more egregious examples. Evidently they had a decent budget; they could have spent a little on research.

I could trot out miscellaneous stupidities like: 1000 miles is not geosynchronous orbit; 1000 miles is a ludicrous place to put a satellite; the Shuttle cannot fly to anywhere near 1000 miles up; a satellite in geosynchronous orbit will (essentially) never decay into the atmosphere; and so forth.

You'd deride me as a nerdish wet blanket, I suppose. But more fundamentally, the level of stupidity this movie ascribes to practically everyone is stratospheric. The very concept of NASA putting four rookies with a month of training onto a shuttle and sending that shuttle to rendezvous with and grapple a satellite ABOUT WHICH VIRTUALLY NOTHING IS KNOWN (like the design, even the mass) is about as far removed from reality as can be imagined. There isn't even a pretense of building a willing suspension of disbelief. And if on every turn your reaction to the story isn't "Wow, neat" but "Nobody could be that stupid!", the writers have failed abysmally.