Astronaut

This was a very welcome and pleasant surprise

Throwback to the 80s and 90s era of good writing, good characters and great cast, rather than the exec driven crap the dominates cinema today.

A movie about life and respect for the elder, wiser generations, which is all but lost just now.

Lovely family film.

Dreyfus plays a lonely widower in poor health who has always wanted to go into space. When a competition is announced he applies, much to the concern of his family.

Slow, sweet, sentimental and extremely unlikely, this is a pleasant enough piece of whimsy about old age not being the end of things, thanks pretty much entirely to the huge screen presence and performance of its star.

Actor, turned writer/director Shelagh McLeod, makes her full-length feature film directorial/writing debut in Astronaut.

Her camera work was that of a seasoned director, but some of the scenes certainly needed some editing/cutting down. Although a great story, her inexperience shows in her screenplay with some plot and technical issues. At 97 min long, the slow pacing made the film feel much longer. Had the pace been faster or the length edited down, the story would have shined.

The cinematography was great, and the music/score perfect. Performances were good, but with a little more experienced direction, could have been great. Richard Dreyfus played his character well.

I'm surprised at the current low IMDb rating. Overall for a low-budget B-grade film - coming from a newbie writer and director, it was a thoroughly enjoyable warmhearted tale that will entertain the entire family. Thus it's a well deserved 8/10 from me. And if anyone thinks my review is fake, click on my username to see my 1000+ ratings and 600+ reviews, and read my bio on how to properly review/rate a film based on it's merits and production value.

In a nutshell: The Astronaut is a brilliant heartwarming movie ! Period !

If you're old, life isn't over. That's the crux of the story. It has a big heart and it eventually wins you over.

Sure it's slow. Yes it's pretty unrealistic. And it can be cheesy at times, but for the most part, it's a touching story of trying to fulfill your dream at any age.

Richard Dreyfuss, as always, is great. His performance holds it all together, though there are some other good performances too.

Leading a fulfilling life is important but it's not all about your dreams. It's those who surround us who make it truly worthwhile. Ultimately, it's about family.