A film
review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews.net.
There are
a number of ways one can categorize October
Sky. My preference is to call it Varsity
Blues for those who don't like athletics. And, while such a facile
description threatens to reduce this movie to a plateau far below its worth, it
nevertheless captures October Sky's
essence: that no path in life which leads to something rewarding is easily
traversed. However, while the two films display certain key similarities, the
differences define the gulf between their relative quality levels Varsity Blues is cartoonish, obvious,
and only occasionally smart. October Sky,
on the other hand, is believable, subtle, and consistently intelligent. The
over-the-top villain played by John Voight is replaced by a three-dimensional
character essayed by Lone Star's Chris Cooper. In short, October Sky is perfect fare for those
who crave the ideas presented in Varsity
Blues without the baggage.
There has
always been a distinction between high school nerds and jocks. Those in the
former category are on the chess club, play Dungeons & Dragons, and
participate in academic contests, while those in the latter are guided by
testosterone, muscles, and not much else. Jocks look forward to winning the big
championship game and being scouted by college coaches. Nerds hope to score a
1600 on their SATs or take first prize at a national science fair, thereby
attracting a university's attention. Things haven't changed much since the late
'50s, the era in which October Sky is
set. There's has always been a social dividing line between the grunts and the
geeks, and it's very much in evidence here.
October Sky is based on the book by Homer Hickam,
and relates the true story of four boys who experimented with home-made rockets
during the autumn of 1957, the year that the Soviet satellite Sputnik blasted
into orbit. Set in the coal mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia, this movie
is about one boy's struggles to escape from a lifestyle that he views as an
unsafe and unhealthy prison, and to pursue a dream that is born on the night
when he gazes at a star-filled sky and sees the moving object that man put
there. There's a wonder in that scene designed to remind us how majestic the
idea of going into space once was.
Homer (Jake Gyllenhaal), along with his three
friends, Quentin (Chris Owen), Roy
Lee (William Lee Scott), and O'Dell
(Chad Lindberg), is determined to
make a rocket that will soar. His primary adult ally in the endeavor is his
teacher, Miss Riley (Laura Dern),
who supports and encourages his dream. But his father, John (Chris Cooper), who
runs the local coal mine, dismisses his son's avocation as foolish. He wants
Homer to follow in his footsteps. Football and mining are acceptable; hoping to
get into college by winning a national science fair is a waste of time and
effort. Indeed, for a while, it looks like all of Homer's efforts are doomed to
failure as rocket after rocket explodes on the launch pad, but, when the four
boys discover the secret to success, they become local celebrities - until one
of their rockets is suspected of starting a forest fire. And, when an accident
at the mine threatens to ruin Homer's family, the idealist must choose between
preserving his dream and working to allow his parents to keep their home.
There are
a lot of reasons to like October Sky,
but the most compelling is the multi-faceted, complex relationship between
Homer and John. This isn't the kind of one-dimensional interaction we have come
to expect from movie fathers and sons; it's characterized on both sides by
anger, jealousy, resentment, bitterness, respect, pride, and love. These two
individuals act and react in a convincing fashion, not the way a screenwriter's
constructs often do. While at first it appears that the rocket building lies at
the movie's heart, we gradually realize that the connection between Homer and
his father is more important.
October Sky gets a lot of the details right. With
its use of period costumes and accessories, the film has the proper look for
the late-1950s, and the soundtrack contains numerous pop hits from the time.
The pervasive atmosphere of grimy grayness emphasizes that the action is taking
place in a coal mining town. And, in a nice touch, at the end of the movie,
during the where are they now
segment, we are shown home movies of the real individuals whose lives are
portrayed here (some of the actors are surprisingly close matches). Aside from
Chris Cooper, who is excellent, and Laura Dern, who doesn't have a large role,
the cast is largely comprised of lesser-known performers. The one with the most
exposure is Jake Gyllenhaal, a relative newcomer who proves himself more than
capable of handling the emotional complexity of this role. He is ably supported
by Chris Owen (She's All That),
William Lee Scott (The Opposite of Sex),
and Chad Lindberg.
As good as
it is, October Sky will likely prove
to be a hard sell for Universal Pictures. It's one of those movies that doesn't
lend itself to making a good trailer. With its lack of car chases, fist fights,
and over-the-top melodrama, the film has to rely on solid acting, an
intelligent script, and capable directing (by Joe Johnston, whose last outing was Jumanji), and those things don't come across in a 2-minute
compilation of quick clips. By sneak previewing the film over three weekends,
Universal is hoping to build a strong word-of-mouth. The strategy may work,
but, if it doesn't, it will be because American audiences are unwilling to take
a chance on an unknown. October Sky
deserves that chance, and will not disappoint those who take it. [Berardinelli’s
rating: ***½ out of 4 stars = 88]
Labels:
biography, drama, family, Fifties, teenager
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