IMDb >
The Astronaut Farmer (2006)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsThe Astronaut Farmer (2006) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 60 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 12) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
23 February 2007 (USA) moreTagline:
If we don't have our dreams, we have nothing.Plot:
A NASA astronaut (Thornton), forced to retire years earlier so he could save his family farm, has never give up his dream of space travel and looks to build his own rocket, despite the government's threats to stop him. full summary | full synopsisNewsDesk:
(16 articles)
Tribeca Film Festival 2009 - The Polish Brothers Found the Perfect '80s Parents for Stay Cool (From amctv.com - AMC News: Film Festivals. 28 April 2009, 11:05 AM, PDT)
Virginia Madsen to produce ski jumper documentary
(From screeninglog. 9 April 2009, 2:59 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Slow and corny moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Billy Bob Thornton | ... | Charles Farmer | |
| Virginia Madsen | ... | Audrey 'Audie' Farmer | |
| Max Thieriot | ... | Shepard Farmer | |
| Jasper Polish | ... | Stanley Farmer | |
| Logan Polish | ... | Sunshine Farmer | |
| Bruce Dern | ... | Hal | |
| Mark Polish | ... | FBI Agent Mathis | |
| Jon Gries | ... | FBI Agent Killbourne | |
| Tim Blake Nelson | ... | Kevin Munchak | |
| Sal Lopez | ... | Pepe Garcia | |
| J.K. Simmons | ... | Jacobson | |
| Kiersten Warren | ... | Phyllis | |
| Rick Overton | ... | Arnold 'Arnie' Millard | |
| Richard Edson | ... | Chopper Miller | |
| Elise Eberle | ... | Madison Roberts |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG for thematic material, peril and language.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
104 minCountry:
USAColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreFun Stuff
Trivia:
During the filming in and around Santa Fe, New Mexico, Billy Bob Thornton did a "One stop promotion tour" as he put it, for both his album Hobo, and The Astronaut Farmer at the Santa Fe bookstore, Borders. moreGoofs:
Factual errors: The orbital views of Africa and Baja California are not accurate for a craft in a low orbit, and would require a much higher altitude. moreSoundtrack:
The Imperial March moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Astronaut Farmer (2006) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| The Incredibles | Big Fish | Little Miss Sunshine | A Star Is Born | Giant |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Adventure section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |

















"If we don't have our dreams, we have nothing" Charles Farmer
How do you take an inherently interesting story about a former pilot and astronaut drop out, who launches himself into orbit, and make that story slow, dull, and corny? The Polish brothers (director, writers) achieve that state possibly because the modest $13 million budget is still much more than they ever had and their approach is too reverential to the hero, who by any standards pursues a quixotic goal of launching himself at the risk of jettisoning his family and close friends.
Charles Farmer (Billie Bob Thornton) is determined to achieve his goal in the face of losing his too well ordered and clean farm and his loving, dutiful, and way too accepting wife, Audrey (Virginia Madsen). Thornton, underplaying with that fetching drawl and highly-developed outsider persona, does a credible job of dreaming his impossible dream without appearing unstable or psychotic. Madsen, while always attractive, has such a clichéd part as the long-suffering mate that the character could appear to be even more unrealistic than her husband.
The two young daughters mug for the camera or make too much happy to be credible. Only two characters ring true all the time: Farmer's son, Shephard (Max Thierot), who is cool as a teen mission controller; and an uncredited Bruce Willis, who plays an ex-astronaut friend of Farmer trying to talk him out of a potentially disastrous launch. Everyone else is a caricature, as the film itself is almost a parody of the American dream: It relies on the American tradition of individualism, evenat the expense of those closest to the dreamer. That's an American tragedy.