What Do The Critics Say?

"The Astronaut Farmer's goofy quality makes it totally endearing. It's also super entertaining. Critics are fond of referring to movies as a 'great ride.' With this one, the words couldn't be more apt." Ruthe Stein SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE "The Astronaut Farmer could almost be a relic from the golden age of Hollywood, an inspirational drama about staying true to one’s hopes and ideals no matter the social, economic, or emotional cost." Marjorie Baumgarten AUSTIN CHRONICLE "An exuberant movie about a dreamer whose passion and zeal lights up his life and unifies his family behind him." Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat SPIRITUALITY AND PRACTICE "This family-friendly fable lifts off with unabashedly sentimental inspiration. Talk about having The Right Stuff!" Susan Granger SUSANGRANGER COM "Thornton's serene certainty that he can touch the stars all on his own has an irresistible pull. Even as the sensible part of you is hoping he won't be a dadgum fool and endanger his life, the visionary thinks, go ahead. Try." Colin Covert MINNEAPOLOS STAR TRIBUNE

"The movie's unpretentious lightheartedness, which echoes the old-fashioned, corn-fed lore of Frank Capra, or even The Andy Griffith Show, makes it blissfully easy to sign on for this good-natured voyage." Desson Thomson WASHINGTON POST "There is a lot of charm and warmth in the movie. As stubborn, warm-hearted Charles, Thornton has never been better, and he receives wonderful support from Madsen and the three children." Pam Grady REEL COM "Thornton, well into his own orbit, is very genuinely appealing as a guy who wires his big dream machine to a loose but glowing screw in his head. Rise up, farm bird." David Elliott SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE "It's a delightful and upbeat fairy tale for grownups." Daniel M. Kimmel WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE "exists in its own lovely little universe, and the best way to appreciate it is to not hold it up to the rules and expectations of ours." Josh Larsen SUN PUBLICATIONS CHICAGO "What the Polish Brothers have done here is transplant the otherworldly feel and overt allegory of Northfork into a story that's as familiar as that film's was odd and inscrutable. The result is elegiac, gorgeous, and utterly enchanting." Eugene Novikov FILM BLATHER

The Inside Story "Charles Farmer is a little bit eccentric, but that’s because he’s doing what he wants to do," says "The Astronaut Farmer" director and co-writer Michael Polish. "Any time you contrast that with people who seem to have a normal life, who are likely not doing what they want to do, you’re going to see someone who looks a little bit out on the edge." Charles Farmer is also a dreamer, but as Polish says, "Everybody’s allowed to dream. Hopefully, the dream isn’t so big that the ride to achieve it will kill you. But anyone who is chasing something has to give something up. There’s always a sacrifice involved. I think what holds people back from fulfilling their dreams is that sacrifice." Farmer has already sacrificed plenty and is willing to go the distance in pursuit of his dream of space flight, even after circumstances and expulsion from NASA seem to have closed that door to him forever. Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton (screenplay "Sling Blade"), who stars as Farmer, puts it this way, "Once you get something stuck in your craw, you gotta do it. What else can you do? Do you sacrifice everything to achieve that dream or do you crawl in a hole and give up? One way or another, the people who try are the ones we care about." Award winning independent filmmakers, twin brothers Mark and Michael Polish first earned critical attention in 1999 with their debut drama "Twin Falls Idaho", which they wrote, directed and starred in. They followed with the 2001 feature "Jackpot", which earned them an Independent Spirit Award, and "Northfork", which premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. The Polish Brothers understand the power of conviction and the value of pursuing a goal, as well as the compromises and losses that are often required along the way. "What’s most important is that Farmer does everything he can to succeed," offers 1999 Women in Film Crystal Award winner, producer Paula Weinstein. "Then, even if he doesn’t, he can still live with himself. That’s something he feels is vitally important to show his children. It’s what America is founded on and it’s the message of this movie: if you do your best, if you dream high enough and let nothing stop you from climbing all the way to the top of your particular mountain, then, even if it doesn’t work out, you are still fulfilled as a human being for having done your absolute best." Personally inspired and fascinated by the 1960s space race that culminated in astronaut Neil Armstrong’s historic walk on the moon, the Polish Brothers gave their hero a similar passion. "Charles Farmer is a guy who watched the first man step foot on the moon and that was probably the single most dramatic moment of his childhood," suggests Mark Polish, who co-wrote the screenplay and is a producer on the film. "The story was sparked by our interest in space exploration, but beyond that, it’s about a need to dream of adventures, whether it’s Neil Armstrong or Lewis and Clark. I think that, as a society, we’ve stopped dreaming about exploration," Mark adds. Producer Len Amato ("Rumor Has It" & "Blood Diamond") notes, the film isn’t necessarily about space travel. "As a story about overcoming obstacles, it can apply to any accomplishment where there’s always a certain amount of doubt and a chorus of naysayers, people who call you crazy because they don’t understand, and you have to push through with your own vision to make something where there was nothing before. It’s also about taking calculated risks and overcoming your fear. In this movie, that fear is represented in a very tangible way. You have a guy essentially sitting on top of a gigantic metal tube, filled with jet propulsion fuel, that’s either going to launch him into orbit or blow him to bits." Beyond Charles Farmer’s desire to orbit the Earth, "The Astronaut Farmer" is about family. The entire Farmer clan is involved in and supports Charles's one man rocket program and he, in turn, uses it to teach his three children valuable lessons they might not otherwise learn about determination, courage and integrity. "He’s setting an example for them. That’s something we don’t often see anymore; we look for role models outside the family rather than within it. Here, Charles’ son Shepard is just as involved in the project as he is. He’s inspired by his father and aspires to be like him. You see the same level of determination in both father and son," Mark Polish observes. "Farmer is absolutely determined to give his children the guidance that he didn’t have," says Weinstein ("Bandits"). "His own father was defeated by the world and by the economics of farming, and left a legacy of bitterness and regret. By pursuing his dream to go into space, Farmer is hoping to show his children that you must dare to risk, dare to succeed." Michael Polish revealed that the character Charles Farmer is based on their own father, recalling how the boys "grew up watching him do and build anything he wanted." "When I started making movies he never said I couldn’t, " Mark added. "He wasn’t in the movie business but that didn’t matter." Whether or not Charles Farmer is able to launch himself into space with his homemade rocket, it was his drive to reach that goal that resonated with Billy Bob Thornton. It wasn’t just the role and its message that appealed to Thornton, it was the tone and sensibility of the story itself, reminiscent of favorite films from the past. "It doesn’t matter when you were born, at some point in your life you’ve seen movies from the 1940s and 50s, you know the emotions they evoke, and I feel this movie delivers in much the same way," says the star of 2001's "The Man Who Wasn't There". For the role of Farmer’s wife, Audie, the filmmakers cast Independent Spirit Award winner Virginia Madsen ("Sideways"). "People always say that behind every successful man is a strong woman," says Michael. "It can be a cliché, but in this case it’s completely appropriate." The problem for Audie is that while she is a loving wife, committed to her husbands dream, at what point does it all get out of control. "Maybe the difference between pursuing a dream and turning that dream into a dangerous obsession is when it starts to become destructive. This is Audie’s dilemma. She realizes they may lose their house to foreclosure and Charles is truly putting his family at risk, and she needs to take a stand," Madsen points out. "Audie is the heart and soul of the movie, as both the loving and supportive wife and a fierce advocate for her family," says Weinstein. Audie’s father Hal, is played by Bruce Dern. He takes a positive approach to his son in law’s lofty ideas as long as Audie is happy. "Hal is a booster; he’s with the program," the 1983 Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear Award winner says. "He loves his daughter and his grandkids, he’s learning to love his son in law and genuinely wants him to succeed, though he might have his private doubts. It’s a fantasy, sure, but that doesn’t make it impossible. When you think of it, it’s not any crazier than some other things people do. People say goodbye to their families all over the world on the first week of May to go climb Everest. How crazy is that?" Two time Seattle International Film Festival Award winner Tim Blake Nelson (Golden Space Needle Award for 2001's "O" & American Independent Award for 1997's "Eye of God") was cast in the role of lawyer Kevin Munchak. "Munchak is a good lawyer, so the first thing you wonder is why is he here in this small town when he could easily be at a fancy law firm in New York City, making a lot more money? In talking with Mark and Michael, we decided that he did exactly that, then grew tired of it and came back to a place where he could live without cynicism. He is part of Farmer’s support system, but he also has his own dreams, which you imagine could be equally rich," says Nelson. Max Thieriot plays Farmers son Shepard, named after astronaut, Rear Admiral Alan Shepard USN, retired who passed away on July 21st 1998. "Shepard is truly inspired by what his father is doing. Max plays it as a very strong, serious kid who’s obviously proud of his father and who wants his father to be proud of him too," says producer Amato ("Analyze This" and the sequel "Analyze That"). Completing the Farmer family unit are Michael Polish’s seven year old daughter, Jasper, as the Farmer’s middle child, Stanley (named for Stanley Kubrick, another maverick and spiritual space traveler whom Charles Farmer would likely admire), and Mark Polish’s four-year-old daughter, Logan, making her film debut as the youngest Farmer child, Sunshine. Jon Gries ("Welcome to the Jungle" & "Get Shorty"), who has appeared in all three of the Polish Brothers previous films, rejoins them here as the overly zealous and suspicious FBI Agent Killbourne. "The Astronaut Farmer" is more than an entertaining family film as viewers will discover. Star Billy Bob Thornton, who played the US President in "Love Actually, sums it up perfectly. "I think the movie business was created to move people, to take them out of the worlds they live in and put them into another world for awhile, and that’s what happens here. It’s a good old-fashioned movie, but in a modern setting." Synopsis

From the time he was a child, Charles Farmer had only one goal: to become a US astronaut. Earning his degree in aerospace engineering and joining the Air Force as a pilot, Farmer was a natural for NASA’s astronaut training program and was well on his way when a family situation forced him to drop out and return home. The move effectively ended his career. But Farmer was not a man to let anything stand in the way of a dream. He spent the next decade and every cent he had building his own rocket in a barn on his ranch in Story, Texas, working toward the day when he could triumphantly launch it into space. By himself. On the eve of the long-anticipated launch, an unexpected problem arises. Farmer’s efforts to secure 10,000 pounds of high-grade fuel catch the attention of the FBI. The last thing the FBI and N.A.S.A want is a private individual launching a rocket. Then the media arrive.

The Verdict "Emotive, inspirational, exciting! "The Astronaut Farmer" will have you cheering Charles Farmer as he follows his dream to finally make it into space. A film for all the family. The ensemble cast, headed by Billy Bob Thornton and Virginia Madsen, really bring their characters and the story to life. What a pity it didn't make it on to the bigscreen down under. A return to the days when you could live out your unfulfilled dreams or one felt encouraged to follow the dream, thanks to the inspirational magic of film. Recommended. SOLID feel good experience. 3 1/2 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "THE ASTRONAUT FARMER" stars .......
Billy Bob Thornton ["Bad Santa", "Friday Night Lights", "Bad News Bears" and "The Ice Harvest"]; Virginia Madsen ["Sideways", "Firewall" and "The Number 23"]; Max Thieriot ["Catch That Kid", "The Pacifier" and "Nancy Drew"]; Tim Blake Nelson ["Minority Report"Wonderland", "Meet The Fockers" and "Syriana "]; J.K. Simmons ["Spider-Man 1, 2 & 3", "Juno" and "Rendition"]; Mark Polish ["Twin Falls Idaho", "Jackpot", "Northfork" and "Pont du roi Saint-Louis"] and Bruce Dern ["The Laughing Policeman", "The Haunting", "Masked and Anonymous" and "Monster"] as Hal.
"THE ASTRONAUT FARMER" was .......
directed by Michael Polish ["Twin Falls Idaho", "Jackpot" and "Northfork"]; screenplay by Mark Polish ["Twin Falls Idaho", "Jackpot" and "Northfork"] and Michael Polish ["Twin Falls Idaho", "Jackpot" and "Northfork"]; set decoration by Marcia Calosio ["A Life Less Ordinary", Eight Legged Freaks", "Stephen King's Desperation" and "Brothel"]; costume design by 2006 Costume Designers Guild Award winner Danny Glicker ["Transamerica", "Thank You For Smoking", "The Hills Have Eyes" and "Transamerica" "We Are Marshall"]; production design by Clark Hunter ["Sling Blade", "Clay Pigeons", "All the Pretty Horses" and "Old School"]; edited by James Haygood ["The Game", "Fight Club" and "Panic Room"]; director of photography M David Mullen A.S.C. ["Love Pig", "Teacher's Pet", "D.E.B.S." and "Akeelah and the Bee"]; original music by Stuart Matthewman ["Twin Falls Idaho", "Jackpot", "Northfork", "Spanglish" and "Double"]. Who's Who?

Billy Bob Thornton Virginia Madsen Max Thieriot Jasper Polish Logan Polish Bruce Dern Mark Polish Jon Gries Tim Blake Nelson Sal Lopez J.K. Simmons Kiersten Warren Rick Overton Richard Edson Elise Eberle Julie White Graham Beckel Marshall Bell Kathleen Arc Lois Geary

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Charles Farmer Audrey 'Audie' Farmer Shepard Farmer Stanley Farmer Sunshine Farmer Hal FBI Agent Mathis FBI Agent Killbourne Kevin Munchak Pepe Garcia Jacobson Phyllis Arnold 'Arnie' Millard Chopper Miller Madison Roberts Beth Goode Frank Judge Miller Mrs Harder Mrs Graham

Run Time 104 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - Warner Bros Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.