Astronaut (2019)

Directed by: Shelagh McLeod | 97 minutes | drama | Actors: Richard Dreyfuss, Lyriq Bent, Krista Bridges, Colm Feore, Richie Lawrence, Art Hindle, Graham Greene, Judy Marshak, Jennifer Phipps, Joan Gregson, Karen LeBlanc, Paulino Nunes, Mimi Kuzyk, Mike Taylor

Richard Dreyfuss stars in ‘Astronaut’ Angus Stewart, a retired seventies with a growing list of health problems. Angus lives with his daughter Molly (Krista Bridges), her husband Jim (Lyriq Bent) and his grandson Barney (Richie Lawrence), with whom he always looks at the stars through his telescope in the evenings. Jim has been pushing for Angus to be sent to a nursing home for some time now, a decision Molly and Barney eventually reluctantly agree to. Angus hates it in his new home, where most of the residents are lonely people and the employees treat him with little respect. Angus, however, finds a way out of his situation when Barney encourages him to enter a unique lottery that ties in with their shared love of space travel. Billionaire entrepreneur Marcus Brown (Colm Feore) is looking for humans to take part in the first-ever commercial spaceflight. Twelve participants are chosen after a random draw and then placed in a competition where the public chooses the final travelers. Contestants must be between the ages of 18 and 65, but Barney still encourages his grandpa to submit his name, and he does, thinking that with a little exercise, he can look years younger. And so Angus suddenly has a chance at a dream he gave up decades ago, to the delight of grandson Barney and annoyance of son-in-law Jim.

It’s always good to see Richard Dreyfuss, who will forever remain in the hearts of movie buffs because of his 70s heyday (“American Graffiti,” “Jaws,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”). Unfortunately, it’s less easy to argue that his latest film, ‘Astronaut’, will also become a future classic. ‘Astronaut’ relies almost entirely on the acting of Dreyfuss, who tries to give his character sufficient charm and nuance throughout the playing time. There are less good things to say about the other characters. Most of the characters in ‘Astronaut’ change attitudes and character motivations from scene to scene, and are living clichés in almost every way. Each character is a stereotype – the troubled daughter, the impatient son-in-law, the lovely grandson, the mean nurses, the shady business types – there is almost no end to it. It is difficult to identify with these characters. They simply never come across as real people.

Story-wise, the film also falls short. ‘Astronaut’ isn’t the kind of movie you think it is. The succinct synopsis—an elderly person enters a raffle to participate in the first commercial flight into space—suggests a film in which a moody but sympathetic senior battles a younger generation to realize his long-cherished dream. Perhaps it’s admirable that Shelagh McLeod’s directorial debut goes in a completely different direction with his story, but in the end it turns out that her film is very unbalanced as a result. ‘Astronaut’ jumps from one piece to the next and has way too many subplots. In addition to Angus’ dream to become an astronaut, there is also a subplot in which son-in-law Jim loses his job as a bank employee, there are all kinds of diversions with some colorful old people in the retirement home and there is also a plot in which Angus tries to convince billionaire Marcus. that his runway is not safe. These subplots don’t make sense and they just distract from the main story.

‘Astronaut’ often relies on sentimentality, easy aging jokes, and cheap family drama. The film does not take risks in almost any area. The conclusion is that ‘Astronaut’ is just a very mediocre film. The characters are flat, the script too easygoing and it lacks the cinematic ambition to deliver on its promises. Richard Dreyfuss does his best in the lead role, but the film does not rise above average in that respect either.