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The American Astronaut
Metascore
51 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 14
  3. Negative: 3 out of 14
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  1. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Ron Wells
    80
    This musical epic is unlike anything I (or anyone I know) have ever laid eyes on.
  2. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Hazel-Dawn Dumpert
    80
    The result is a sui generis, love-it-or-hate-it exercise in homegrown American surrealism.
  3. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jack Helbig
    80
    Mott Hupfel II's noirish photography, Pete Beaudreau's smooth editing, and McAbee's wry script are all wonderful, and Dawn Weisberg's costumes are especially killing.
  4. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Frank Lovece
    70
    The characters may be one-dimensional ciphers with nothing much to say, but boy, do they not say it with style.
  5. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    63
    A micro-budget black-and-white musical set in outer space, The American Astronaut is obviously not for all tastes -- but it's quite unlike anything else out there at the moment.
  6. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Jim Sullivan
    63
    Doesn't really have a climax that works, making you wonder whether all the nutso plot machinations were worth following. Maybe, maybe not. But there were a number of skewed bits that popped out and put a chuckle into this journey.
  7. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Edward Guthmann
    50
    Much of Astronaut comes off as tedious and self-amused, but the musical vignettes are fun.
  8. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Michael Atkinson
    50
    Rarely funny and straining to reach feature length, The American Astronaut achieves sweetness via its straight-faced take on utter gobbledygook.
  9. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    50
    Soars as much as it crashes.
  10. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    42
    Quickly becomes an endurance test: like watching an old Carol Burnett skit that's not working, or a high school play that's trying to be bad.
  11. Variety
    Reviewed by: Dennis Harvey
    40
    Unfortunately that blast-off heralds an orbit to nowhere, with initial delight fading as pic runs out of ideas all too soon, never building a sense of momentum or narrative thrust.
  12. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    38
    The best part of this proudly absurd experience is the music.
  13. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    30
    Has been described as a "midnight-style musical." And perhaps it should be seen that way, with a crowd of kindred knuckleheads and some moshing in the aisles.
  14. New Times (L.A.)
    Reviewed by: Gregory Weinkauf
    30
    The fleeting moments of dry wit are too sparse to hold the movie together, so instead McAbee takes the kitchen-sink approach, hitting us with whatever he's got.
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User Reviews

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User Score
9.7 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. K.M.
    9
    This film is certainly absolutely nonsensical, and it certainly doesn't adhere those mainstream rules of "character development" and, say, "plot". But the music is wonderful. The photography is stellar. It will make you laugh. In the ways it wanted to succeed, it managed to, admirably.… Full Review »
  2. AndreaA.
    10
    This is a movie you either love or hate- I loved it. I think the music alone makes it a classic.
  3. WilderS.
    10
    YES I love this movie. My mom would hate it but that's ok.
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