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The Astronaut Farmer
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Metascore
55 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critics What's this?

User Score
5.6 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 29 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Bruce Dern, Virginia Madsen
  • Summary: From the time he was a child, Charles Farmer (Thornton) had only one goal: to be an astronaut. Even when he is forced to drop out of NASA's astronaut training program to deal with a family situation, he refuses to let anything stand in the way of his dream. When, on the eve of the long-anticipated launch of his barn-built rocket, Farmer faces a new set of obstacles, he is determined o reach his goal no matter the odds. (Warner Bros.)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 28
  3. Negative: 6 out of 28
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    83
    After teeny indies, this studio release retains the trademark love of warped American gothic that the Polishes share with David Lynch and the brothers Ethan and Joel Coen. But the unexpected streak of yearning sunniness -- the Spielbergian touch of boyhood dreams propelling a grown man -- gives The Astronaut Farmer a warmth that's new for them.
  2. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Liam Lacey
    50
    Rarely have I seen a movie which made me feel more skeptically Canadian. Please -- it's not true that you can do anything. Stop trying. You might make things worse.
  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    38
    A dreary, downbeat "Field of Dreams."

See all 28 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 8 out of 20
  1. PeniR.
    10
    This was such a sweet family movie and holy cow, BRUCE WILLIS is in it!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. ChadS.
    4
    Comparing "Field of Dreams" to Michael Polish's "The Astronaut Farmer" makes sense only if Kevin Costner's character built the ballpark and the children of the corn showed up to kill his family. As filmmakers of two well-received indies on their resumes ("Twin Falls Idaho" & "Northfork"), The Polish Brothers might very well be pulling a fast one on audiences, and the unsuspecting studio who financed this bizarre movie about a family under siege by their daft patriarch, masquerading as a feel good-film about following your dreams. If you're a sane and rational human being, you're rooting against Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton) from blasting off into outer space. He's endangering his family's lives (a line drive-foul ball is nothing compared to a wayward rocket), and compromising the quality of his children's future(should they escape the path of that wayward rocket). Audrey (Virginia Madsen) appears so nonchalant about her husband's potential for instantaneous incineration, you wonder if there's a million-dollar payoff(in case of accidental death) on some unseen life insurance policy. When she tells Charles that people think his subordinates belong to a cult, that she and the children have been brainwashed; you think(and this is why the film is subversive and perhaps, self-aware), yes, I do agree with the townsfolk's assessment that Audrey's been drinking the farmer's kool-aid for far too long. If the filmmakers' intent were to make an inspirational film about a congenial sociopath, "The Astronaut Farmer" is an unqualified success. What occurs as the end credits roll has the unmistakable appearance of having been tacked on(the extra scene runs contrary to the information we're given), you suspect, after test audiences registered what I registered as "The Astronaut Farmer" faded to black; that Charles Farmer is a manipulative, narcissistic jerk.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. Ryan
    3
    Oh so boring..I could barely sit through this movie. I don't like the comparison of this to field of dreams.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 20 User Reviews

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