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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Astronaut's Wife, The
New Line Cinema


2.6

based on 17 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 3 votes
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MPAA RATING: R for violence, language, and a strong scene of sexuality

Starring Johnny Depp, Charlize Theron, Nick Cassavetes, and Blair Brown

Spencer, an honored astronaut (Depp) and his beautiful school-teacher wife Jillian (Theron) face an inexplicable terror when Spencer loses total consciousness while on a routine space shuttle mission, returning home just barely alive and a bewildered, changed hero. (New Line Cinema)

GENRE(S):	Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Rand Ravich
DIRECTED BY:	Rand Ravich
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: February 8, 2000 Video: February 8, 2000 Theatrical: August 27, 1999
RUNNING TIME:	105 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

It's scary. It's well-acted. It's filmed with a degree of flash and elegance.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

A moderately diverting thriller that builds suspense and entertains effectively... strongest selling point is Charlize Theron.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Chilly, muted and refreshingly free of cheap shocks, this stylish psychological horror tale is greatly enhanced by subtle (acting) performances.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Nothing but mood... it simply has too few surprises to justify its indulgent atmosphere of malignant revelation.

USA Today Andy Seiler

Allen Daviau's cinematography is so striking that the movie would probably play better with the sound off.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Could have been written by a computer programmed to cannibalize previous sci-fi films.

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

Depp moves through the film suavely and imperturbably, never letting the particulars bog him down.

Salon.com Charles Taylor

Far from unwatchable. It's not a good movie but at least, on its own schlocky terms, the story makes sense (which is a lot more than you can say for "The Sixth Sense").

Variety Joe Leydon

Aggressively stylish but dramatically flaccid.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

The finished product is as predictably dull as a newborn's soft spot.

Film.com Gemma Files

Langorous and oddly detached... a mess.

LA Weekly Ernest Hardy

This hypersleek film is surprisingly lax for its first half... The ending is dumb.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

Slow, arty thriller.

Miami Herald Phoebe Flowers

(Theron) and Depp give lazy, almost irrelevant performances... resolutely unmoving.

San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris

Stinks from the Earth to the moon.

Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard

Houston, we have a problem. It's called The Astronaut's Wife and it's an utterly predictable rip-off of classic '60s and '70s exercises in paranoia, from "Rosemary's Baby" to "The Parallax View."

Film.com Robert Horton

One of the least endurable films of 1999.

The average user rating for this movie is 2.6 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Lexington D. gave it a0:
Without question, the worst film I have ever seen. I viewed this at a dollar theatre and nearly requested a refund. The same 15 minute scene appears to be rehashed with a few minor changes in dialogue six times, followed by an inexplicable ending that, despite being heavily telegraphed throughout the film, is far too obtuse to be taken seriously. An absolute waste of a proven cast.

[Anonymous] gave it a6:
An interesting movie...a bit of a thrill...good acting, a little slow moving but a thoughtful storyline.

Jeremy gave it a 2:
I didn't really understand any of the events of the overblown and confusing third act. Then again, it's probably because the setip of the movie put me to sleep.

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Astronaut's Wife, The New Line Cinema

Astronaut's Wife, The
New Line Cinema