# October Sky (1999)

### reviewed by
LARRY MCGILLICUDDY

    October Sky (1999)
    Review by Larry McGillicuddy 1999

Rating: **1/2 (out of 4) Directed by Joe Johnston Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Owen, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, William Lee Scott, Chad Lindberg, Natalie Canerday

October Sky is a very frustrating film. Parts of the film are enormously entertaining. But the script is filled with too many age old cliche's about small towns, father-son feuds, and underdog heroism. Yes, I've been pretty kind to films such as Varsity Blues, which contains the very same cliche's. Then again, Varsity Blues never aspires to be a great uplifting film. It just intended to be fun, and on it's own level it succeeded. A brain dead cliche isn't so bad when you're making a fun, trashy, sports picture, but when you try to tell an uplifting true story and aspire to be the next Stand By Me it's unforgivable.

Homer Hickam is a young man who aspires to be more than a career coal miner. He wants to get out of his small town, but the only way people are usually able to do that is through a football scholarship, as Homer's brother does. As established early in the film, Homer is no great athelete, and of course his brother receives favorable treatment because of this. Homer is inspired by physicist Werner Von Braun, and decides he wants to build a rocket. The problem being that Homer has about as much mathematical knowledge as he does football skill.

Homer and his friends recruit a scrawny, awkward, social outcast named Quentin to help them out. Together, they begin work on building a rocket that will fly. These scenes are by far the most entertaining in the film. The four friends are wellplayed by a fine cast of young actors, and Jake Gyllenhaal is nothing short of terrific in his wide- eyed, determined portrayal of Homer. If the film had just focused on this aspect of the story, it would have been quite an acheivement.

Unfortunately, the filmmakers bother us with a moronic father-son subplot. In Varsity Blues, it was equally moronic, but it took up very little screen time. In October Sky, it fills up just as much time, if not more than the rocket building scenes. Homer's father is a career coal miner, and he wants his son to join the business. He constantly belittles Homer's attempts to build a rocket. All of this nonsense has been done before, and better, and in less screen time. Here it takes up basically the entire second act.

The cliche's start pouring in during the third act. Homer's inspirational teacher Miss Riley becomes ill. Homer's father is injured in a coal mining accident, and Homer must take his place in the mines. A ludicrous subplot about a coal miner's strike provides an unnecessary roadblock towards the end of the film. The other kids have subplots about abusive stepfathers and living in poverty.

Why did the filmmakers have to do this? There was some great material here, so why did they feel the need to drown the audience with cliche's? I would have preferred a straightforward narrative dealing primarily with the rocket building and the friendships between the young boys. Teen romance subplots could have been expanded, and an examination of the relationship between Homer's parents would've been interesting. The film certainly has it's inspirational moments, but throws it all away in the name of utter predictability.

Larry McGillicuddy - The Cinemaniac Reviews at http://members.xoom.com/lmcgill/movpage.htm

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