Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

The Movie Guys: ‘Space Cowboys’ is standard outer-space fare

The Movie Guys, starring Jeff Howard and Dave Neil, appears Fridays in the Sun. They can also be seen on the 11 a.m. Friday newscast on KVVU Channel 5. Plus, check them out online at lasvegassun.com/sun/sunlife/movies and themovieguys .com.

Grades: Jeff B, Dave B-

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and James Garner.

Screenplay: Ken Kaufman and Howard Klausner.

Director: Clint Eastwood.

Rated: PG-13 for language and adult situations.

Running time: 130 minutes.

Playing at: UA Green Valley Cinemas, UA Showcase 8, UA Rainbow Promenade 10, Century Orleans, Century Cinedome 12 Henderson, Century Cinedome 12 Las Vegas, Rancho Santa Fe 16, Regal Cinemas Boulder Station, Regal Cinemas Colonnade 14, Regal Cinemas Texas Station 18, Regal Cinemas Village Square 18.

Synopsis: Passed over by NASA years ago, retired Air Force pilot Frank Corvin (Clint Eastwood) and his crew are assembled to retrieve a malfunctioning satellite adapted to an outdated guidance system. That is, the same system designer by the original developer -- Corvin. Pressed for time before the satellite enters the Earth's orbit, the veteran group looks to finally make its journey into space and complete its long-awaited mission.

Dave: It has been nearly two years since former astronaut John Glenn, then 77, made the courageous journey back into space and made history as the oldest person to orbit the Earth. For nine days, between Oct. 29 and Nov. 7, 1998, his mission proved to be a success as a series of experiments were conducted on the process of aging. The story that sparked the nation's interest in space exploration also caught the attention of Eastwood who decided to take the stalled script, by Ken Kaufman and Howard Klausner, and give it a green light. "Space Cowboys" is the perfect challenge for the Oscar-winning filmmaker (1992's "Unforgiven") whose movies in the past five years have been, well, let's face it, as interesting as watching paint dry. But a space epic with a star-studded veteran cast may just have the right stuff.

Jeff: Dave, "Space Cowboys" has all the right stuff: action, drama, comedy all rolled into one, even though the plot is simplistic and fundamental. Think of "Apollo 13," but manned by a crew that has lifelong benefits and memberships with the American Association of Retired Persons. Jokes stem from everything from the aging and creaking bodies of the forgotten astronauts to the physically rigorous NASA training, consisting of a diet of Ensure nutrition shakes. The film crosses all boundaries and will have a wide appeal to people of all ages. Eastwood has created an adventure with a stellar cast that's suitable for the entire family and evokes memorable feelings of America's golden age of space exploration. The film's appeal lies with the star-studded cast, each member of which is as big a star as those that dawn in the evening sky.

Dave: The film begins in 1958 when two of the Air Force's ace pilots test the outer reaches of the Earth's atmosphere and lose, yet again, another aircraft. Seen in an interesting black-and-white format, and with the youthful actors' voices dubbed over by their elderly counterparts, the members of Team Daedalus are passed over by NASA as the prospective choices for space travel and replaced -- humiliatingly -- by a chimpanzee. Jump to present day, where the Russian satellite Ikon has suffered a systems failure and is threatening a total communications blackout of Russia. NASA bureaucrat Bob Gerson (James Cromwell), the same individual behind the disbandment of Team Daedalus, is forced to recruit their services due to the satellite's outdated design.

Jeff: The Cold War held many secrets -- one of which was orbiting the Earth and jeopardizing the safety and security of the United States. Now the "Space Cowboys" have their chance -- some 40 years later. Masked as a routine repair mission, they become heroes in the media and offer a tremendous public-relations boost to NASA. Team Daedalus rides again! Along with Corvin are flight legends "Hawk" Hawkins (Tommy Lee Jones), a navigator-turned-Baptist preacher, "Tank" Sullivan (James Garner), and a woman-chasing engineer, Jerry O'Neil (Donald Sutherland). They go into space, things go wrong and in the precious minutes left in the mission, they attempt to save the day.

The message is clear that age is no barrier and wisdom prevails. It's as familiar fare as every other space movie you've ever seen -- "Space Camp," "Marooned" and the classic Don Knotts comedy "The Reluctant Astronaut." The final act of the film is a flag-waving, feel-good formula, and it's just what we need in the final days of the summer movie season.

Dave: The old-timers seem to be living out their childhood dreams as they waste no opportunity to call attention to their senior-citizen status. Hawk constantly puts his foot in his mouth when he asks about old colleagues who have since died; Jerry wears a set of Coke-bottle eyeglasses and lays the "dirty old man" charm on every lady that passes by; Tank can hardly run one mile before he grabs his chest and claims, "Hell, I'm going to have a heart attack before the mission even starts."

But by the time the second half of the movie rolls around, Eastwood places his audience close alongside the crew as the countdown begins, and the impressive special effects take over. I would never have thought of Eastwood as a visual-effects filmmaker -- normally he tackles dramatic material or lighthearted fare -- but he proves to capture the needed imagination that coincides with science fiction.

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