Astronaut Parent Guide

Who hasn’t dreamt of “slipping the surly bonds of earth” and exploring the vast expanse of space? Angus Stewart (Richard Dreyfuss) certainly did, even applying (unsuccessfully) to be a mission specialist on NASA space flights. But now, the 75-year-old civil engineer is struggling with an unhappy, earth-bound retirement. His late wife, while suffering from dementia, purchased a donkey sanctuary, which has saddled Angus with both donkeys and debt. He is now living with his daughter, Molly (Krista Bridges) while they try to sell his house. Molly and grandson Barney (Richie Lawrence) want Angus to stay with them but son-in-law Jim (Lyriq Bent) believes Angus should live in a seniors’ home. Jim prevails, and Angus is carted off to Sundown Valley.

Sundown Valley will produce nightmares in every viewer over fifty. It’s not rundown and the staff aren’t abusive, but the blandness of daily life, the patronizing attitude of the staff, only increase Angus’ quiet desperation. When he decides to make one last bid to go into outer space, viewers will wonder if Angus is reaching for the stars or simply trying to escape his disappointing reality.

Angus’ long shot opportunity to soar into space is made possible by a billionaire (Colm Feore) whose company is racing to launch the first private sector space flight. To whip up enthusiasm for the venture, he announces an online lottery: twelve lucky winners will be winnowed down to one lucky astronaut. At the last minute, Angus shaves ten years off his age, lies about his heart condition, and clicks “Enter”.

Parents will be relieved to hear that Angus’ dishonesty is the biggest issue in the movie and it’s one that can lead to discussions with teens about honesty, ethics, and morality. The movie is free of violence, sexual content, and profanity. There are brief scenes of characters smoking, a scene of adults drinking wine, and one scene where Angus is drinking hard liquor out of the bottle and is clearly inebriated. Having been produced in Canada, Astronaut does not have a rating from the MPAA, but it fits comfortably into a PG rating. It is safe for viewing by older children, but they are unlikely to be interested in the story.

Minor content issues aside, Astronaut is filled with positive and uplifting messages. Viewers concerned about ageism in movies will be pleased to find a film where a senior is intelligent, capable, skilled, and able to pass on his wisdom and experience. Astronaut also vividly demonstrates the power of family bonds – between father and daughter, husband and wife, and grandfather and grandchild. The relationship between Angus and Barney is particularly sweet and will warm the hearts of anyone who has enjoyed a special grandparent/grandchild connection. And this movie celebrates our lifelong capacity to dream and to grow and struggle and stretch to achieve that dream. As Robert Browning wrote, “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?”