Spaceman Parent Guide

Jakub (Adam Sandler) has been living alone in a spacecraft for over 180 days. His mission is to reach a mysterious purple cloud on the edge of the solar system, collect samples, and analyze its components. The loneliness has started to wear on him, but even more so on his marriage. Lenka (Carey Mulligan) has begun to drift away, seldom answering her husband’s calls and planning for a life without him.

In his emotional distress, Jakub is visited by an intergalactic traveler which is intrigued by his loneliness and wishes to help. The spider-like creature takes the name Hanuš (voiced by Paul Dano) and tries to help Jakub uncover the roots of his mistakes and find a new chance at life.

Spaceman is a weird movie. Most of the runtime sees Adam Sandler talking to a giant spider about childhood trauma and how it affected his ability to love. There’s almost no action; this film is primarily a meditation on human loneliness and how we put up walls that prevent us from obtaining the closeness we so deeply desire. Although I generally like an existential story, I’m not sure how I feel about this one.

I maintain that Adam Sandler is a good actor when he wants to be, and this is one of the occasions where he vindicates my opinion. His performance is grounded and has a depth he doesn’t often display. Paul Dano does some great voicework and Carey Mulligan is always fantastic. However, the script given to these three great actors doesn’t quite live up to its potential. The premise is intriguing, and there are some great insights into human nature, but the sum of all the parts leaves something to be desired. I didn’t get as emotional as I think the writers intended me to, and parts of the ending were confusing and hard to follow. That said, the production values are stellar. The production design, cinematography, and editing are all masterfully done. Spaceman is a beautiful movie, even if the script lets it down overall.

With very little in the way of negative content outside of some swearing, this sci-fi flick is appropriate for most older audiences, but the slow pace and existential themes will not be for everyone, especially those who like their sci-fi with a side order of space battles. I would also strongly caution arachnophobic viewers to steer clear, as the giant spidery creature gets a lot of screen time and no amount of smooth vocals will make all those eyes and legs any less scary.