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THE ASTRONAUT FARMER

"Giving Flight to Dreams"

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What You Need To Know:

THE ASTRONAUT FARMER opens with Charles Farmer rounding up a stray calf while riding his horse and wearing an astronaut suit with space helmet. Charles (played by Billy Bob Thornton) returns to his farm to enjoy breakfast with his wife and children. In his barn, Charles and his son have built a huge rocket ship. Charles is an Air Force veteran with some astronaut training. His dream is to ride his rocket into space, orbit the earth and land in his own back yard. The government, however, has decided to stop his crazy plan. Can Charles realize his dream?

There are many warm moments, funny moments and dramatic moments in ASTRONAUT FARMER as Charles pursues his dream, with his family's help. It's fun to root for Charles and his family against all the government agencies and pencil pushers who want to tell regular folk what to do. The movie has a strong Christian worldview with a very strong moral outlook supporting churchgoing, capitalism and American self-reliance. The biggest concerns are some brief foul language and the fact that the movie glorifies pursuing your dream without overtly seeking the will of God first.

Content:

(CC, BBB, CapCapCap, PPP, Ro, L, V, M) Strong Christian worldview with very strong moral elements and a very strong capitalist, pro-American viewpoint with a light Romantic element, which preaches that life is about pursuing your dreams, a strong emphasis on family working together, wife and children go to church, Christian command to forgive is commended and applied, and free enterprise and American self-reliance are highly exalted above government regulation; eight obscenities (of the softer variety, no “f” words) and one-half of a strong profanity (Jesus’ name shortened, in vain); light violence such as a brick is thrown through a bank window and some plates are broken at home in the course of an argument, but no violence is directed at people; no sex (but there is one brief reference to sexual activity that happened in high school years ago); no nudity; no alcohol; no smoking or drugs; and, there are verbal fights and some anger, but they are apologized for and forgiven.

More Detail:

Suspend your disbelief and enjoy THE ASTRONAUT FARMER if you wish.

There are times when moviegoers should just let themselves be entertained by stories full of improbabilities (even impossibilities). This is one of those times. It’s just fun to root for the farmer and his family against the FBI, the FAA, Family and Children’s Services and all the government agencies that want to say that ordinary people cannot dream and do big things. Granted there are some slow moments and Billy Bob Thornton acts like a brick at times, but, like watching E.T., most viewers will like watching the little guys have their day.

The movie opens with Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton) rounding up a stray calf while riding his horse and wearing an astronaut suit, complete with space helmet. He returns to his farm to enjoy breakfast with his wife, Audie (Virginia Madsen), and children. In his barn, Charles has built a huge rocket with his son, Shepherd (Max Thieriot). Charles is an Air Force veteran with some astronaut training. His dream is to ride his rocket into space, orbit the earth and land in his own back yard.

Charles’ relationship with his neighbors is good. Even if many local residents consider him crazy for wanting to build and fly a rocket, everyone seems to admire his work ethic, his parenting skills and his general personality. As he nears completion of his rocket, he runs out of funds, and the local bank threatens to foreclose on the farm. Trying to speed up the launch date, he begins looking for rocket fuel. This brings down the FBI, the FAA and a host of concerned government agents, including an old friend from his astronaut training days (played by Bruce Willis).

Charles’ lawyer, in an effort to force the government to let him launch, alerts the media. This results in a huge temporary population increase and video cameras everywhere. Charles becomes fodder for comedians, editorial writers, tabloid covers, and video press from around the world. Not all of them are kind and supportive.

There are many warm moments, funny moments and dramatic moments in ASTRONAUT FARMER as Charles pursues his dream, with his family’s help. There are a few moderate obscenities and one-half of a strong profanity (half of Jesus’ name is used in vain). A brick is thrown through a bank window and some plates are broken in a family argument, but no violence is directed at people. There is no sex, nudity, drug or alcohol use, however (unless some alcohol was used in rocket fuel).

THE ASTRONAUT FARMER has a strong Christian worldview with very strong moral elements and very strong capitalist elements that support free enterprise, American self-reliance, forgiveness, churchgoing, and the family working together. The biggest concern about the movie is that it glorifies pursuing your dream without overtly seeking the will of God first. God has a purpose for each of us, and it is good. Often it is big and requires great faith and perseverance to pursue, but if we come up with dreams strictly on our own we can take destructive paths that lead to emptiness and disappointment (even if wealth and fame are achieved). If we surrender our lives to God, He can give us exciting, healthy dreams to pursue. Parents who take their children to see THE ASTRONAUT FARMER should sit down with their children and discuss the difference between pursuing God’s will or personal dreams. God can call people to make rockets, be astronauts or be baseball stars. Let’s pray he calls more people to make movies that truly glorify Him even as they entertain.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.