THE SPACE BETWEEN US

THE SPACE BETWEEN US is about a boy born on Mars when his pregnant astronaut mother was on a NASA mission and died, and what happens 16 years later when he comes to Earth to meet a teenage girl he falls in love with via the Internet. THE SPACE BETWEEN US has a strong Romantic worldview in an entertaining story about two teenagers on the run, but MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution, mostly for a sleeping bag scene between the two teenagers.

SPACE starts by seeming to follow the story of a female astronaut on a mission to Mars. In a sharp twist early in the movie, the woman discovers she’s pregnant, but NASA fears sending her back to Earth because space travel might harm or kill her baby.

Sadly, however, the mother dies after delivering her son, Gardner (Asa Butterfield), without revealing who the father is. So, Gardner winds up being raised by the rest of the astronauts, particularly mother-figure Kendra (Carla Gugino). It’s feared Gardner can never travel through space since his molecular structure has been affected by the differing gravitational pull and other biological adaptations he’s made to living on Mars. However, Gardner is lonely, and, at 16, he winds up communicating online with an earthbound girl named Tulsa (Britt Robertson).

Tulsa is a foster child prone to mischief, but eventually Gardner wins the right to come to Earth and meet her despite Mars mission leader Nathaniel Shepherd’s (Gary Oldman) concerns. When the two meet, they are instantly in love, with Gardner touchingly and comically adjusting to life on Earth through Tulsa’s guidance.

However, Gardner is too curious for his own good about his past. He wants to meet the father he never knew. Together, he and Tulsa run away from their supervisors using a couple of stolen cars and hit the road to find his father – not realizing how much the Earth’s atmosphere is starting to harm him.

The atmosphere issue isn’t an environmentalist screed, just a matter-of-fact recognition that adjusting to life on earth would affect his metabolism. Even so, among the movie’s opening moments is a speech by the Mars mission leader about climate change, so there is some unfortunate politically correct, environmentalist dialogue in one brief scene.

Overall, THE SPACE BETWEEN US is a fun, engaging road-trip movie. Asa Butterfield and Britt Robertson as the two teenagers deliver appealing performances that will win over audiences. However, there is some foul language and a scene where the teenagers share a sleeping bag overnight and kiss afterwards. The movie shows no moral consequences for this behavior. In addition, the two teenagers steal a couple of cars while on the run and use some lighthearted deception to stay one step ahead of the authorities.

Screenwriter Allan Loeb has crafted an entertaining story overall, but there are several moments that would be spoilers, where there are somewhat unbelievable leaps of logic or plot holes. Audiences will likely like the actors and unique storyline enough to ignore these unconvincing moments.

Ultimately, THE SPACE BETWEEN US is a gentle, congenial movie. As such, it shows the universal quest for belonging and knowing that you have roots and people care for you. The girl is a foster child who ultimately is taken in by another key adult in a touching moment near the end. However, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution, mostly for the sleeping bag scene.