The Astronaut Farmer

Infobox Film
name = The Astronaut Farmer

---

image_size =
caption = The promotional one-sheet poster.
director = Michael Polish
producer = Len Amato
Mark Polish
Michael Polish
Paula Weinstein
writer = Mark Polish
Michael Polish
starring = Billy Bob Thornton
Virginia Madsen
Bruce Dern
Max Thieriot
music = Stuart Matthewman
cinematography = M. David Mullen
editing =
distributor = Warner Bros. Pictures
released = flagicon|USA February 23, 2007
runtime =
country = USA
language = English
budget = $13 million
gross = "Domestic:"
$11,003,643
"Worldwide:"
$11,130,889
"Rental Gross:"
$11.83 million
"DVD Sales:"
$13,380,475
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0469263

"The Astronaut Farmer" is a 2007 drama film directed by Michael Polish and starring Billy Bob Thornton. Polish and his brother Mark also serve as writers and producers of the film. The film was released on February 23, 2007.

Plot

Charles Farmer (Thornton) is a former astronaut in training who was discharged from the military while working for his dream towards NASA. Never having traveled into space, he decides to build his own space craft, a replica of the historic Mercury-Atlas, with his own time and materials. He uses all of his assets and faces foreclosure and family problems. He encounters interference as the United States government tries to stop him. [http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-013107a.html] .

Farmer's first launch fails, and after tipping over and flying through the county and breaking apart the capsule lands abruptly in a cloud of dust. Farmer is injured in the mishap and spends several months in the hospital recovering. However, with encouragement from his family and money from his father-in-law's death, his financial problems are over and Farmer rebuilds his rocket. He succeeds in launching the rocket on his second attempt, orbits the Earth nine times and after a loss of communication with ground control, returns safely.

Cast

*"Billy Bob Thornton" as Charles Farmer
*"Virginia Madsen" as Audrey "Audie" Farmer
*"Max Thieriot" as Shepard Farmer
*"Jasper Polish" as Stanley Farmer
*"Bruce Dern" as Hal
*"Mark Polish" as FBI Agent Mathis
*"Jon Gries" as FBI Agent Killbourne
*"Tim Blake Nelson" as Kevin Munchak
*"Sal Lopez" as Pepe Garcia
*"J. K. Simmons" as Jacobson
*"Kiersten Warren" as Phyllis
*"Rick Overton" as Arnold "Arnie" Millard
*"Richard Edson" as Chopper Miller
*"Elise Eberle" as Madison Roberts
*"Julie White" as Beth Goode
*"Graham Beckel" as Frank
*"Marshall Bell" as Judge Miller
*"Bruce Willis" as Air Force Astronaut Doug Masterson (uncredited)

Production

The story takes place in Texas, but the movie was filmed in New Mexico, USA.

When Thornton's character is being interviewed by Jay Leno during the credits, the audience members are not extras but the actual studio audience from that day's filming of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno".

The space suit worn by Thornton's character is the same Mercury-era Navy Mark V pressure suit worn by all of the Mercury Seven astronauts prior to Mercury-Atlas 9. [http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-013107a.html] Additionally, the rocket featured in the film is nearly-scale replica of the Mercury-Atlas that launched America's first astronauts into orbit.

Release

The film's release date, February 23 2007, came just three days after the 45th anniversary of the United States' first orbital mission, Friendship 7, piloted by John Glenn. Glenn's flight and the remaining three Mercury flights were all orbital missions using the Atlas booster.

Real life influences

* Shepard, the son in the movie, is named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space.
* The United States Congress passed the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act in 2004 [http://www.space.com/news/congress_spacetourism_041209.html] .
* The Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST) licenses private suborbital rocket launches following the [http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=f32ec318140f194f1e3f1981d8192833&c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title14/14cfrv4_02.tpl#300 Code of Federal Regulations, Title 14, Chapter III] .
* Brian Walker, on his old website http://www.rocketguy.com/ (now defunct) stated that he sold the movie rights of his real life story to Disney.

See also

*SpaceShipOne
*Private spaceflight
*Brian Walker
*Salvage 1

References

External links

* [http://theastronautfarmermovie.warnerbros.com/ Official Site]

*imdb title|id=0469263|title=The Astronaut Farmer
*rotten-tomatoes|id=astronaut_farmer|title=The Astronaut Farmer
* [http://www.outofthecradle.net/archives/2007/02/the-astronaut-farmer/ Out of the Cradle Review]
* [http://www.efilmcritic.com/feature.php?feature=2073 "Set For Launch: A Video Interview with the Makers of 'The Astronaut Farmer'"] — eFilmCritic.com video interview with Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen, and Polish Brothers

* [http://sidewalkstv.com/specialfeatures/movies/astronautfarmer.html "The Astronaut Farmer" Interviews] with star Billy Bob Thornton and The Polish Brothers on "Sidewalks Entertainment"