Space Cowboys (2000)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers (WGA):

Ken Kaufman (written by) &
Howard Klausner (written by)

Release Date:

4 August 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Boys will be boys.

Plot:

When a retired engineer is called upon to rescue a failing satellite, he insists that his equally old teammates accompany him into space.

Plot Keywords:

Satellite | Space | NASA | Roller Coaster | Space Shuttle

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Nov. 13	2:00 PM	HBO
Mon. Nov. 16	7:45 AM	HBO

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Frank Corvin
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Hawk Hawkins
Donald Sutherland	...	Jerry O'Neill
James Garner	...	Tank Sullivan
James Cromwell	...	Bob Gerson
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Sara Holland
William Devane	...	Eugene Davis
Loren Dean	...	Ethan Glance
Courtney B. Vance	...	Roger Hines
Barbara Babcock	...	Barbara Corvin
Rade Serbedzija	...	General Vostov
Blair Brown	...	Dr. Anne Caruthers
Jay Leno	...	Himself
Nils Allen Stewart	...	Tiny
Deborah Jolly	...	Cocktail Waitress

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some language.

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37575) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Brazil:Livre | Chile:TE | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:PG | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | South Korea:12 | Singapore:PG | Philippines:G

Filming Locations:

Agua Dulce, California, USA

Company:

Clipsal Films

Trivia:

According to film editor Joel Cox, director Eastwood, a notoriously quick director, would routinely film as many as 35 to 40 set-ups in a single day.

Goofs:

Factual errors: During their training, the astronauts practice a simulator landing of the shuttle during what appears to be a very heavy thunderstorm. Since the shuttle orbiter would be greatly damaged by such an approach, NASA waves off any landing attempt if there is inclement weather anywhere within 30 miles of the landing location. It would be highly unlikely astronauts would even train for such a landing.

Quotes:

Jason: [to his girlfriend, after his plane ride] I love you, and I love being on the ground.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Making 'Blood Work' (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

PATRICIA

A nice little movie, not too outrageous and the expert acting makes it enjoyable

We own this movie in our home collection and we haven't watched it in a while. Saw it again tonight on TV, and realized that it is still a good movie.

Clint Eastwood produces and directs this movie, and draws some "experienced" actors to help him fill the lead roles. They manage to extol the trials and tribulations of the senior years, while still capturing the exuberance of youth from the past.

the story leads a mildly predictable pattern, but in this case it is not the end of the story that is primarily important, but instead how they get there. Also, all 4 lead actors all come off as really having a good time in the movie, it feels like they really enjoyed making this one and it comes out on the screen in the performances.

The pace is even and smooth, again demonstrating Clint Eastwood's legacy of directing and acting in watchable, enjoyable movies, no matter what the gender.

I should also mention that the special effects and the space sequences are stunning and much better done than most other movies in near-earth space. That would be the industrial Light and Magic team doing it again.

Overall, enjoyable.