October Sky
The film opens on October 5, 1957 with the Soviet launch of Sputnik into orbit. While most of the citizens of Coalwood are worried or indifferent, 17 year old Homer Hickam is intrigued. He begins checking science fiction books out of the library and dreaming of building his own rockets, wanting to do his part to further the space race. But his first attempt to build a rocket only blows a sizeable chunk out of his mother's white picket fence (this is the 50's, remember), so he breaks the school taboo by befriending the class brain in order to learn more about trigonometry and aerodynamics.
That's not the only taboo he breaks. In Coalwood, young men are expected to graduate high school and, if they aren't lucky enough to get a football scholarship, start working in the local coal mine with their fathers. High minded book learnin' and wide-eyed dreamers are frowned upon because those who gave up their dreams long ago are painfully reminded of the promise of youth and their own failure to escape.
Nowhere is this conflict more evident than in the struggle between Homer and his father. Homer's father is the well-respected foreman of the mine, and views his sons' obsession with suspicion and more than a little fear. Much more than a local boy-makes-good story, October Sky is about the gap between fathers and sons, about the clash between responsibility and freedom.
The film's power comes partly from Homer's struggle to make his rockets fly well enough to enter the statewide science fair and vie for a college scholarship, but mostly from his fight to understand his father and gain his acceptance. As John Hickam, Chris Cooper captures the stubborn streak and simple dignity of a man who has chosen a remarkably grueling way to provide for his family. He's not just a foil for Homer to rail against; he's a complex, heroic and difficult man who finds his sons' dreams a waste of time, possibly even dangerously idealistic.
But Homer knows that his education is his ticket to freedom, and so has to reject much of what his father holds important. On the surface, that is - it is his father's lifestyle Homer is rejecting, not his values. October Sky paints this relationship without heavy-handed moralizing or cheap sentimentality, and thus is one of the best family films to come along in a long while. Emotional and uplifting, October Sky's PG rating and sensitive treatment of its subject makes it a winner for any audience. With all the Oscar hype, a gentle character-driven story like October Sky threatens to get lost in the shuffle. Don't let this one pass you by.
- Jared O'Connor
MOVIES
All Content © 1997, 1998, 1999 Jared O'Connor and Michael Baker