October Sky (PG)
Inspiring tale for older tweens and up.
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- Studio: Universal Pictures
- Directed By: Joe Johnston
- Release Date: 02/21/1999
- Genre: Drama
- MPAA Rating: PG
Parents need to know
Families can talk about how Homer, not a great student and not especially strong in math, became so inspired by an idea that he begins to think in new ways. Using math and science to solve problems made it real to him, and the work involved was -- like the eight- mile walk to his experimental launch site -- unquestionably worth it. They should also talk about why it was hard for John to support Homer's ambitions, why his mother saw it differently, whether Homer made the right choice in going to work in the mine -- and in leaving it, how kids at school treat the "nerds" and why, how people are evaluated differently in school than they are once they get out, and how life in 1999 is different from the world of 1957.
Message
Social Behavior:
None
Consumerism:
Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:
Some drinking, minor character is an alcoholic
Violence
Boy beat by stepfather
Sex
Very mild
Language
Strong for a PG
Common Sense says
What's the story?
Reviewed by Nell Minow
Is it any good?
Gyllenhaal's expressive eyes show his simultaneous longing for the stars and for his father's approval. Cooper makes a role that could have been a one-dimensional tyrant multi-layered and complex, even sympathetic. Plot twists that might seem heavy-handed or melodramatic work because we know they really happened, and because these characters make us believe. We care so deeply about them that when we see real home movie footage of the real-life Homer's experiments we feel as though they are a part of our family.
Other choices
Parents and kids say
All Reviews
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Adult Reviews
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Kids Reviews
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