This is an inspiring movie that will move you and your children. It sends a powerful and good message about following your dreams. There is very little sexual content and some language, but nothing that should stop you from watching it...I highly reccomend it to everyone! Great for 11+

It's hard to find a family movie better than this. A talented boy whose father is reluctant to support his gifts persists in pursuing his dream of building a rocket. Lots of fun, great acting, and incredibly touching without gratuitous tugging on the heart strings. Superb!

I loved this movie and so did my son when we saw it. Yes the scene with the child being hurt by his parent was a bit disturbing, but it did offer an educational opportunity to speak about violence against children.

OCTOBER SKY is the best. Here we have pin-point acting, marvelous directing, and an inspiring story about tolerance and following your dreams. It's beautiful. After teen Homer Hickam sees Sputnik race across the sky, he is determined to build rockets. One would think that's okay, but it's hard for Homer. He lives in Coalwood, a small, no-name town that relies on its coal mine for everything. To sum it up: No coal mine, no Coalwood. Homer's efforts are discouraged constantly by his miner father and his school principal, but are encouraged by schoolteacher Miss Riley and his mother. So Homer and his buddies hike a few miles, build a launch pad, and let the rockets fly. (SPOILER) Their brilliant work leads to victory at the nationwide science fair. Cursing is strong for a PG rating, but not as frequent as BACK TO THE FUTURE. "b**ch", "a*s", "da*n", and "s**t" are used many times. There is really no sex outside of teenage boys planning to wrap their arms around pretty girls, and the only violence is when a boy is briefly and non-graphically beat by his step-father. The beating is halted by Homer's dad. Really, OCTOBER SKY is the best. It's all you can hope for from movies. The acting is perfect, especially Laura Dern, who is an on-screen gem as Miss Riley. Watch it with your whole family and enjoy. This movie is a perfect example of what attracted us to movies in the first place. Highly reccommended.