October Sky

October Sky is a 1999 American biographical drama film directed by Joe Johnston, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen, and Laura Dern. It is based on the true story of Homer H. Hickam, Jr., a coal miner's son who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 to take up rocketry against his father's wishes and eventually became a NASA engineer. The film is based on the book, Rocket Boys, by Homer Hickam, Jr.

Plot
The true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his father's wishes.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) All of the actor’s performances in this movie are beyond spectacular, especially from Jake Gyllenhaal as Homer Hickam.
 * 2) It stay’s true to the phenomenal true story that it was based on.
 * 3) Likable and relatable characters, such as Homer Hickman, Miss Reilly and Quentin.
 * 4) Well-done character and story development.
 * 5) Brilliant casting choices for each and every one of the characters.
 * 6) Homer and his friends share an amazing bond.
 * 7) A nicely done, accurate setting for a 1950z mining town.
 * 8) The pacing is brilliant and nicely-done.
 * 9) Many unforgettable moments, like when Homer and his friends constantly fail on trying to launch a rocket replica. Later, he and his friends do improvements and get the rockets to work.
 * 10) The dialogue is well-said by the actors.
 * 11) Amazing soundtrack.
 * 12) The film can have it’s serious, powerful moments and get very emotional from time to time.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Homer's father and brother can be extremely unlikable throughout most of the movie.
 * 2) There is some profane language like "holy sh*t", "son of a b*tch", and "ass" which is a little inappropriate for a PG rating.

Box office
October Sky opened at #4 on February 19, 1999 in 1,495 theaters and had an opening weekend gross of $5,905,250. At its widest theater release, 1,702 theaters were showing the movie. It made a total domestic gross of The movie has had a total lifetime gross of $32,547,800. In foreign countries, it made $2,128,000. Overall, the film made $34,675,800 worldwide against its $25 million budget.

Critical reception
The film received critical acclaim from film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 90% out of 72 critics gave the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.6/10. The critic's consensus states: "Rich in sweet sincerity, intelligence, and good old-fashioned inspirational drama, October Sky is a coming-of-age story with a heart to match its Hollywood craftsmanship." Metacritic gave the film a 71 rating with these being dubbed "Generally Favorable Reviews" based on 23 professional critic reviews of the movie.

Many critics tend to commend the movie for its values, family, and inspirational aspects. A lot of reviews focus on the main character's relationship with his father and on the actors' performances. Roger Ebert recognized that the film "doesn't simplify the father into a bad guy or a tyrant. He understandably wants his son to follow in his footsteps, and one of the best elements of the movie is in breaking free, he is respecting his father. This movie has deep values."

James Wall of The Christian Century describes the film's concentration on the father-son relationship as "at times painful to watch. There are no winners or losers when sons go their separate ways. October Sky does not illustrate good parenting; rather, it evokes the realization that since parents have only a limited vision of how to shape their children's future, the job requires a huge amount of love and a lot of divine assistance." However, some reviews, such as one from Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide, claim that the movie's highlight was the acting of Jake Gyllenhaal and Chris Cooper.

Accolades
October Sky won three awards, including: OCIC Award for Joe Johnston at the Ajijic International Film Festival 1999, the Critics' Choice Movie Awards for Best Family Film from the Broadcast Film Critics Association in 2000, and a Humanitas Prize 1999 for Featured Film Category.

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
 * 2006: AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – Nominated