Space Cowboys (2000)

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

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:

Tommy Lee Jones is seen wearing a "Cowboy Bar" shirt which is from the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson, Wyoming. This was a favorite bar for Clint Eastwood and where he shot one of his last scenes in Any Which Way You Can (1980).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Corvin stabilizes the motion of the Russian satellite, all the debris spinning around it miraculously gets stabilized too.

Quotes:

Barbara Corvin: Would you like me to read the instructions to you again?
Frank Corvin: Let me tell you something, my dear. Those instructions were written by a fellow in Japan when they made this damn thing. They were probably translated by some gringo who was an expatriate American that couldn't get a job in this country. And then the Japanese guy probably translated him just to double check on him. You don't need these instructions. Not at all. Tear them up.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

HIT THE ROAD, JACK

Highly enjoyable.

This is one of the greatest action/dramas that I have ever seen. Not since ARMAGEDDON has there been such a movie that managed to satisfy my craving for action, laughter, and drama all at the same time. Clint Eastwood returns to show us that he can handle any role that comes his way. While the film was not a really big hit in theaters, it managed to catch my eye at the video store because it had to do with a failing Russian satellite and since the four lead actors are so good. Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner and Donald Sutherland are the title characters and our heroes in SPACE COWBOYS, one of the most memorable movies of the year for me.

I enjoyed the way the film slowly develops the characters and shares with us their past history. The film is great in my opinion. The supporting cast includes James Cromwell, Marcia Gay Harden, William Devane, Loren Dean and Courtney B. Vance (Loren Dean and Courtney B. Vance both being men). All of the key actors and elements of the film are wonderful and create a film that is both memorable and, in my opinion, timeless. SPACE COWBOYS gets 5/5.