The American Astronaut (2001)

Samuel Curtis, an interplanetary trader, sets forth through a rustic and remote solar system, unaware that his old friend Professor Hess is trying to kill him.

Director:

Cory McAbee

Writer:

Cory McAbee

Stars:

Cory McAbee, Rocco Sisto, Gregory Russell Cook

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Cory McAbee	...	Samuel Curtis / Silverminer
Rocco Sisto	...	Professor Hess
Gregory Russell Cook	...	The Boy Who Actually Saw a Woman's Breast
Annie Golden	...	Cloris
James Ransone	...	Bodysuit
Joshua Taylor	...	Blueberry Pirate
Tom Aldredge	...	Old Man
Bill Buell	...	Eddie
Peter McRobbie	...	Lee Vilensky
Mark Manley	...	Henchman #1 (Hey Boy!)
Ned Sublette	...	Henchman #2 (Hey Boy!)
Joseph McKenna	...	Doorman
Doug McKean	...	Silverminer Jake
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Pendelton	...	Miner at Bar
George Piscopo	...	Mars Worker

Storyline

Space travel has become a dirty way of life dominated by derelicts, grease monkeys, thieves, and hard-boiled interplanetary traders such as Samuel Curtis, an astronaut from Earth who deals in a rare goods, living or otherwise. His mission begins with the unlikely delivery of a cat to a small outer-belt asteroid saloon where he meets his former dance partner, and renowned interplanetary fruit thief, the Blueberry Pirate. As payment for his delivery of the cat, Curtis receives a homemade cloning device already in the process of creating a creature most rare in this space quadrant... a Real Live Girl. At the suggestion of the Blueberry Pirate, Curtis takes the Real Live Girl to Jupiter where women have long been a mystery. There, he proposes a trade with the owner of Jupiter: the Real Live Girl clone for the Boy Who Actually Saw A Woman's Breast. The Boy Who Actually Saw A Woman's Breast is regarded as royalty on the all-male mining planet of Jupiter because of his unique and exotic ...

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Plot Keywords:

planet | american | astronaut | interplanetary trader | trader | 

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Taglines:

Space is a lonely town.

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Genres:

Musical | Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Commodore Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

O amerikanos astronaftis

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,206, 14 October 2001, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$38,170, 25 January 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

BNS Productions, Commodore Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the DVD director's commentary, moviegoers would come up to Cory McAbee during film festivals and ask where he got the Old Man to recite the "donut" joke, not realizing it was Tom Aldredge.

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Quotes

Lee Vilensky: [Addressing the workers] Gentlemen, you have all worked very hard. And among the lucky, you are the chosen ones. You have been sprinkled with lucky stardust. Yes, you have. For today, you have been chosen to reside in the court of the Great One. Gentlemen, I give you the boy... who actually saw... a woman's breast!

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Crazy Credits

We Remember Desmond Harvey

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Soundtracks

Baby in the Jar
Written by Cory McAbee, James Beaudreau, Michael Silverman (as Mike Silverman) and Robert Lurie (as Bobby Lurie)
Performed by The Billy Nayer Show with Gregory Russell Cook (as Gregory Russell Cook)
Published by Fickey Music (BMI)
Courtesy of BSG Records
Administered and Licensed by BNS Productions
©2000 Cory McAbee, James Beaudreau, Mike Silverman and Bobby Lurie

User Reviews

The DVD is fantastic

I saw the film at the Toronto Film Festival in 2001 and loved it. Just rented the DVD and it's a treat. Not only did I enjoy the film even more than the first viewing, but I immediately rewatched it via the Director's Commentary. The commentary makes you love the film exponentially more if only because it's done in a unique way: Cory McAbee narrates at a live screening, taking questions from the audience. McAbee is uniquely eloquent in his commentary. I've heard many commentaries that simply leave me numb, praying for narcolepsy to strike. Instead, the heart and mind of a true Renaissance man were revealed, imbuing the film (and the music) with new life (just when you thought you couldn't love a film more). There are some perfect cinematic scenes in this film. I watch literally hundreds of films a year and it's rare that I'm surprised by some narrative trope but to my joy, Hey Boy! is there to give me new faith in cinema. However impressed I was with Cory McAbee before, now I'm awestruck. And it's always a treat to hear Brian Eno's name a few times in a commentary. Wow. Congratulations.