43. October Sky

Joe Johnston's October Sky made a fairly uneventful run at the multiplex, with most people skipping it, dismissing it as inspirational fluff. Since its release on home video, however, it's slowly grown by word of mouth to become one of the great hidden treasures of your local video store. Those that have rented it on a whim feel like they've made a great discovery, learning that it's an amazing work, one of the decade's best films. And they beg their friends to check it out, just as I'm begging you.

Adapted from Rocket Boys, the autobiography of NASA engineer Homer Hickam, October Sky chronicles Hickam's days growing up in the small mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia. Inspired by Sputnik, young Homer sets out to learn all he can about rockets, getting a few friends and the school misfit to lend a hand. Homer, expertly played by a young Jake Gyllenhaal, has to contend with unsupportive adults, most notably a stubborn father (Chris Cooper) who doesn't quite understand his boy's interest in the outside world.

Yeah, it still sounds like fluff, until you realize that Johnston, screenwriter Lewis Colick, and an outstanding cast work to smash the clichés. Sure, Homer's dad creates conflict, but he's not some generic villain. In fact, he's a good man, unlike the countless "bad dads" tossed into dramas of this nature just to block the hero's success. (In fact, in this story, the father is as much a hero as the son.) The father-son relationship grows without false sentiment, and Homer and his friends slowly reach success without cheesy melodrama getting in the way. These are filmmakers smarter than that, and as October Sky reaches its climax, and as audience members find themselves wiping away all those tears of joy and pride, we realize that this film is a prime example of storytelling at its finest. It's beautifully crafted, wonderfully told, expertly played, and immensely moving. This is inspirational indeed -- and without a single strand of fluff. (David Cornelius)