October Sky
Short description
October Sky tells the story of Homer Hickam, a teenager in the coal mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia, in 1957. Nearly every man in town works in the mine, and Homer's father, who runs it, expects his sons to follow him underground. Homer shows no particular gift for the football that might earn him a way out. Then the Soviet satellite Sputnik crosses the night sky, and he becomes determined to build rockets of his own. With three friends and encouragement from a teacher, he starts experimenting, while his father opposes the pursuit and the early attempts fail. The film is based on Hickam's memoir of his youth.
Joe Johnston directed from a screenplay by Lewis Colick, with Larry J. Franco and Charles Gordon producing. It was Johnston's fifth feature, arriving between Jumanji and Jurassic Park III. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Homer, Chris Cooper plays his father, Laura Dern plays Miss Riley, and Chris Owen, William Lee Scott and Chad Lindberg appear as his friends. The production had a budget of 25 million dollars and took in about 35 million worldwide.
Audiences rate the film highly and in close agreement: 7.8 out of 10 on IMDb from roughly 111,000 votes, and 7.7 out of 10 on TMDB from around 1,500 votes. A critics' rating of 7.9 out of 10 from 72 reviews places professional evaluation at a similar level to the audience response.
What's left behind the scenes
- The novel on which the film is based is called "Aviamodelisty" (Rocket Boys). At Universal Studios, this title was deemed uncommercial, and a compromise option was chosen. It was in October that the film's protagonist first saw a satellite in the sky and became obsessed with the idea of building a rocket.
- It was rare for only one rocket model to be tested in a single day. They often tested several in a row. The model that ended up in Homer’s father’s office was the last one tested that day.
- The place where the film’s heroes tested their rockets still exists today; it is now a large field. It is located in the town of Coalwood in West Virginia. Every year, a festival called the "October Sky Festival" is held there.
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