Opening this weekend is the loosely based story of Astronaut Lisa Nowak who committed a misdemeanor and was jailed for two days. She also received a year’s probation for her dastardly deed and got fired by NASA. But, although the incident actually happened, then why a story with new names, a broader stroke on the characters background, a mythical family and the torrid love life? The film also begs the question of whether it was Nowak’s 13 days in space that may have given her a brain disorder that set her on a path of self-destruction.
Astronaut Lucy Cola (Natalie Portman) floats in space tethered to her spacecraft while watching another sunrise. It’s a rush for her so she takes every possible second she can to continue the spacewalk. Landing back on earth aboard the space shuttle, she returns to her normal life with her husband Drew (Dan Stevens) and daughter Blue Iris (Pearl Amanda Dickson) and trains for another possible ride in the sky. But her humdrum home life has caused her to question the marriage so she strays a bit in the arms of fellow astronaut Mark Goodwin (Jon Hamm). A drink or two, then a clinch or two, leads to a sexual rendezvous and the downward spiral begins.
All that said, the filmmakers after all did list their film Lucy in the Sky as a Sci-Fi (science FICTION) Drama. One that has a lot of Hollywood moments that may bring about a yawn or two, I may say. It’s like watching an afternoon soap that has all the trappings of sex, romance, death of a loved one, a cheating wife and a neglected daughter and husband. If that’s something you would like, then this movie has it all.
How the film got labeled with the genre of Science Fiction when space walks and shuttle landings are a reality, does bring a bit of pandering to mind. Doing so fools the audience into thinking they are going to see imagined space travel. You know something that’s made up like Gravity with Sandra Bullock, whose character was also named Lucy. According to Google “Sci-fi” is: fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets.
Lucy in the Sky is rated R by the MPAA for language and some sexual content. The sex is mostly imagined and the language is about a PG-13 level for this day and age. My suggestion is to wait for it on VOD or home video. And if you want to look up the real Astronaut Lisa Nowak there are many stories on her floating around Google or other search engine. Try this one from People Magazine https://people.com/crime/astronaut-love-triangle-lisa-nowak-life-10-years-later/
FINAL ANALYSIS: Bogus is sometimes good, but not in this case. (1 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jon Hamm, Zazie Beetz, Dan Stevens, Colman Domingo, and Ellen Burstyn.
Directed and revisions by: Noah Hawley
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content.
Running Time: 2 hrs. 4 min.
Opening Date: October 18, 2019
Distributed by: Fox Searchlight
Released in: Standard, Color
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
