BillyBobapalooza

Billy Bob's Filmography

THE ASTRONAUT FARMER (2007)

Distributor
Warner Independent Pictures

Director
Michael Polish

Character
Charles Farmer

poster 1

Film Quote
One small step for man. One giant leap for farmers.

Plot
Charlie Farmer, a NASA astronaut, was forced set his dreams aside in order to save his family's farm. But his yearning for space travel dogs him. So--with the support of his family--he collects abandoned NASA equipment and spends 15 years building his own rocket right there on the farm, attracting media attention and unwelcome government scrutiny.

What Billy Bob Gets To Do
He gets to live out poor ol' Dan Truman's dream of going into space (remember Dan Truman's desire for a mission patch in ARMAGEDDON?).

Backstory
Michael Polish and his brother Mark cowrote the screenplay and are best known for the film TWIN FALLS, IDAHO. They've enlisted a mission team that includes such heavyweights as Virginia Madsen, Bruce Dern, Jon Gries, Tim Blake Nelson, J.K. Simmons, the amusing Rick Overton, and another ARMAGEDDON alum--Bruce Willis. The Polish Brothers consider this story a parallel to the process of getting an independent film made. They actually consulted former astronaut David Scott, who landed on the moon, to see if their technical details were correct. Scott confirmed that Charlie Farmer's rocket could actually pull it off.

Billy Bob likes to think of this film as his "Frank Capra" movie. It opened to good reviews and has been widely received as one of the best family films of 2007.

Relevant Links
IMDb Link
Official Site
MySpace Page

 

BBT On DVD
We just love those versions that include full screen (for the TV-impaired) and widescreen (the way to go!) versions of a film on the same disc, so bravo Warner Brothers! Special features include the documentary How to Build a Rocket: The Making of The Astronaut Farmer, A Conversation with NASA Astronaut David Scott, Bloopers and Outtakes (that comet heading for earth that takes out Billy Bob's rocket . . . out, wait, that's ARMAGEDDON!), and the Trailer, along with subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.

Photo credit:  © 2007 by Warner Brothers  

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© 2007 by . . . Like the Wind Productions/Lonesome Rogues Design. This page is intended for entertainment and reference purposes only and is not intended to make a profit.  Film commentary reflects the opinions of the webmasters Amélie and Sage and not the opinions of Billy Bob Thornton or his representatives.