Apr 11, 2004 05:37 AM
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(Updated Apr 11, 2004 05:42 AM)
I have seen this movie a number of times, and it never gets old or boring. October Sky is based on the book “Rocket Boys” by Homer Hickam, and it is his true story. The movie is set during the 1950’s in a small town in West Virginia called Coalwood.
The main character in this movie is a high school boy, Homer Hickam (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), who is doomed to work in the coal mines of his town, like his father. Homer seems to accept his fate -- until he sees the Soviet launched Sputnik in the October sky. The sight of the satellite impresses Homer and he dreams of creating rockets. Homer’s father, John Hickam (played by Chris Cooper), however has no intention of letting his son pursue such a dream. He believes Homer should continue the family tradition of working in the coal mines.
In spite of how his father feels about rockets, Homer is determined to make rockets and successfully launch them. He becomes friends with the class “nerd”, Quentin, who knows much about rockets. Together, Homer and his friends- Roy Lee, O’Dell, and Quentin, gather supplies to make the rockets. Their teacher, Miss Riley (Laura Dern), also encourages them to follow their dream and keep on trying.
They never give up even though many of their rockets explode before launching, they are arrested because the police think their rockets caused a forest fire, Homer’s father gets rid of all their materials, and Homer and his father have many arguments about Homer’s “useless” dreams. Finally, they improve the designs of their rockets and get better quality of steel. This helps them to make successful launches. The whole town is proud of them, the whole town except Homer’s father. He still fails to believe that rocket science is more important than coal mining.
Miss Riley suggests Homer and his friends to enter their rocket in the science fair. They agree and Homer gets to travel out of West Virginia for the first time to attend to competition. Their rocket wins the competition and Homer gets many scholarships to prestigious colleges.
Eventually, John Hickam accepts the fact that his son is good at what he does and he certainly is not destined to work underground in some coal mine. Neither Homer nor his friends end up working in the coal mines- Homer becomes an engineer for NASA.
This movie is truly inspirational. After seen this movie, it feels like anything is possible if dreams are followed. Jake Gyllenhaal does a wonderful job with his portrayal of Homer Hickam. Chris Cooper also gives an amazing performance as a frustrated dad who loves his son, but can’t appreciate his interests. Homer’s friends are very funny and they all did a great job with their characters. The script, photography, and the score are all awesome. I would recommend this movie to people of all ages because it continues to encourage people to follow their dreams.
Some Quotes from October Sky:
Quentin: What do you want to know about rockets?
Homer: Everything.
O'Dell: What're the chances of us winning that science fair?
Homer: A million to one.
O'Dell: That good? Well why didn't you say so.
O'Dell: That's a great idea. Four unidentified high school students lost their lives earlier this morning when their toy rocket exploded.
Quentin: They watched us get arrested. We are practically ex-convicts. They will never dance with us.
O'Dell: Quentin, you know nothing about women.
