Put simply, "Space Cowboys" is one of those movies that possesses something for each individual viewer, whether that be comedy, adventure, acting, or nostalgia. The more of those categories viewers associate themselves with, the more they will enjoy the movie.For a basic plot summary, "Space Cowboys" begins in the past when a team of U.S. Air Force members, on the cusp of reaching the moon, are scuttled in favor of NASA. Decades later, however, an old satellite decays in orbit and is hurtling towards Earth's atmosphere. The guidance system, which cannot be deciphered by newer technicians, is as old as the men called in to fix it: that four-man Air Force team comprised of Frank (Clint Eastwood), Hawk (Tommy Lee Jones), Jerry (Donald Sutherland), & Tank (James Garner) given another chance to get up in space...this time as geriatrics!The whole key to whether or not you will enjoy this movie will be your ability to suspend disbelief. At it's core, this flick is about as hokey as anything ever made. If you don't like this type of film- making, don't even pick it up from the shelf. However, the film doesn't even take itself seriously (Eastwood, also the director/producer, knows he is making a romp), so if you can indeed suspend that disbelief, you'll likely enjoy it thoroughly.The acting in "Space Cowboys" is what really makes it sparkle. The quartet of Garner, Sutherland, and especially Jones & Eastwood have such great chemistry with each other that it is a joy to watch. They are thrown into some hilariously ridiculous situations, but they get through with a combination of wit, heart, and toughness. What the movie lacks in believe-ability, it more than makes up for in the acting department."Space Cowboys" also taps into the nostalgia for the space program, which will draw in a large audience of baby boomers in and of itself. Whereas other issues are joked about or played for laughs, running through the backbone of the whole experience is Eastwood's respect for space exploration and what it represents in our culture.Overall, "Space Cowboys" is one of those movies that you'll either love (if you can just have fun with it) or hate (if you try to take it too seriously). Rest assured, though, that the entire experience (as per Eastwood's incredible direction) is treated with respect, dignity, and features real-life characters that think and feel as we might. This flick won't go down as "one for the ages", but it is a remarkably engaging, multi-genre effort that can be tremendously enjoyed...if you can buy in, of course.

This is a joy of a movie. Light, very light amusement, but made but with pleasant enthusiasm and irony. Sure, the actors go overboard. When Donald Sutherland shows his fake fake-teeth, when Tommy Lee Jones' tears start to flow every time his wife is mentioned... gross. But hey, this is a feelgood movie and so what. Four egos, for lead actors, and still there seems to be real chemistry. A steady roll of jokes well told, ironic situations, soft spots exposed keeps the viewer amused while the big question is: will they go up in space? Cleverly plotted out, this story. Sure, drumming up befriended senior actors for action encores is becoming a formula in itself, but so what if done well. Where Clint Eastwood formally has the lead role, it is Tommy Lee Jones who gets the love interest. And Donald Sutherland gets the prize for most obvious flirts with the camera, Interestingly, Will Devane shows much character development is his role as the man from mission control, he outshines the main actors in the last part of the story. It even gets exciting up there in space. Well done. Incidentally, Chris Nolan's widely acclaimed mega-production Interstellar was showing on TV the evening I watched this. Why that movie is an 8,5 and this one a meager 5,5 I just don't understand...

SPACE COWBOYSI thought this movie was a lot of fun.The movie is about a group of retired engineers who were due to go into space when they were young, but was replaced by a monkey. Now they are pensioners and they have been called to rescue a satellite that is heading towards Earth. Finally, they get to go into space.The movie had some really funny moments. The story was really good and even though this is a comedy, it also had some serious moments.The movie stars Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland & James Garner. The casting was brilliant. They seemed to have a great relationship and their connection was brilliant. My favourite character was Jerry, played by Donald Sutherland. He was so funny... blind as a bat, but always flirting with the girls that were half his age. He made me laugh.Right at the beginning if the movie, you saw the characters when they were young. Everyone dubbed their voices over these younger actors so that you could believe it was their younger selves... it was really well done. Toby Stephens played a young Clint Eastwood... and I have to say he did a fantastic job. The fake mole on his face looked terrible, but his facial expressions were spot on. He actually looked like a young Clint.The effects were not always great, but i think in this film that made it all the better. I loved it when they got to space and the views and landscapes were lovely.I also really liked the ending... it was a good finish.I will give this film 7 out of 10.A lot of fun to watch and it looked like everyone had a good time making this film. For more reviews, please like my Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ordinary-Person-Movie- Reviews/456572047728204?ref=hl

I should say upfront that I don't especially like Clint Eastwood that well, either as actor, or as a director, for various reasons I won't go into here.That said, Space Cowboys isn't a bad film despite some problems in logic, or plausibility. Basically, Eastwood(Frank Corvin) is called upon to help keep a falling Russian "communications satellite", ICON, from plunging to earth. Having been part of Project Daedalus in the late 1950s, test pilots who were to have been the first U.S. astronauts until policy was changed, and NASA officially formed, Corvin insists on his old teammates being brought into the mission as the price for his help.ICON turns out to be in reality an orbiting nuclear missile platform left-over from the Cold War, and after near-disaster in orbit, "Hawk" Hawkins who has just learned he has terminal cancer, manages to fly the missile platform all the way to the Moon disposing of the missiles into deep space, apparently, on the way, as the last scene shows his body on the lunar surface amongst the ICON debris.There is also some doubt about whether Eastwood and Co. can return or not as their shuttle was damaged in orbit, but they do, of course. This film was produced before the shuttle Cloumbia disaster, so we now know they would not have been able to return safely with that much surface damage in all probability.Ther are some other problems, as I'm not entirely sure there was enough rocket thrust on ICON( and the extra oxygen tanks as well? If I understood Hawks answer right) to break out of earth orbit. It is a movie, of course, and we're willing to make some allowances for the sake of the pathos this action by Hawk gives the movie.I'm not sure if Daedalus itself actually existed, but I believe it is correct that the test pilots of the various rocket planes, and such of the late 1950s were, indeed, meant to be our first astronauts until the policy change.In any case, James Garner, Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Sutherland all seem to have enjoyed doing this film a great deal, and there have been far worse such made.