ASTRONAUT'S WIFE
SYNOPSIS:
During a space shuttle mission to repair a faulty satellite U.S. astronauts Spencer
Armacost (Johnny Depp) and Alex Streck (Nick Cassavetes) lose contact with mission control
for two minutes following an explosion. After returning to earth in a comatose state both
men revive but seem strangely changed. Although living happily with wife Jillian (Charlize
Theron) in Florida, Spencer decides to retire from flying and takes up an executive
position with an aerospace firm in New York. Now pregnant with twins and troubled by her
husband's personality change, Jillian is approached by former NASA official Reece (Joe
Morton) who confirms her fears that during Spencer's lost two minutes a dangerous
transformation has taken place.
"The Astronaut's Wife is a frustrating experience which continually builds tension
which fails to go anywhere. 'Rosemary's Baby in outer space' set-up is intriguing and
there's sufficient suspense to carry it to the half-way point but precious little
expansion on the idea. Any movie in which a husband's suddenly odd behaviour is followed
by his wife's pregnancy means only one thing: something awful is about to happen. We're
owed more than the half-baked climax served up by writer/director Rand Ravich who
convinces us we're in for fireworks which sadly never eventuate. Depp and Theron, well
cast as a sexy young couple, do their best with limited opportunities, with Theron
qualifying for the Mia Farrow hall of fame during her hysterical "what's happening to
me and my babies" scenes. Depp doesn't have much more to do than practice his
southern drawl and look menacing, which grows tiresome after a while. The Astronaut's Wife
has plenty of attractive elements, including Allen Daviau's cinematography, George S.
Clinton's music and Jan Roelf's production design (check out that New York apartment Depp
and Theron move in to); unfortunately it just doesn't get there. An "opening and
closing this week" feel aura hovers over this release which it doesn't deserve - and
with these ingredients, it should have been much better."
Richard Kuipers
"Two very beautiful movie stars re-enact the plot of Rosemary’s Baby in some
very expensive-looking sets. Charlize Theron plays the most glamorous primary-school
teacher in the world; Johnny Depp is her equally spiffy husband. A lot of time is spent
demonstrating that this couple, despite their enormous wealth, are just plain folks. Clea
Duvall, as Jillian’s wisecracking sister, is the closest thing to a real human being
in sight, and virtually steals the film. Writer-director Rand Ravich doesn’t bother
to disguise his sources (even Theron’s cropped hairstyle is stolen from Mia Farrow)
but his sense of style is interestingly technological: he spins the camera round at high
speed, briefly throws the action into fast motion, and does some semi-subliminal things
with sound to literalise the idea of the ‘alien’ as beyond the limits of human
perception. Despite these flourishes, this sci-fi thriller is oddly low-key and
attenuated: certain important mysteries – notably, to do with the weapons project
Spencer is working on – are never resolved outright. This could be subtlety, or just
plain incoherence (reportedly neither the director nor the stars were pleased with the
studio’s final cut). The biggest liability is Theron, a limited actress who never
shakes off her elegant supermodel langour. As for Depp, after years of playing eccentric,
cerebral characters, he gets to swagger round, show off his muscles and display some
physical menace. It’s ironic that he was probably hired in the first place because of
his recessive, otherworldly screen persona. Either way, he gives another mannered,
skew-whiff performance, and mimics his character’s hick attributes – the
Southern drawl and jock sense of humor – with a dandyish flair. He’s not very
believable, but no-one looks better in sunglasses and a black trenchcoat."
Jake Wilson
"The Astronaut’s Wife is one of the year’s most frustrating movies.
While watching it, I was enthralled by director Rand Ravich’s beautifully constructed
and subtly told tale of insidious, creeping terror. In fact, for seven-eighths of its
length, the film is an object lesson in building tension in the Hitchcock mould. But
it’s let down with a crash by a rather silly heavy-handed climax and a pat ending. So
disappointing. Still, there’s a lot to enjoy in this contemporary and stylish sci-fi
thriller. Part Invasion of the Body Snatchers, part Rebecca, the film features some
powerful, intriguing and involving scenes. Until the ending, Spencer’s secret is
successfully kept from both Jillian and us. The mixture of this secrecy and the
film’s wonderful use of lighting, production design and music build an authentically
eerie atmosphere. Another big plus for The Astronaut’s Wife is a strong performance
by Charlize Theron. Looking like a young Sharon Stone, she could be an Oscar contender if
she can land meatier projects. Johnny Depp is fine as her creepy husband, but he suffers
from having little to do but look menacing. Of the supporting cast, Joe Morton and Donna
Murphy are both good, although they too, have little to do. Keep an eye out for two
actor/directors, Nick Cassavetes and Tom Noonan, in cameo roles. The Astronaut’s Wife
shows a lot of style and promise, but is cruelly let down at the final hurdle."
David Edwards
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CRITICAL COUNT
Favourable: 0
Unfavourable: 0
Mixed: 3
SOFCOM MOVIE TIMES




ASTRONAUT'S WIFE (MA)
(US)
CAST: Johnny Depp, Charlize Theron, Joe Morton, Clea DuVall, Donna Murphy, Nick
Cassavetes, Samantha Eggar
DIRECTOR: Rand Ravich
PRODUCER: Andrew Lazar
SCRIPT: Rand Ravich
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Alan Daviau
EDITOR: George S. Clinton, Timothy Alverson
MUSIC: Steve Mirkovich
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Jan Roelfs
RUNNING TIME: 109 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: Roadshow
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: November 4, 1999
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