Why you can trust 12DOVE
One of life's many mysteries is why so many women dig chick flicks - - they're tacky and clichéd yet, obviously, oddly compelling. Mystic Pizza? Steel Magnolias? Come on... But October Sky may help you understand, because it's the nearest thing you'll get to a male-orientated chick flick.
This isn't to diss the source material, true-life novel Rocket Boys. Author Homer H Hickam Jr is a NASA engineer, and October Sky is the film version of how he dreamed about becoming a rocket scientist in 1957, despite his coal-mining father's opposition. It deals with father/son conflicts in a manner which verges on the schmaltzy ("A dozen men would've died today if it hadn't been for your Dad!"), but twangs enough blokey chords at the right moments to make you tearful. A convincing, sometimes touching drama that's enough to make you run out and give your old man a big hug.
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.
One Piece creator and star of Netflix show teases the challenges of bringing season 2's Grand Line arc to life: "We need to shock audiences"
Rescued The Evil Within and Hi-Fi Rush studio confirms it's making "games that only Tango Gameworks can make" after Krafton saved it from the Microsoft graveyard
Absolute Batman #3 teases a new origin for the Riddler and delves into Bruce and Selina's childhoods