Space Cadet (film)
| Space Cadet | |
|---|---|
 Release poster | |
| Directed by | Liz W. Garcia |
| Written by | Liz W. Garcia |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John G. Inwood |
| Edited by | Oona Flaherty |
| Music by | John Debney |
Production company | Stampede Ventures |
| Distributed by | Amazon MGM Studios |
Release date |
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Running time | 111 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Space Cadet is a 2024 American comedy film written and directed by Liz W. Garcia. It stars Emma Roberts, Tom Hopper, Poppy Liu, and Gabrielle Union.
Premise
[edit]Rex Simpson is a Florida party girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut as she grew up fascinated with space just like her mother. Upon reconnecting with a childhood friend Toddrick, who happens to be a millionaire specializing in space travel. Inspired, she asks her best friend Nadine to proofread her application. Nadine, feeling bad that her friend doesn't stand a chance, decides to beef up the resume, in the hope she gets a video interview. A few days later, she gets shocked when Logan O Leary from NASA calls Rex and tells her she is selected. Nadine doesn't tell her about the edited resume as she drives off to the Space Center.
Rex is stoked to be there and proceeds to make everyone skeptical about her qualifications with her outfit and general demeanor. Upon meeting Logan, she gives him a hug and is overtly friendly much to his discomfort. She has an interview with the board later when she realizes what Nadine did but does her best to salvage the induction.
She also meets her roommate, Violet, who reveals she has several health problems and has her doubts about being there, which Rex reassures her of. When the candidates introduce each other, Dr. Stacy Kellogg, deduces she is a fraud but doesn't have the proof.
The first training exercise seems quite challenging for her and just when it is about to finish, Violet starts hyperventilating and Rex takes it upon herself to reassure her as they escape. During a call with Nadine, Violet realizes Rex is just a bartender who faked her resume. She reveals that she too has faked her resume as she's missing one toe.
The second training exercise involves them staying in a tent in freezing temperatures and Rex is able to pass with flying colors as she used to camp with her mom. Violet was unable to get through the exercise and is removed. She tells Rex that maybe she should reveal the truth about her and then it would have been her leaving instead, but then reassures her that her secret is safe. Logan proceeds to call each of Rex's references, which happens to be Nadine, who manages to fake it using multiple voice tones, Google and a soundboard mimicking various workplace sounds.
Ultimately, it comes down to five candidates, Stacy, Jack, Grace, Miriam and Rex. They are about to have their final training programs but decide to jot the bar the night before. Rex tries to convince Logan to join, but he refuses. Ultimately, while she's doing karaoke, Logan joins in. The group continue the night by watching a presentation. Rex and Logan are about to kiss when his beeper goes off and they are told to get rest and ready for tomorrow. The final training exercise is when the five of them are given a set of resources and tasks which they have to ration over the next 14 days. On the 12th day, Stacy starts panicking and talking about going home back to her kids. However, Logan and Pam try to include her in the training drill so as to not let her complete the program and not leave at the last minute.
The next day, Rex, nicknamed "Flamingo", by her instructor is asked to fly the plane. As she is doing so, Logan proceeds to call her sixth and final reference regarding her flight skills. Nadine accidentally switches to video call leaving Logan confused as he believed he was speaking to a man. He uses Truecaller to find out the contact of the phone number and uncovers Nadine and Rex's lies. Saddened he proceeds to inform Pam, and to his horror, the instructor, who informs him Rex is flying the plane. Through calmness and belief, and with great guidance, Flamingo is able to land the plane. Upon landing, the instructor remarks how it's a shame that she can't continue as she was pretty good at flying for a novice. She is shunned by her other astronaut candidates, especially Stacey, who admits she had her doubts.
The four astronauts head off to space while Rex returns to her normal life. One day later at the bar, a patron recognizes Rex and tells her excitedly about how the space shuttle is stuck and might lose power in 72 hours. She is horrified and informs him that losing power might lead to the astronaut's deaths and he admits he should read more. Rex and Violet are reluctantly allowed to fill in to remove the debris that has stalled the four astronauts. Upon seeing Rex arriving in space, the other four astronauts are scared, especially Stacey. However, Rex is able to fix the spaceship using tricks from her childhood like the time she learnt to tame an alligator. It's also revealed that she lost her mother ten years ago, and that her dad lost his job so she dropped out of college, doing odd jobs so she could provide for him. The mission is a success and the six return to Earth safely.
Cast
[edit]- Emma Roberts as Rex Simpson
- Tom Hopper as Logan O'Leary
- Poppy Liu as Nadine Cai
- Gabrielle Union as Pam Proctor
- Kuhoo Verma as Violet Marie Vislawski
- Desi Lydic as Dr. Stacy Kellogg
- Sebastián Yatra as Toddrick Spencer
- Sam Robards as Calvin Simpson, Rex's dad
- Dave Foley as Rudolph Bolton
- Yasha Jackson as Grace Jackson
- Andrew Call as Captain Jack Mancini
- Josephine Huang as Miriam Osprey
- Troy Iwata as Hector Kaneko
- Tomas Matos as Johnny
- Fergie L. Philippe as Bingo
- Alli Brown as Paris
Production
[edit]Principal photography took place in New Jersey from August to October 2022. Union Beach stood in for Cocoa Beach.[2] Shooting occurred at the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex, Essex County Airport, and U.S. Space & Rocket Center.[2]
Release
[edit]The film was released by Amazon MGM Studios through its streaming service Prime Video on July 4, 2024.[3]
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 27% of 30 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Never achieving liftoff despite Emma Roberts' peppy performance, Space Cadet flunks out of the school of high-concept comedy."[4]
The Guardian thought the film is "hopelessly muddled, a bitter first sip that proceeds to curdle".[5] The New York Times opined that "the jokes feel tired. The actors are mostly doing their best, but the screenplay too often leaves them mimicking comedy rather than performing it", and it is not "unwatchable, but it's the sort of movie that makes you want to go back and revisit the better versions."[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Space Cadet (15)". British Board of Film Classification. July 29, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ a b Kuperinsky, Amy (July 2, 2024). "Emma Roberts' Space Cadet movie blasts off: N.J. plays NASA ... and outer space". NJ.com. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
- ^ Gonzalez, Lilian (July 3, 2024). "Space Cadet Is Set to Release This Week on Prime Video: Here's How to Stream Emma Roberts' New Movie for Free". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
- ^ "Space Cadet". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Lee, Benjamin (July 4, 2024). "Space Cadet review – Emma Roberts joins Nasa in lazy streaming slop". The Guardian. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
- ^ Wilkinson, Alissa (July 3, 2024). "'Space Cadet' Review: Emma Roberts Shoots for the Stars". The New York Times. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
