The American Astronaut

A spoiler light review of The American Astronaut should begin with tone, because Cory McAbee understands exactly how this comedy ought to feel. The American Astronaut gains early credibility from Cory McAbee, whose presence is balanced by the different rhythm of Rocco Sisto. The foundation of The American Astronaut can be stated simply: Samuel Curtis, an interplanetary trader, sets forth through a rustic and remote solar system, unaware that his old friend Professor Hess is trying to kill him. Within its 1h 31m running time, The American Astronaut reveals both the benefits and the limits of that disciplined approach.

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The most useful technical choice in The American Astronaut is comic timing built around character, because it helps the audience understand both space and mood. BNS Productions frames The American Astronaut through comic timing built around character without letting surface finish replace character. Drawing on its United States background, The American Astronaut uses well judged reactions to give familiar material a more specific texture. Cinematography, sound and editing meet effectively in The American Astronaut whenever a sequence must feel large without losing its human scale.

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The American Astronaut finds additional purpose in its examination of embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. Through the performance of Cory McAbee, The American Astronaut makes that examination feel personal before it becomes broadly symbolic. The idea of Samuel Curtis repeatedly returns The American Astronaut to the cost behind its more visible developments. Cory McAbee is most persuasive when The American Astronaut allows the theme to emerge from an uncomfortable choice rather than polished dialogue.

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Cory McAbee gives The American Astronaut its most dependable performance, finding a clear emotional intention beneath the plot. Opposite Cory McAbee, Rocco Sisto brings The American Astronaut a contrasting pace that prevents the central relationship from feeling flat. Gregory Russell Cook widens the ensemble of The American Astronaut through reactions that suggest a life beyond the immediate scene. Cory McAbee serves the cast of The American Astronaut best when a look or pause is allowed to finish before the story moves on.

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The plot of The American Astronaut is built around the uneasy relationship between Samuel Curtis and Professor Hess. For Cory McAbee, that relationship gives The American Astronaut an emotional objective stronger than simple forward motion. The screenplay associated with Cory McAbee lets the central character reshape the direction of The American Astronaut in stages. Although the treatment of an important relationship could be sharper, The American Astronaut never entirely loses the thread established at the beginning.

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Cory McAbee gives The American Astronaut a directorial line that is alive in individual scenes and uncertain between them from its opening promise to its final movement. The staging of The American Astronaut is strongest when Cory McAbee allows motivation to determine pace instead of reversing that priority. Viewed as a complete piece, The American Astronaut confirms that the cast and craft keep the experience watchable across most of the running time. A tighter version of The American Astronaut would address how too many scenes explain effects the actors have already suggested, yet the surrounding work remains persuasive.

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For comedy fans who respond to personality and timing, The American Astronaut is ultimately an uneven film with enough personality to remain interesting. Its most persuasive combination in The American Astronaut brings Cory McAbee together with well judged reactions under the direction of Cory McAbee. The fact that too many scenes explain effects the actors have already suggested prevents The American Astronaut from being entirely seamless. Even with that reservation, The American Astronaut has a clear point of view and enough genuine feeling to justify the journey.