With all the recent hubbub in the movies about spectacular special effects (Hollow Man) or T&A (Coyote Ugly), Space Cowboys almost fell through the cracks. Fortunately, Space Cowboys takes a great script, adds four great performances, and some special effects of its own and melds it together into a captivating movie with a grown up theme. A pleasant turn away from the teenager-based movies, Space Cowboys serves up themes dealing with age and wisdom and does so perfectly.

I had heard some good reviews going into Space Cowboys, but to tell the truth, I didn't expect much. Boy was I surprised. The combination of all 4 of the old men (the original team slated to be the first Americans into space - pre-empted by a chimp) as a team to go back into space to repair an antiquated Russian communications satellite goes together seamlessly. Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner all seem like they were meant for their respective roles. Sure, they're old and the geriatric jokes get old about half-way into the movie (at which time they are still on the ground - not much of the movie is actually spent in space), but their own dry wit and humor is what makes this movie. Donald Sutherland as babe-magnet, James Garner as a priest with his own unique style of preaching, and Clint and Tommy Lee with their own little duel, they all play their own little part and together make a great movie.

Besides the fact that the plot is easy to guess and the ending has been done before, the movie is flawless. The acting is great, the script works in all the right spots and the plot is captivating and appealing throughout. There's going to be problems, as there are in almost every movie, but Space Cowboys excels in so many other areas, these flaws are easily overlooked and the movie comes across splendidly. Don't miss this one.

Genres: Sci-Fi, Action, Thriller
Rated: PG-13 - http://www.outermost.net/mra/images/spacecowboys.gif
Runtime: 130 minutes
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