Spaceman is a Netflix film starring Adam Sandler, Carrie Mulligan, Paul Dano, and Kunal Nayyar. The film follows Sandler as Jakub Prochazka, a lonely astronaut on a solo mission to the edge of the solar system. The further into deep space Jakub gets, the further he is physically and emotionally from his wife, Lenka (Mulligan). Along the journey, Jakub discovers an alien passenger is stored aboard his ship, Hanus (Dano). They quickly form a bond with the creature that soon helps Jakub realize the state of his relationship with Lenka.
The film is directed by Chernoble director Johan Renck. With this in mind, and knowing this would be another dramatic Sandler performance, I had somewhat high hopes going into this. Granted, those hopes were set ten minutes before watching, and I had no idea what the plot was going to be.
However, they were still high enough to expect something great. Unfortunately those standards were not totally met. We can dilly or we can dally, but I think we should hop right in to discussing Johan Renck’s Spaceman.
Overall Thoughts
Normally I try to save this for the end, but I want to get it out there now. I think Spaceman is good. Fortunately it is good, but unfortunately that is the best thing I can say from my experience. This is not some subliminal or backhanded way of saying this is a bad movie.
The big reason I bring this up early, that I think it is good, is not to lead you into thinking that my incoming thoughts are meant to dissuade you from checking this out.
Adam Sandler gives a good performance, visually it is a good looking film, and there is a ton of heart on display. Unfortunately the heart does not develop beyond existence. There is a drive and a human motivation present that everyone can relate to in some way, but, like, that is it.
I do not want to say it is frustrating, but there comes a point that I felt wanting more. In fact, I still want more. Wanting more is my greatest complaint about Spaceman.
Give Me More
The emotion is present, the story is solid and the performances are good. Cool. Everything is in its right place except there is not much development or conflict. While there is an emotional struggle on Jakub’s end of things to physically return to Lenka, there is nothing else going on. Jakub gets along with his stowaway arachnid companion after a little bit of bickering. That is really the only thing I can think of in the way of actual conflict.
This story never needed an antagonist. I definitely would not change that part, but I would at least add in a struggle. In addition to the distance between Jakub and Lenka, I think either of them, or even both of them, could have benefitted from having, like, anything else preventing them from reaching each other.
Familiar Territory
Spaceman is very reminiscent of Chrisptoher Nolan’s Interstellar. The space setting mixed with the ideas of physical separation from a deep emotional connection, extra terrestrial entities, and love conquering all are in both films. Although the plots differ, there is still so much similarity between the two- for better or worse. The biggest and best difference is the struggle and purpose.
Spaceman is a story of solitude and emotional reconnection. That was all well and good, but so was Interstellar. I could go on about how the two are similar for a bit, but the biggest takeaway from that entire conversation is how Spaceman needs more conflict. Moon is another great example of space isolation that managed to do internal conflict really well.
Spaceman is missing events and moments that make the emotional weight of everything feel warranted. While the tone and energy is consistent, there comes a point where conflict is so badly needed. Conflict does not exclusively have to be violence, it does not have to be a cheating spouse, nor does it even have to be Hanus. A conflict is so badly needed somewhere else in this movie.
Elements in Space
While the plot left a bit to be desired, there are a good handful of things that still deserve their flower. As I mentioned before- there are some good visuals to look at. Depending on your tolerance for spiders. Hanus is as good looking as giant CGI spiders come. Most scenes in the ship or on Earth are not anything special visually, but every so often when there is a shot of space outside of Jakub’s ship it is quite lovely.
The score is also good. While I would not listen to it on its own, I think paired with the rest of the film it definitely helped create the emotional energy the script was going for. All performances range from “Good enough” to “Good.” I would not say any are strong contenders for even a Golden Globe, if that is what you are into, but I would say everyone is solid.
Sandler in Space
Sandler and Mulligan are both the standouts here, of course. To this day I think it is crazy that there are people who do not know how good Adam Sandler is in a dramatic performance. If you happen to be one of those unfortunate souls then give this a watch for starters. After this watch either Uncut Gems or Punch-Drunk Love to really see how great he is.
Even though I said there should have been at least some other form of conflict between Hanus and Jakub, I did enjoy the fact that they remained “friends” until the very end. In the overall scheme of things, some more relationships would have benefitted the movie, but I do respect how they aided each other in separate ways. In an interview with IMDb, Paul Dano likened Hanus the Spider to something like Jakub’s spiritual guide. I think that was pretty spot on.
Spaceman by Johann Renck
“Disappointment” is way too harsh a word to use to describe my final thoughts. I do think my expectations were a bit high, and maybe that is my fault. Again, I can not emphasize enough that I do not think this is a “Bad” movie, but there was absolutely a bunch more that could have been done. I think “Good” is the highest praise I can give it, and I will leave it at that alone. Spaceman is a 6/10 and you can stream it now on Netflix.
