Appollo 10 1/2

⭐ 7.5/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

This is the latest by my guy Richard Linklater. The premise is that in the 60s, they accidentally made a rocket that can only fit a child in it, so they recruit the main character the fly into space before Appollo 11.

But that's not actually what the movie is about at all. That takes up about 15 minutes of the movie. The rest is just random episodes about the young boy growing up in suburban Houston during a significant time in history. It's definitely autobiographical by Linklater, and goes through times playing kickball, watching tv with his family, going to the theatres and theme parks. It's all very nostalgic and cute and has a cool animation style.

It didn't quite do it for me though. The whole thing is narrated by Jack Black, and I don't think this was quite the right role for him. Further, this style was very obviously intentional, but it's one of those rare moments where you're just like, I don't want the movie to tell me what's going on or how the characters feel, I want it to show me. He literally narrates the whole movie with few breaks.

Still, it was a nice dive into that time. Obviously my boyhood came 30 years later, but it all felt super relatable, and made me feel old when I realized that just as much time separates my boyhood from Linklaters as the kids growing up today so no wonder times have changed.

I also thought this movie had a little more potential for laughs. There are a few, to be sure, but kids growing up can be funny! Seeing authentic sibling interaction is always good, but this just left something to be desired.

All in all, I think this movie is really cool, and I think the older you are, the more you like it. Just felt like there was a bit missing for me to fully embrace it.