Adam Sandler has had an up-and-down and down career since his film career started back in the 90s. He was a big hit when he was on SNL and used that notoriety to launch a successful film career. His films Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, Billy Madison, and The Waterboy have given audiences many laughs as well as plenty of enjoyment.  He has done some dramatic work that to me is the best work of his career. Uncut GEMS, Hustle, and Punch Drunk Love have proven he isn’t just a comedic actor. He has genuine acting chops when he puts his mind to it or if he works with filmmakers with a certain flair for the dramatic. He can be a good actor when he puts his mind to it.

Jakab Prochaska (Adam Sandler) is a scientist who is trying to be the first astronaut from the Czech Republic. He is involved in a long-running experiment that takes him away from his wife Linka (Carey Mulligan)  and their child who is on the way. He has to realize where his priorities lie with his family or his career. His subconscious plays tricks on him and he gets advice from something he perceives is talking to him. Is it a real creature or a figment of his imagination?  He can’t figure out if it’s real or not. That is the biggest part of this character’s story.

Johan Renck is a Swedish director who was previously a singer and he had a breakout hit “Here We Go” He has previously directed music videos this is his first big film project with big named actors and a relatively big budget. It’s a sci-fi film with a lot of visual effects and production design.  Even though Sandler is mostly alone for the length of the film there is a sense of creativity and vision in this film and story. I can see why Sandler and Mulligan as well as the rest of the cast have signed on for it.

Paul Dano has been a very prolific actor for the last twenty years. He has done everything from There Will Be Blood to Swiss Army Man and everything in between. His last handful of projects are The Fabelmans as Steven Spielberg’s father, The Batman as a realistic version of Edward Nigma The Riddler, and Dumb Money as a YouTuber who flips the script on Wall Street to get himself and other money from Gamestop stock. He picks interesting projects and this is one of those as an alien entity Hanus or subconscious voice. Whatever it is, he’s brilliant as the character.

There is a love story between the two main characters that plays out amidst the odd and wacky subtext of a spaceman trying to find himself and what truly matters to him. The love story comes and goes but it pops up at the most opportune times. When the story is in dire need of rescue. The love story is the heart of the film but the sci-fi aspects take up most of it. The subconscious conversation and interaction between Sandler and Hanus (Paul Dano). I preferred the romantic conversations between Sandler and Mulligan’s characters more than the other stuff.

With Spaceman being a sci-fi film with a setting of a satellite and some kind of cloud in space outside of the windows there is a big aspect of disbelief that viewers have to have watching this movie. That being said the movie’s visual effects look very good and the production design involving the satellite Sandler’s character lives in and operates along with the mission control room that the Earth is having contact with is done very well.  The score by Max Richter is very good as well. All the technological aspects of the film are done quite well.

Spaceman takes itself very seriously despite its far-fetched story. It tries to be grounded in reality and then does something akin to Deni Villeneuve’s Enemy or The Son of Sam. There is one aspect that was worthwhile and that was the romantic connection between Sandler and Mulligan’s characters. I felt it was a good part of the story but the diversions kept taking me away from this part of the story. The movie had some redeeming qualities despite its odd nature. I’ve seen worse Sandler films over the years but this isn’t his best work by far.

3 stars

Dan Skip Allen 

Currently Streaming on Netflix