• Release year: 2024
• Director: Liz W. Garcia.
• Producers: Jon Berg and Greg Silverman.
• Screenplay by: Liz W. Garcia.
• Cinematography by: John Inwood.
• Music by: John Debney.

Shotgun Commentary: lightweight comedy, but also weirdly super inspiring?

Review

Space Cadet is a simple, feel-good movie about a Florida girl, Rex Simpson (Emma Roberts), who gets into an astronaut space program thanks to the lies that her best friend Nadine (Poppy Liu) writes down on her CV.

This is the kind of movie that you watch on a lazy afternoon when you just want to turn off your brain and see some sparkles, gorgeous people being awkward, and a world where sexism is not a thing. Neither is logic, by the way, so don’t get too caught up in it either.

Glitter is also important

The concept behind Space Cadet is as beautiful as it is surreal. Sure, these kinds of things don’t happen to people, but planting the seed of the idea that anyone can just become an astronaut is such a hopeful message, especially when that anyone is a woman from an average background. Seeing women in romcoms and comedy finally get jobs in male-dominated industries without making it all about how hard it is to fight for one’s rights, and instead focusing on how rewarding and awesome it can be to achieve your goals, feels like the next step in entertainment for these genres.

Women already know they are going to face hardship, they know they will have to fight for equal pay, to not get harassed, to not have to hear condescending comments, and to get their voices heard. Equality is nowhere near close, and us women are very much aware of that. Getting the message out there is important, especially since human rights seem to be going backwards, but so is to have some positive messages from time to time, to not lose perspective of why it is so important to fight against all the powers that go against us.

There should be a lot more films like Legally Blonde (2001) and Space Cadet to encourage women to shoot for the stars (pun intended) and to bring forth all the possibilities that are waiting for them. No future is impossible if you fight for it, and the media should keep going with this message because the list of jobs for female leads in romance and comedy is getting mighty reductive for the 21st century.

The hitch(es)

Relevance and feelings aside, the feature does present a few issues. They are not serious, rather the typical setbacks one encounters in a surreal comedy, the main one being the pace.

The rhythm is a little off in the end. Everything goes smoothly until the climax is over. At that moment, the movie assumes you’ve disconnected and offers you the most rushed ending ever. Were you hoping for an epic conclusion to the slow burn love that is being developed throughout the film? Tough luck, mate.

Good calls

The cast is pretty solid, there are no risky roles as the characters are pretty much what you encounter in any comedy, but they all deliver flawlessly. Emma Roberts is delightful as Rex, no overacting or caricaturing. The simplicity of her performance makes Rex incredibly easy to root for, even if she’s essentially committing a crime during most of the film.

It’s not the first time Tom Hopper has played an awkward hunk, whether it is as a nerd or as a half-bear guy, he always manages to make you believe that he is an insecure ball of nerves who is completely unaware of his looks, which is a pretty considerable feat.

As for Desi Lydic and Gabrielle Union, they both portray very similar characters to previous roles in their career. The delivery is good, but their characters feel a bit too stereotypical. The blond, white, skinny, overachiever mum that probably scares her kids, and the black boss woman who takes a chance on the underdog are cliché characters in comedy, still charming, but nothing you haven’t already seen a thousand times.

All in all, Space Cadet joins the history of comedy as one of the most progressive features of its kind so far. A great movie that will inspire you to take life by the horns and follow your goals. With a great cast and a fun prompt, you won’t regret the almost two hours you invest on this.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Don’t lie on job applications. Much less if your employer is the Government.
• You can be fun AND smart, there is no need for choosing.
• Braids are cool.

What’s your take? Have you watched Space Cadet? What do you think of the storyline? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀