IMDb > The Astronaut's Wife (1999)
The Astronaut's Wife
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Astronaut's Wife (1999) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 42 | slideshow) Videos (see all 5)
The Astronaut's Wife (1999) -- US Theatrical Trailer from New Line Cinema
The Astronaut's Wife (1999) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
4.9/10   18,737 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 31% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Rand Ravich
Writer (WGA):
Rand Ravich (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Astronaut's Wife on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 August 1999 (USA) more
Genre:
Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller more
Tagline:
How well do you know the one you love? more
Plot:
A pair of shuttle astronauts leave their spacecraft to repair a satellite. There's an explosion. NASA loses contact for two minutes... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(35 articles)
DiCaprio Enters The Twilight Zone
 (From HollywoodNorthReport.com. 21 July 2009, 2:05 AM, PDT)
Leonardo DiCaprio enters Twilight Zone with Rand Ravich
 (From The Geek Files. 21 July 2009, 12:20 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
An insult more (234 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Johnny Depp ... Commander Spencer Armacost

Charlize Theron ... Jillian Armacost
Joe Morton ... Sherman Reese, NASA Representative

Clea DuVall ... Nan

Donna Murphy ... Natalie Streck

Nick Cassavetes ... Capt. Alex Streck

Samantha Eggar ... Dr. Patraba
Gary Grubbs ... NASA Director
Blair Brown ... Shelly McLaren
Tom Noonan ... Jackson McLaren

Tom O'Brien ... Allen Dodge
Lucy Lin ... Shelly Carter
Michael Crider ... Pat Elliott
Jacob Stein ... Calvin, 2nd Grade Student
Timothy Wicker ... Wide Eyed Kid #1
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for violence, language and a strong scene of sexuality.
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
109 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Certification:
Portugal:M/16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:M18 (cut) (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:18 | South Korea:15 (cable rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Spain:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #36008) | Philippines:PG-13
Filming Locations:
Camarillo Airport - 555 Airport Way, Camarillo, California, USA more
Company:
New Line Cinema more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In this film as well as in The Devil's Advocate (1997), Charlize Theron's character begins in Florida, then moves to New York (where bad things happen to her). more
Goofs:
Factual errors: All NASA shuttle astronauts live and work in the vicinity of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, many of them in Clear Lake, a Houston suburb. Yet in the film, Jillian teaches school in Florida, where she and Armacost clearly live. Astronauts only go to Florida for launches. more
Quotes:
Spencer Armacost: What are you hiding from me? more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Film Geek (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Four Beat Cha Cha Cha more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
29 out of 39 people found the following comment useful.
An insult, 2 February 2006
1/10
Author: James Owen (jamesowen@gmail.com) from Nottinghamshire, England

There is scene in this movie in which a stroke is medically referred to as "a severe insult to the brain". A line which describes this entire film far better than any reviewer possibly could.

Obviously influenced by The X-Files, the first thing that strikes the viewer is the invasive use of tense mood music. If the Astronaut's Wife is opening a fridge there is a string quartet behind anxiously heralding a danger which subsequently doesn't exist. In a TV show like The X-Files it's a trick used to great affect because it's stylistic and the shows exhibit a degree of wit and imagination that relieve us from the pointless tension. Neither of those saving graces feature in this film.

The characters are poorly drawn, we're constantly told Spencer (The Astronaut) has changed since his last mission into space. We need to be told this so often because we're deprived of witnessing very much of his prior personality. And throughout the story Jillian (The Wife) never functions as anything more than a paranoid wreck, even before she suspects that something is really wrong.

Fans of Depp and Theron will be as disappointed as the rest of us. Johnny's flyboy astronaut is utterly out of place since we all know true spacemen are stiff and boring scientists, yet this guy is exhuberant like the barnstorming 1950's test pilots that never really existed. God only knows what hewas thinking with this part. And Charlize, throughout she never lifts above the catatonic. Literally, and I mean this folks, there is nothing more to her performance than the bags under her eyes and hers is the lead character, our heroine for crying out loud! That's beyond appalling.

As a thriller there is never a comfort break in this pretentious sci-fi flick that asks us to care for a character it's impossible engage with. It's non-stop, we're expected to be in the edge of our seat with every single scene, and if the plot doesn't supply the drama a 'bus' (that's the Hollywood term for a false shock) will. They are countless, and soon annoying. The same can be said for the way The Wife is mysteriously at the front of every crowd during key moments of action, which is one of the other cheap dramatic tricks overused by a really really bad director.

Until recently writer/director Rand Ravich hadn't been in charge of a film since this 1999 failure, you'll know why.

Fifteen years ago this was the kind of film that made a frustrated Quentin Tarantino decide he really needed to begin making his own.

It's diabolical.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (234 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Astronaut's Wife (1999)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Line in the movie pg-13+ plz no young readers pepperw99
Johnny Depp's sell-out?? fuurgetaboutit
I didn't know Steve-O did acting! matt-2880
Favorite Johnny Depp performance lyricshope
The missing quotes and a question *brief spoilers* DaNamesMatlock
Moderately good movie. Warning - SPOILERS! piquebu
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Dreamcatcher Planet of the Apes Alien The Forgotten Rosemary's Baby
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Horror section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.