One of the best films i have seen

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Saperstein had the gem of a great idea given to him for this movie, but with the oversight and muddling that we underwent in making this picture by those that sanction this movie idea, he burned out. Nothing much happened from him after this film. Other than jumping on an anti-government bandwagon. Look at Sapersteins life after this movie, its almost more interesting than the movie.The real story that was told poorly in this film was based on more truth than fiction. Sapersteins job was to write and direct something Hollywood could swallow and market, that would make the kernel of truth edible to the public. Unfortunately, he was thwarted and failed. Most people that watch this film try to ignore the "sci-fi" piece, as it doesn't fit with the rest of the film very well.I have to to give Mr. Saperstein credit, he had a very difficult challenge in disseminating a story that people would find engaging and believable to a degree. But this story is not one the public is ready to hear. But you can see there is truth behind the idea that NASA is no longer a manned exploratory space agency!! Watch it with an open mind and look closely at some of the subtext and subtle images Sapersteins works into the scenes.

Quite a nice "people" movie for those who like shows like "Neighbours" (which it slightly resembles. Based slightly on a true story in that some Astronauts did find the transition from life on the "final frontier" to life back home difficult to come to terms with. The boy "hero" was a bit too nieve to be believed but a pleasant chap none the less. Nice main plot (spoiler warning) depicting the ex Astronaut finding a new meaning to life and the boy gaining experience and life skills. (MAJOR SPOILER WARNING). The end of the film showing the discovery and "activation" of an Alien artifact was utterly stupid. I would imagine that the discovery of such an item on the Moon would have done a great deal to revive the "dead" Apollo program which seems to be the old astronauts main grudge in the film. YET HE HIDES IT UNDER HIS GREENHOUSE RATHER THAN WAVES IT IN THE FACE OF THE WORLD! Why ! Worth watching but try to ignore the aliens bit.

When I read the description, and the film's title, I was expecting some pretty cheesy 80's TV treacle. However, as a sucker for movies that involve NASA in some regard, particularly those that deal with the Apollo Program, I had to give it a try.I was very surprised, then, to find myself being drawn into it and caring about the characters. It was much better than I had expected, and the performances were quite solid. Sheen and Foxworth were very good, Slater was reasonably believable, and Abraham stole his scenes. The female characters were sympathetic and believable. I was also surprised how front and center Apollo was - it didn't just serve as a disposable backdrop for the drama. All in all Beyond the Stars was well worth the viewing, but I agree that the sci-fi ending did cheapen the drama slightly. And the title - whew - they could have done better than that! I have to chuckle, however, at a description I read of Slater's character being a "troubled" teenager. Ha! Most people should be so lucky to have a kid that respects his parents, wants to follow in his dad's footsteps and study science and math, and plans to go to MIT. Yeah - that kid's a real disaster.Anyway, a few of the technical space details were off (particularly during the Huntsville trip), and the music was pretty dated, but those are mostly nits. Overall this was a reasonably intelligent and mature drama with a strong Apollo background - and an unexpected pleasure.

Unlike the other commenter, I found this movie very enjoyable. It is the type of movie you might find in the "Under $5" bin and after watching think "Wow, how did this movie get overlooked?"I found the relationships handled very well. Father/son Future stepmother/stepson NASA engineer vs. NASA pilot conflict Boyfriend/girlfriendI found Slater very believable and thought he and D'Abo played very well together as bf/gf. I thought Foxsworth and Sheen's confrontation was the highlight of the movie.F.Murray Abraham shines in his small role also.The only weak part of this movie, for me, is the scifi thrown in near the end. I bought the movie looking for scifi. I feel in love with the drama, then found myself wishing they left the scifi out at the end and stuck to the well done drama.Don't miss this one if you can find it. Very emotional movie, IMHO.