The first must-see film of the year.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Why didn't anyone ever say anything about this movie to me? For shame, all of you. This is the best semi-gay, black and white, sci-fi, indy musical I've ever partially seen. I'm going home to finish it right now.McAbee's other work can be found on YouTube. Short films with a lot of spunk and conviction. The Ketchup and Mustard Man (1994), The Man on the Moon (1993), and Billy Nayer (1992) prove to me this is a person who finds the term 'filmmaker' fits him like a glove. How does this guy put off that vibe like he's been doing this forever? The American Astronaut, his 2001 feature film couldn't be more original. Featuring choreography, costuming and musical numbers that at first come out of left field and soon become eagerly anticipated surprises. The fact that there is no budget for this sci-fi space adventure does not seem to get in the way at all. I had seen Billy Nayer before watching this film, so I was prepared to see a film with a firm foothold in the music video world. Not that anything could really prepare you for viewing The American Astronaut.

Cory McAbee plays Samuel Curtis an astronaut on a mission. His mission is to take a cat to a bar on an asteroid to trade it for the clone of a woman and then to take the clone to Jupiter and trade it for the boy who once saw a woman's breast, and then take him.... Ah, don't worry about the rest. It doesn't matter, because in this movie, as is usually the case in life itself, the destination isn't as important as the journey.This ingenious black and white musical gem restored my waning faith in independent film. Over the years, independent film, of the Sundance variety, has become too pious, too bland, too self-important and too formulaic. (How many times can you watch a group of quirky misfits and loners form themselves into an impromptu family? Okay, okay, there's an element of that here too, but the setting and the execution make it fresh and diverting.) Writer/Director McAbee populates the film with unique and interesting characters, and he doesn't care if they are really relevant to the resolution of the story. Take, for example, Tom Aldredge, who tells the "Hertz DoNut" joke. It doesn't go anywhere -- literally -- not even all the way to the punchline, but it is hilarious. The film careens from one amusing episode after another. From the "Hey Boy" showdown in the mens room, to everything Lee Vinsky has to say, to the Woman With The Vagina Made of Glass. Not everything works completely, but I found myself either laughing, or with a goofy smile on my face throughout.I can't help but think that had this film been released in a more adventuresome cinematic time like the mid-80s, this film would have been a massive cult hit and McAbee would be hailed as the next David Lynch or Jim Jarmusch. I had the good fortune to see this film at a screening in DC that featured a Q&A with the director after-wards. He seemed to take the film's -- how can I put this discreetly -- lack of success in stride. I didn't. It's a shame to see such an original and entertaining film limp out onto the market with so little exposure. I hope this film finds it's market. It's too cool to dwell in obscurity.You owe it to yourself to see it.

"The American Astronaut" is the purest of pure examples of how great independent cinema can be. This SciFi-comedy-musical is one of the most cinematically luscious films shot in B&W 35mm by any independent film to my knowledge. The characters are without parallel, especially the genius of Tom Aldredge who delivers one of THE BEST monologue jokes ever captured on film. Cory McAbee not only wrote it and directs it, but also stars in it and co-wrote all the music which is performed by his band The Billy Nayer Show (don't know them? shame shame) Everyone I've ever recommended this film to or who I have known to have seen it raves about this film... except for one guy I know, but his favorite film is "Hard Rain" with Christian Slater... not sure if that should count.Space is a lonely town. There are some pretty deep concepts to this story that are cleverly interwoven into the comedy of the script. Also notable is how much like an elementary schoolyard the interactions and ethics of this film are. Brilliant, entertaining... pure genius.

David Lynch meets Fellinni and Salvador Dali in a bar and they form a rockabilly band, and that band then decides to do a musical western comedy as a small noir Indy film.That's the pitch - if this movie was ever even remotely "pitchable".I just saw it and was completely blown away. Not since Eraserhead and the earliest days of MST3K has someone so messed with my mind in a mere 91 minutes.5 stars. The director's commentary was also quite amusing. You're watching bits of the film being projected on a small screen in a bar while the director does Q&A. Lots of "where the hell did THAT come from?" stuff followed by, "well, there were some things going on in my life..." that actually add to the surreal quality of the film. Also, one of those rare Indy films where the quintuple threat one-man vision approach actually pays some real dividends.My only wish is that there were more of this director's work to catch up on. And should the director read this;"Produce! Produce! For the long night is coming wherein no man can work!"Barney Dannelke