REEL CRITIC:'Farmer' has a rough take off

Fans of Billy Bob Thornton and senseless family movies might enjoy blasting off to the theater to see "The Astronaut Farmer." The rest of you should stay grounded and wait until this film comes back to earth in the form of a DVD rental.

Thornton stars as Charles Farmer, a cattle rancher in Texas who has built a full-size rocket in his barn and plans to launch himself into space with or without the permission of the U.S. government. Why does Farmer want to go into orbit? How is he going to pull it off? Is he crazy? Am I crazy for seeing this? All of these questions will be answered.

My friends and I wanted to see a "normal" movie, so we checked the listings in the paper and saw an ad for "The Astronaut Farmer." The so-called critics gave it two thumbs up. We thought it couldn't be that bad. We were dead wrong. It is.

I don't want to bag on this film too much, because there are some enjoyable moments. The cinematography is picturesque and the costumes are nice. But the plot is laughable. All logic is thrown out the window and the story loses power.

The movie is produced by Warner Bros., but it's really a Disney film in disguise. I can assure you, Disney would have tightened up the script and made the experience a little more kid-friendly or whimsical.

The acting is actually very solid for the material the actors were given. Old standby Bruce Willis drops in with a cameo that gives the tension a little boost. Newcomer David Sullivan makes a bold impression as a NASA employee who actually believes in Farmer and his quest to get into space. Jay Leno even shows up during the credits. Leno's interview of Farmer is the highlight of the movie.

Who should see this film? The ideal person would be a father who wants to see a live-action film with his kids and avoid an animated feature. The kids can watch Thornton ham it up for the camera and dad will enjoy seeing co-star Virginia Madsen run around in tight jeans and revealing tops for an hour and half.

I'm no rocket scientist, but I can guarantee "The Astronaut Farmer" will crash land at the box office.