Space Cowboys is a movie with good special effects, good acting, good dialogue, but a rather pedestrian plot. Still, as I've mentioned at times, plot is not as important as execution -- exactly how do these characters deal with this plot. In Space Cowboys, the main characters handle the challenges with flair and convincing humanity, making this more of a character movie than an action or drama movie.

The movie opens in 1968 and in black and white, a nice touch. Frank Corvin and Hawk Hawkins are testing the X-15 over the Nevada deserts. I'll note that Frank is played by Toby Stephens, who does look a bit like a yoing Clint Eastwood. Don't know who played the young Hawk Hawkins (IMDB can be quite lacking crediting supporting casts of new movies) although he didn't look particularly like Tommy Lee Jones. The voices were dead-on, so I suspect that Eastwood and Jones did the voices in these scenes.

Anyway, Hawk decides to push the envelope and sends the X-15 straight up, ignoring Frank's protests. In a nearby B-52, from where the X-15 launched (not shown in the movie, but I know that those planes were launched from B-52s to conserve fuel), we see a young Tank Sullivan (who will be played by James Garner). On the ground relaxing near a jeep is a young Jerry O'Nell (who will be played by Donald Sutherland).

The X-15 reaches 120 thousand feet, where it flames out and heads for Earth. It goes into a flat spin, which tears one of the wings out, causing Frank and Hawk to eject. Once on the ground, the two get into a fight that is broken up by Jerry. Later that day, the four are present at a ceremony wherein their commander, Bob Gerson (who will be played by James Cromwell) announces that the Air Force program is to be shutdown, with all the research material being transferred to the newly formed NASA.

Forty-two years later, a Russian satellite -- the Icon -- is in trouble. It's ancient systems are starting to fail and it looks like it'll soon burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. NASA, and particularly project director Bob Gerson, wants that satellite to stay up, as a favor to the Russians. Chief Engineer Sara Holland (played by Marcia Gay Harden) realizes that Icon's flight systems are an exact duplicate of Skylab's, which were designed by Frank Corvin.

Holland tries to get Corvin's help, but he refuses when he finds out that Gerson is in charge. Corvin relents, but will only help if he and the other members of Project Daedalus get to go into space to perform the mission. Gerson agrees on the condition that if they can't pass the physicals they can't go. And the stage is set for the rest of the movie.

As I said, the basic plot is not original. Few plots are, but it only bothers me occassionally, this being one of those times. There are a bunch of scenes where the old foursome are challenged by the younger astronauts, where they go through the training regiment in their own ways, where they show the youngsters that age and experience are worth something. Eventually the foursome earn the respect of NASA. This is followed by the actual mission where there are a couple of disasters and a sacrifice to liven up the end of the movie.

Why do I like this movie? Dialogue and acting. The dialogue is sparkling and witty, the crowd in the theatre laughed constantly at the little jokes and references. Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones put in a good performance as the two main stars. The characters have a lot of history. There's a fierce antagonism between the two and they try to patch up the friendship they had at one time so long ago. Donald Sutherland is particularly good in this movie. He plays an aging skirt-chaser, and quite a good and lascivious dirty old man he makes too. James Garner actually doesn't have much of a role. Maybe it ended up in the cutting room floor, but his character is not as well-defined and is much more of a supporting role.

Can I recommend this movie? At first glance I would say no. But the more I think about it, the more I think that most people will like it. Maybe I was expecting something different and that colored my reaction. Maybe because I went to the theater to see Coyote Ugly but missed the showing and had to settle for this instead (although I was planning on seeing Space Cowboys eventually). Space Cowboys has a little bit of action, a little bit of comedy, some drama and a lot of character interaction. I think you should watch it.