Spaceman

 Spaceman
Starring Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Paul Dano, Kunal Navyar
Directed by Johan Renck

Space. It's where most horror movie franchises go to die ("Jason X," "Critters 4," "Leprechaun in Space") and where A-list talent escape the monotony of an ensemble peace to find solace in space alone (Sam Rockwell in "Moon," Sandra Bullock in "Gravity," Matt Damon in "The Martian," etc.). Now it's Adam Sandler's turn to boldly go where very few actors have gone before. If this was done before "Uncut Gems" I'd say they were crazy casting a comedic actor like Sandler to perform such dramatic feat, but after seeing that "gem" of a movie, I have to say I underestimated his talents - and here he shows a completely different side of his talent, relying on nothing more than a telepathic spider to keep him company.

Jakub Procházka has spent 189 days in space to investigate a mysterious purple cloud known as the Chopra cloud that appeared in the night sky four years ago, and rests somewhere beyond Jupiter. He's the lone man in space, guided only by his ground control pal Peter (Kunal Navyar), and he's beginning to feel the loneliness. This is exasperated when his wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan) doesn't call him anymore, and it seems that the couple's tumultuous relationship has finally hit the skids. It's during this time he's visited by Hanus (Paul Dano), an extraterrestrial spider who existed when time began, and who shares a telepathic link with Jakub. Thinking he's a figment of his imagination, Jakub soon realizes that Hanus might actually be real, and his continual prodding into his mind and his past brings back past hurt and pain that threatens to affect Jakub's psyche even more than it's already been affected - as the two unique passengers make their way to the cloud, which could also serve as the beginning: or the end.

Adam Sandler spent the majority of his career playing the goofball everyman, eliciting laughs and groans in almost equal measure. He had some dramatic work like "Punch Drunk Love" and "Reign Over Me," but the drama world more or less eluded him - until the Safdie brothers came and cast him in "Uncut Gems," where he utilized his chaotic comedic nature for dramatic purposes, and gave his best performance of his career (even I admit he should've gotten an Oscar nod for his role). Ever since he's branched out from his Netflix generic films and produced some heavy hitting dramatic pieces, including 2022's "Hustle." Now he returns to the drama world with "Spaceman," and once again he blows it out of the water for a completely different reason.

As opposed to his chaotic energy, his performance as Jakub is grounded, stoic, and even monotone. He doesn't excitedly scream and shout, or flail his arms about in desperation, but the drama in his life shows in his emotionless delivery and his soulful eyes, telling a story even darker than you'd imagine. Jakub is not a good man - he neglects his wife, he is devoted only to his mission, and he doesn't have any friends - but Sandler still gives him a sense of melancholy that makes you feel emotions toward him that you normally wouldn't feel for a character like that. He stretches his acting chops once again, and while this one isn't Oscar-worthy, it's still worthy to be praised.

The story is based off the novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař, and obviously I didn't read the book so I can't compare the two, but probably the book is better. Still, the story is one that's profound and simple at the same time, and centers on emotional issues of grief, loneliness, and regret. Jakub's wife Lenka grieves the loss of their first unborn child while Jakub disappeared in his work, Jakub struggles with loneliness in the vastness of space, and regrets his past mistakes that Hanus reminds him in psychic visions. At first he's hesitant to go back to the past, but in doing so he realizes the mistakes he's made, and hopes he'll have a chance to rectify them.

This is all set against the mysterious backdrop of the Chopra cloud (which, unintentionally, reminded me of the "Futurama" episodes where a purple cloud appeared in the sky that turned out to be an extraterrestrial being) - a cloud that, according to Hanus, existed since the creation of time, and serves as a place where time doesn't exist. Think "Interstellar" meets "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and you'll get the basic gist of it. The film dives into deep philosophical meanings and existential viewpoints of life, and while those are all well and good, they're not fully developed to make any sort of deep emotional sense. It's like they tried to be philosophical without knowing the deep ramifications of it.

The deeper story is the personal connections that we create, either real or imaginary. Jakub and Lenka are far from the perfect couple, and one would wonder why they even got married in the first place. Hanus makes some deep thoughts concerning connection that is really thought-provoking, and serves as the main thrust of the film. Why would you miss something when you didn't miss it when it was right in front of you? It reminds us that we take things - and people - for granted, and once they're gone do we realize how much they really mean to us. You sense this in Jakub's longing, and in Lenka's deep desire for connection. Carey Mulligan gives it her all in a thankless role, as Lenka merely serves to propel Jakub's story forward - so much so we don't know anything about her, which honestly could've been part of the story all along. Still, in less capable hands, Lenka would've been an afterthought, but Carey Mulligan refuses to take a backseat to the story as much as she can, struggling against the work she's been given to give Lenka a more three-dimensional presence.

The other connection comes between Jakub and Hanus, which may or may not be real. As someone who's terrified of spiders, I have to admit I actually liked Hanus (probably because he was CGI, and while it was really good CGI, it was still CGI) and his soothing, monotone voice. Paul Dano voices Hanus as a being that's devoid of emotion, but is fueled solely by discovery and inquiry, as he probes Jakub's mind and memories he doesn't understand the emotions he goes through - but then he does, which leaves him depressed (and in one of the film's humorous moments, finds solace in junk food). The bond between the two is palpable, and by the end you'll feel a deep connection to this intellectual spider in ways you wouldn't imagine (or at least I did).

Proving himself once again as a strong dramatic actor, Adam Sandler reaches for the stars in "Spaceman" and nails it flawlessly, delivering a nuanced, muted performance that's completely out of his wheelhouse but works on every level.


The Score: A