RocketMan
An abrasive spacecraft designer gets an improbable shot at becoming humanity’s first comic astronaut on a Mars mission.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- None
- wacky
- irreverent
- breezy
- family movie night
- lazy weekend
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film’s family-friendly science-fiction premise and committed lead performance outweighed by weak, uneven comedy.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Fred Z. Randall is presented as a geeky, socially abrasive spacecraft designer whose technical skill earns him a place on the Mars mission.
Fred receives the chance to join the first manned flight to Mars despite being an unconventional and apparently ill-suited candidate.
The Mars expedition and astronaut setting provide the framework for wacky comedy in the tradition noted by critics.
The PG rating, Disney production context, chimpanzee association, and broad Mars-mission premise position the film as accessible family entertainment.
Films like RocketMan, and why
SpaceCamp
family-friendly science fiction comedy built around an eccentric, physically comic outsider entering a high-stakes space program
Lost in Space
broad studio space comedy combining slapstick, mismatched personalities, and a reluctant or unlikely participant in a mission
The Nutty Professor
high-concept family comedy with cartoonish humor, romantic subplots, and an immature protagonist forced into an extraordinary situation
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
lighthearted science fiction comedy featuring an ordinary person thrust into an absurdly important interplanetary adventure
Movie Details
- Director
- Stuart Gillard
- Release Date
- 1997-10-10
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 5.2 / 10 (152)
Cast
- Harland Williams
- Jessica Lundy
- William Sadler
- Jeffrey DeMunn
- James Pickens Jr.
- Beau Bridges
- Peter Onorati
- Don Lake
- Bill Jenkins
- Ken Farmer
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is RocketMan about?
- An abrasive spacecraft designer gets an improbable shot at becoming humanity’s first comic astronaut on a Mars mission.
- What is RocketMan like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of RocketMan as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.
- Is RocketMan violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in RocketMan.
- What did critics think of RocketMan?
- Critics broadly found the film’s family-friendly science-fiction premise and committed lead performance outweighed by weak, uneven comedy.
- Which films are like RocketMan?
- Films with a similar feel include SpaceCamp, Lost in Space, The Nutty Professor, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
- How long is RocketMan?
- RocketMan runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch RocketMan?
- In United States, RocketMan is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
