SPACEMAN -- A MARRIAGE STORY in Space

Review by Jonathan Berk

In space, no one can hear you sigh from extreme depression. Well, Adam Sandler puts this idea to the test in director Johan Renck's new film Spaceman. Renck uses the isolation of space and man's desire to explore the unknown to reflect on exactly what we are running from.

Jakub (Sandler) is a lone astronaut six months into a mission to explore a mysterious cloud just past Jupiter. His wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), has gone radio silent, and he has started to suspect his marriage might not be waiting for him when he returns to Earth. Jakub discovers he's not alone, as a mysterious creature (voiced by Paul Dano) is hiding in the bowels of the ship. The creature helps Jakub work through things as he contemplates if there is still time to fix what he left behind. 

Sandler's performance in the film is a bit uneven. His dramatic roles in films like Punch-Drunk Love or Uncut Gems have been some of his best, but sometimes he feels like he's phoning it in here. There are moments when he seems to be sleepwalking through the film. While his character is sleep-deprived, it seems that's merely an excuse for some of the deadpan reactions. Fortunately, there are a few moments where we get some of the Sandler charm that makes us hope there is still time to patch things up.

​Mulligan gets to work off more than a computer-generated creature. She's on Earth and often has to justify her decision to end her marriage. Her situation is even more complex than we initially suspected. Dano brings an ethereal quality to the creature, and while his visage will infinitely disturb some audiences, his performance is undeniable. Not all the exchanges with his character and Jakub actually work, but that isn't the fault of the performances. ​

The film tackles some major existential topics, and sometimes it comes off as cheesy. The purple cloud that sent Jakub on this space odyssey plays heavily on some high-concept ideas that don't all connect. It isn't easy to address some of life's big mysteries, and if you don't subscribe to some philosophies, it may feel silly to try and nail them down. 

Much of the film looks good, but sometimes, the visual effects look a little cheap. Some of the little things may feel like they didn't need as much attention. For example, there is an early scene where several objects float around Sandler, and it looks like CG clutter. It isn't enough to wreck the film, but it is noticeable.
 
While not all the film's ideas pay off, and some performances are uneven, Spaceman offers enough to get the audience to reflect on their own life choices and maybe shed a few tears. Other science fiction films broach these topics in more impactful ways, and some are even more grounded than that. Still, these topics are universal and deserve reflection. Why are we always so willing to go into the unknown, seeking what we don't know instead of cherishing what we already have? ​

Spaceman is now in theaters and streams on Netflix on March 1. 

Rating: 3/5