The story of four teenagers and most particularly Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal) who, inspired by a teacher (an OTT Laura Dern), began to build rockets in a West Virginia town where all the young men, bright or dim, were expected to go to work in the coal mines - unless they could win a football scholarship.

Appallingly over-sentimental towards the end, the film still works because so much of it is true.

Gyllenhaal and Chris Cooper as his intransigent father, who stubbornly believes the failing mine is the town's future, are slide-rule accurate in their portrayals.

Facile and fascinating at the same time, it's good entertainment even when descending to pure soap as the dying teacher watches the boys' ultimate rocket soar past her hospital window.