Christian Slater, here in James Dean-like rebel mould, plays rocket-mad teenager Eric Michaels who, after launching a home-built, miniature rocket that causes damage at school, gets punished by being sent to stay with his father, who now lives with a girlfriend. While lonely Eric kicks his heels in the new community, he discovers that one of its inhabitants just happens to be his all-time hero - ex-astronaut Andrews (Martin Sheen), now an alcoholic near-hermit. As Eric and his new girlfriend (Olivia D'Abo) piece together the mystery of Andrews' bitterness and the secret of his long-ago trip to the moon, there unravels a slow-paced but quality small-town drama with a strong message for peace. F Murray Abraham has a small but dynamic role as a whale-watching fanatic, and Sheen gives a touching performance as the peace-seeking space hero. For the curious, there's also Sharon Stone, in a role far removed from her raunchy Basic Instinct image, as Slater's possible future mother-in-law!

©ipc tx. Film content from TVTimes