There are precious few space movies for hardcore fans of the real thing to enjoy; let us therefore never discuss Armageddon. Outside of the terrific Apollo 13, there’s little worth viewing set in the Moon era.
Figures that it took a movie production company other than an American one to get it right.
The Dish comes to us from Australia. It concerns the role of a remote Aussie satellite dish in beaming the first TV images of Apollo 11’s Moonwalk around the planet. While the characters in the film are fictional and certain events have been rearranged, the events on which The Dish is based are quite real.
Baked in dry, relaxed Australian humor, The Dish borrowed an American actor for its sole American role: Patrick Warbruton, better known to most as Puddy, the on-again, off-again boyfriend of Elaine in Sienfeld. Warburton has the time and the role to show his range here; although mostly and justifiably known as comedic actor, he handles several dramatic moments with style.
Even more than the acting and gentle humor, the movie acquits itself brilliantly as a family film. Oh, there are a few no-no words, but everybody’s clothes stay on, violence is non-existent, and the subtleties of the script make it fascinating for adults as well as safe for middle-schoolers. It’s truly funny, but it won’t make Grandma cringe.
Bear in mind that at the time, this was considered the beginning and the end of modern technology; while the computing power of the entire Saturn V is now outstripped by your average wristwatch, the magnificence of the feat is properly held within historical perspective. That makes The Dish a powerful film for any viewer: It's nostalgic for those who were there, and instructive for those who weren’t.
