Boston's Alternative Source! image!
     
Feedback


[Short Reviews]

THE DISH

Rob Sitch’s film has nothing to do with culinary delights or a buxom beauty; the title refers to a monstrous satellite receiver located in a sheep pasture in the Land Down Under. That might not sound too intriguing as far as plot goes, but the year is 1969, Neil Armstrong is getting ready to take that giant leap for mankind, and the big Aussie dish is the only conduit in the Southern Hemisphere from which Houston can receive Apollo 11’s audio and visual signals. Sam Neill plays the compassionately avuncular station head with two cowpoke engineers in his service. One’s a shy math genius (Tom Long) with a longing for love; the other (Kevin Harrington) is a kneejerk reactionary who locks horns with the stiff NASA official (an effective Patrick Warburton) sent down to oversee the operation.

The Dish is fueled by the cheeky Aussie-American culture clash and the bittersweet travails of the dish team as it tries to fulfill its herculean responsibility. Sitch, who directed the quirky The Castle, again crafts a visually handsome film; the nostalgic footage of Armstrong’s " one small step " is poignant, and the actors bring life to their characters. The only problem is that the film is too much like Neill’s commander: complex, engaging, and gluttonously " nice. "

By Tom Meek

Issue Date: April 5-12, 2001





home | feedback | about the phoenix | find the phoenix | advertising info | privacy policy


© 2002 Phoenix Media Communications Group