Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Reluctant Astronaut Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 29, 2020

Humor man Don Knotts stars in The Reluctant Astronaut, a 1967 Comedy that puts a common man into outer space. The film released a decade following the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik 1, five years after President Kennedy's "we choose to go to the moon" speech, and premiered in Houston on January 25, two days before the tragic fire on Apollo 1 that would kill three American astronauts. The film looks at the lighter side of the space program, even as it does work in some political maneuvering when its lead character launches into space in an effort to beat the Russians at putting a layman into orbit. Knotts is every bit as terrific as one would expect him to be, delivering a steady stream of sight and sound gags tailored to the space program but familiar in his recognizable cadence.

Roy Fleming (Don Knotts) is a 35-year-old who still lives at home and makes a living working a go-nowhere job at a local fair. He can’t stand heights, even when he’s just a few feet off the ground, never mind blasting off hundreds of miles above Earth and thousands beyond. That’s out of the question, until, at least, he receives a frantic call from his mother (Jeanette Nolan), who informs him that he has been accepted into an astronaut program at his father’s (Arthur O'Connell) request. Roy wants no part of it. He doesn’t want his father to dictate his life, and he certainly doesn't want to get that far off solid ground, but he’s forced to go, anyway. He does slip out of the plane ride and hops on a bus when nobody is looking. When he finally arrives at space camp, it’s not at all what he expects. Though he meets famous astronaut Fred Gifford (Leslie Nielsen) he quickly learns that he’s not in the astronaut training program but rather the astronaut cleaning program. He’s given a broom and a list of janitorial duties to perform around the complex. Meanwhile, his family believes he’s made it big and his efforts to tell them the truth fall on deaf ears. Now a local hero back home, Roy dodges questions about his training while trying to win the heart of the women he loves, Ellie (Joan Freeman).

The recurring schtick that drives the film forward is the juxtaposition between Roy's fear of heights and flying and his work in the astronaut program. Ironically enough, though, it's all of his terrestrial flights that he skips in favor of the bus that lift up the humor quotient through most of the movie. It's not until the end when Roy actually finds himself blasted off into space and forced to face his fears in a worst-case scenario. Of course these scenes are not without their own shenanigans and various misadventures, which include Roy hanging on the rocket's door, hundreds of feet above the earth, mere moments before blast-off as well as failing and asking how to use the restroom before launch (in a family-friendly roundabout way). So the film spends most of its time with Roy grounded, working up the courage to admit failure not at all of his own making (his father, a World War I veteran, is desperate to see his son succeed as an astronaut) but who makes a mess of things, anyway, in the process of trying to come clean about the truth behind his employment in the space program and his wish to live his own life, not the one his father dictates to him. It is not without irony that Roy's real employment in the space program is on the custodial staff, where he is charged with cleaning up, not making, messes, a task he fails miserably to perform, though again not often because he's an incapable janitor but because he's often forced to maintain the charade and the dream while at work, particularly during one of the film's best sequences when his father pays him a visit at the space center.

While the film boasts acceptable production values -- some good set dressings and believable space program props -- it's entirely Don Knotts who makes it tick. Knotts may not stretch himself, but he doesn't need to. The material is tailor-made to his strengths, allowing him too channel his inner screwball antics in several fun scenes, whether about to lose his lunch in the space capsule, in the afterglow of kissing a girl, or downing several alcoholic beverages in an effort to drown his sorrows after a key loss later in the movie. Knotts hits all of the high notes with aplomb but he also covers the film's intermittent, but nevertheless vital, dramatic currents with plenty of believable heart, too, particularly in several key scenes in which he interacts with his father.

The Reluctant Astronaut Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Reluctant Astronaut launches onto Blu-ray with a very capable 1080p transfer. The image is terrific. It retains its natural filmic state, holding firm to a fine grain structure that does not show any evidence of unwanted noise reduction. Details are rock-solid. Textural excellence abounds, whether considering essential facial features or a number of handsome details around the fairgrounds in the opening minutes, including the phony spaceship interior and the dirt, grass, trees, and assorted structures and signs and carts that dot the landscape. Some of the space center locations are rather crude in construction and don't give off that same vibe for handsome complexity but the picture does at least demonstrate good command of capturing those rather flat textures with ease. Of course, there are some other complex elements in play in the location which do enjoy abundant clarity. Likewise, clothes are sharp and highly detailed, including astronaut suits and civilian clothes alike. Colors abound with beautiful contrast. Cheerful tones at the fair pop with splendid punch across a myriad of tones. Never again in the movie is the color spectrum so diverse but the presentation is always reliable, delivering each hue with satisfying depth and appeal. Black levels are fine and flesh tones appear accurate. There are a few spots and speckles, a couple of vertical lines (34:34), and a bout of aliasing (55:41) but such are rarely invasive. The image shows no other problematic source or encode anomalies. This is a fine release from Universal, one of the studio's best for a vintage catalogue title.

The Reluctant Astronaut Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Reluctant Astronaut blasts onto Blu-ray with a capable DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is certainly never wanting for added volume. Music is good and loud at reference, as are some of the more prominent supporting effects (Roy being blasted by a fan upon his arrival at the space center) but there's balance to the less demanding elements, too, including dialogue, which images perfectly well to the center and offers appropriate volume and clarity at all times. The track has some fun spreading content out to the sides and it makes good use of the limited real estate afforded to it. Essential musical and sound effects clarity are quite good, even when cranked up a bit for effect. Despite channel limitations this track plays pleasantly big and delivers its content with appropriate vigor and detail alike.

The Reluctant Astronaut Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Universal's Blu-ray release of The Reluctant Astronaut contains no supplemental features. No top menu screen is included; the pop-up menu only offers the option to toggle the English SDH titles on and off. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

The Reluctant Astronaut Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Nobody should be reluctant to give The Reluctant Astronaut a watch. This is classic Don Knotts all the way. The film allows him to embrace his familiar schtick with fresh material and a few fun perspectives along the way. Universal's featureless Blu-ray delivers high end video and perfectly good two-channel lossless audio. Recommended.