Peña soars in against-all-odds astronaut story
Hollywood has long plumbed the depths of unlikely hero tales. No matter how many Rocky knock-offs the studios churn out, they never seem to tire of downtrodden and impoverished characters who must overcome great odds to lift themselves into a higher station in life. From Rocky to Rudy to Erin Brockovich, Hidden Figures and, most recently, Flamin’ Hot, these tales lift us up and inspire us even as they fight to be unique. So who can blame director Alejandra Márquez Abella for trying her hand at this well-worn but lucrative formula with her new biopic A Million Miles Away? Luckily for us, though, her effort proves to be an excellent addition to the familiar genre.
Based on his 2012 book Reaching for the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farmworker Turned Astronaut, Miles Away tells the story of José Hernández, a Mexican migrant worker in the San Joaquin Valley who, as a child performed the same back-breaking work as adult farm workers, but who later became an engineer and NASA astronaut. In this feel-good film, the hero literally shoots for the stars. Plenty in the picture follows the Rocky template. As in Hidden Figures, about African-American women mathematicians working at NASA, and Flamin’ Hot, which also focuses on a Mexican-American whose talents are underestimated, Miles Away features a main character who must endure numerous doubters and racists. These small-minded skeptics are more than happy to remind José (Michael Peña) that he’s out of place, whether as an engineer working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory or as one of 12,000 candidates vying to become astronauts.
José’s own girlfriend laughs in his face when he confides his dream of becoming an astronaut. And other obstacles stand in his way. NASA rejects him – 11 times, no less. At Lawrence Livermore, a colleague mistakes José for the janitor. Guilt weighs on the adult José because his father (Julio César Cedillo, Sicario; Narcos: Mexico) abandoned his own dream of buying a home in Mexico in order to provide José with steady, stable schooling. Poverty and violence surround José’s family and friends. People who believe in and encourage him are killed.
Where director Abella takes a fresh angle on this kind of story is by refusing to draw the main characters as stick figures and by shunning tropes. José the person doesn’t fit stereotypes. He’s a farm worker who possesses exceptional math skills, as we see in an early scene when, as a boy (Juan Pablo Monterrubio), he correctly answers math questions, even as his classmates laugh at his accent. As a young man, José drives a tricked-out, low-rider Impala, but dreams of rocketing into the heavens à la Neil Armstrong after he’s mesmerized watching the 1969 moon landing.
Abella fleshes out her characters so fully thanks to her fellow screenwriters Bettina Gilois and Hernán Jiménez and their authentic script, and to the stellar performances of her actors. Julio César Cedillo, as José’s father, Juan Pablo Monterrubio, as the young José, and Rosa Salazar as José’s wife Adela all turn in strong supporting performances.
But it’s Michael Peña who carries the picture and gives it its emotional depth. For more than a decade, Peña has built a solid career by chiseling out well-defined, distinctive, and memorable everyman characters: as policeman Mike Zavala in End of Watch, as Gordo Garcia in Fury, and as doomed DEA agent Kiki Camarena in Narcos: Mexico.
Peña stands out for rarely overacting. He’s satisfied to play José as a slightly overweight, soft-spoken, unassuming regular Joe. We end up liking José for his humility, his dry sense of humor, and his unwavering dedication to achieve his dream no matter the hurdles. Even as his NASA application is rejected for the 11th time, José remains undeterred, and only more driven to reach his goal. As a fellow astronaut tells him, “Tenacity is a super power.”
Peña and Salazar share several important scenes, and their chemistry helps shore up some of the script’s few weaknesses. Adela’s efforts to pursue her own dream are glossed over, and the screenwriters make huge jumps in time without giving us any insight into what may have transpired in between.
Two relatively minor characters, though, bring about some of the film’s most powerful and heartfelt moments. Saraya Blue plays another real life astronaut, Kalpana Chawla, who bonds with José over their shared struggles as underrepresented people of color in the mostly white, male NASA ranks.
And Michelle Krusiec, as José’s grade school teacher Miss Young, creates such a perceptive and empathetic educator that, if anything, her performance cements this movie as a love letter to all teachers who have encouraged us to be our best selves, even when we’ve questioned our abilities. Suffice to say: bring a tissue or two to this one — you’ll need them.
That this film opens today is probably not coincidental: today is the first day of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through October 15th. I can think of no better way to celebrate the month than by going to see this lovely, affecting film about a true Mexican-American role model. Save your seventh viewing of Rocky for another day.
Thanks to Greg Sandoval for contributing to this review.
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A Million Miles Away is available beginning today on Amazon Prime Video.
