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Simply Perfect

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

On the surface, this movie should have been a great one. Here we have a great true story, involving a relentless search for truth, a government agency cover-up, a secret confidential source, and a tragedy that shook the nation. Coupled with a hero in the charismatic, eccentric and brilliant Richard Feynman, this could easily have been as good or better than say "Spotlight", or any other great movie of that genre. Yet, this movie, although OK, somehow misses. It's not great, has no great powerful moments, nor particularly funny or self deprecating. Something to watch when nothing else is on and no more.Some of the blame must go to the portrayal of the main character, on which the entire story revolves - prof. Richard Feynman. One of the greatest physicists in history, with a crazy rich past and eccentricities that are legendary, and he is simply boring! It is clear to me that neither William hurt who plays him, nor the director has bothered to watch any of his many televised lectures ind interviews. First of all - the famous Brooklyn accent. Than the constant cocky smile and sharp humor. The many anecdotes and metaphors that are often his way of explaining. Non of it are present here. If it were up to me Alan Alda would play him as he is both sorta looks like him and is funny, serious and can do a great accent. Also the constant emphasis on his illness is over the top and distracting.About the only really good thing I can attribute to this film is it's uncharacteristic accuracy. I didn't notice any factual errors, and that is rare in Hollywood.In summation, this is a mediocre movie, that with a better cast and writing staff could have been a great one. Too bad!

I remember exactly what I was doing when I heard challenger went down. It is one of those events in ones life that remains vivid so many years later. So this movie appealed to me.The movie itself is not all that intriguing, in-fact it moves along quite slowly. There is a conspiracy element. But if you are expecting snipers, sabotage, or mayhem then you will have to find your entertainment elsewhere. This is just about plain old bureaucratic corporate subterfuge at work. But hey, 7 people died. Where is the fault? What went wrong? Someone knows what went wrong. The true cause for the disaster would likely have remained undisclosed, if it weren't for one Richard P. Feynman, played by William Hurt.You basically follow Feynman, an outsider without affiliation, journey from hangar, to launchpad, to meeting, and repeat until he puts the pieces together. (oh and a trip to the Pentagon as well). You wonder if Feynman is ever going to have his day. Or, will he fall flat and fail. After all, this movie is as much about him and his frailties as well. As usual William Hurt gives a rock steady performance. We feel for this poor fellow and cheer him on.The supporting cast is a good fit too. Brian Dennehy is the stereotypical grumpy chairman of the committee. Bruce Greenwood, the wooden Air Force General with all the Pentagon connections. His character serves also as a literary tool to fill us in on the corporate vs. military back story. This reveals to the viewers the motive of certain parties involved to attempt a cover-up. After all, why would anybody not want the truth to come out? Anyways, if you have interest in the subject matter it is worth the watch.

28 years ago the USA faced another test of openness and truth during the aftermath of the Challenger explosion. Richard Feynman uncovered the truth and is one of my heroes. My colleagues and I knew of his commission findings at the time and greatly appreciated his presentation at the open hearings. He had continued along the path of scientific analysis, and even after getting sidetracked with a wrong assumption (turbine blade micro-cracks), he stubbornly persisted to find the true cause of the failure (booster O-ring inelasticity). As a professional engineer involved with safety in the chemical industry and cryogenics, I was glad that an definitive cause of this disaster was made public so it would not happen again. I believe this story/movie can show viewers the need to be open and truthful and the foolishness of deception. Feynman's brilliant scientific "cold O-ring test" and explanation is an example for all engineers and scientists to follow.Don Finan P.E.

In 1986, the United States experienced possibly the worst space flight disaster in NASA's history up until that time. (The fire which occurred during the testing of Apollo 1 in 1967 was probably the worst before Challenger.) With a disaster of this magnitude, then President Reagan formed a board of inquiry to determine the cause of the Challenger's untimely explosion which occurred less than 1.5 minutes into its launch. Most of the members of the commission were government, military, and NASA insiders such as astronauts Neil Armonstrong and Sally Ride, Air Force General Donald Kutyna, and William P. Rogers, former cabinet member of presidents and adviser to President Reagan. However, one board member was not only NOT an insider but a Nobel Laureate in Physics: Dr Richard Feynman. The present film chronicles the investigation through the eyes of Feynman, played convincingly by William Hurt, regarded as a bit of a maverick who did not understand the magnitude of consequences if the full and possibly ugly truth were ever laid bare before public scrutiny.At the time of the disaster, Feynman was teaching physics at the California Institute of Technology. One of his former students, a NASA insider, recommends the professor become involved with the commission. From the first, Feynman clashes with the Director of the commission Rogers (Brian Dennehy), who is at first more worried about NASA's reputation than finding the cause of the Challenger disaster. Feynman begins a bit of rogue investigative work which frustrates other members of the commission, who are worried that reputations and business contracts could be be jeopardized by the findings.Feynman then befriends General Donald Kutyna (Bruce Greenwood), who turns out to be an invaluable ally in the investigation. Kutyna explains to Feynman that the politics surrounding such an investigation often becomes messy, even ugly. People try to veil the truth, often with lots of scientific jargon, fearing that reputations, positions, and even careers might be compromised if unflattering facts come into the spotlight. At the same time, since Feynman is an outsider, he is much more free to ascertain the truth than other members. Then the physics professor receives a strange message which says "it's just ivory soap". Late in the film, Feynman makes a fascinating presentation of his findings to the other commission members. After the credits, video footage of the real Feynman making the identical presentation is shown as a kind of epilogue or coda.A compelling and thoroughly entertaining insiders' look into a commission of inquiry appointed by the US Government. While the need to find the truth is what the public expects, they don't often see the political shenanigans which often occur when such an investigation embarks on its task. The Warren Commission, the mishandled board of inquiry formed to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, made decisions which were above and beyond the goal of finding the truth, such as shielding crucial pieces of evidence from other board members for fear that such exposure would embarrass and/or infuriate the Kennedy family. (The Warren Commission's failures would fuel conspiracy theories for decades.) The Challenger Commission (or Rogers Commission) could have fallen into the same trap. However, because of the integrity of several of the members of the board, the truth of the Challenger disaster was finally revealed. And as a result, NASA made far-reaching improvements in its shuttle technology. Sadly, the Shuttle Disaster Commission was Feynman's last undertaking which received national attention. Feynman would die of cancer in 1988 at the age of 69.