• It doesn’t rewrite the book on Robert Altman, Robert Duvall or James Caan by any stretch but it is a solid little film- rests somewhere outside the top 20 of 1967
  • It was Altman’s first feature in 10 years (second overall after 1957’s The Delinquents (I haven’t seen)). He had worked in tv and documentaries since—shorts, too. Apparently Warners Brothers didn’t think much of this and locked him off the lot after seeing the finished product (they specifically hated his overlapping dialogue (since has become his trademark)). I’m not positive but I believe they altered the finished product. I don’t think there’s a top 10 film quality in here anyways.
  • Hard to see James Caan and Robert Duvall (both solid here) sparring with each other and not think of Sonny and Tom Hagen in The Godfather which would come 5 years later.
  • Altman’s breakthrough, MASH, is actually his fourth film- That Cold Day in the Park is between (haven’t seen that either)
  • Timely- 18 months before the actual moon landing
  • Authenticity seems to be the main goal here from Altman and it is a success—there’s the authentic simulation opening. Smart conversation and debate between politicians and NASA (involved in making of the film) and the PR department on sending a military man to the moon and the implications of that
  • Another endeavor towards authenticity- a character named “Gus”- in the space program in 1968- captures the 1960’s polo shirts, haircuts, look at the party
  • Believable motivation of 5-6 characters at least- intelligent but not exceptional
  • Mark Murphy in the cast – a part of MASH, McCabe, and Nashville
  • It’s nothing like his work in the 1970’s but there’s a fair amount of people talking over each other in arguments with the overlapping dialogue
  • A great transition edit shot at Caan throws a pop fly (playing baseball catch with son) and it gets lost in the sun
  • The dedication to authenticity get a little much in time—8 minutes on Caan and Duvall arguing about the temperature in his suit—accurate, sure— but too much  
  • Crazy to see such a humorless film from Altman—bad dialogue in places like “he was never much of a napper”- ugh
  • It does look like we’re on the moon at the end- nice set
  • A sobering ending on the moon- open, a bit dire, thoughtful
  • Recommend