The Dish (2000)
1h 41m | PG-13
A group of maverick scientists on a remote Australian sheep farm are the globe's only hope for obtaining the epic images of man's first steps on the moon.
Director: Rob Sitch
Studio: Working Dog
Genre: Comedy, Drama, History
Video: 720p
Cast
Sam Neill
as Cliff Buxton - Dish Master
Patrick Warburton
as Al Burnett - From NASA
Kevin Harrington
as Ross 'Mitch' Mitchell - Maneuvers
Tom Long
as Glenn Latham - Electronics
Eliza Szonert
as Janine Kellerman - The Girl
Roy Billing
as Mayor Robert 'Bob' McIntyre
Reviews
I may have watched this Aussie film much closer to when it came out, since have always like Sam Neill, but I had no memory of it and we gave it a look. It is very entertaining in a quiet way. The bursts of humor are short, occasional and subtle, and it works. Of course it is based on actual events and feature a few news archive clips as well as actors playing historical characters, sometimes almost as a cameo. It features some restrained tension and suspense as the crew at the telescope try to live up to their commitment to passing audio and video from the moon landing on to NASA and the world. Among the supporting cast we also have a radical political daughter and a clumsy young couple trying to initiate a new romance. It all adds flavor to the main plot.