"A Tasty 'Dish'"
by Scott Mantz

"The Dish"
Sam Neill,
Patrick Warburton
Directed by Rob Sitch

Hailing frequencies open! Tom Long, Patrick Warburton, Sam Neill, and Kevin Harrington take one giant leap in "The Dish"

Mankind's first voyage from the earth to the moon may have happened only 30 years ago, but it feels more like an eternity. Not only have we not been back since 1972, but there is little about today's space program to suggest the glory days of Apollo. If anything, NASA is only now getting its act together with a space station that should have been fully operational a decade ago.

Shuttle launches barely get a mention on the 6 O'clock News, but there was a time, not too long ago, when the world was fixated on the historic voyage of Apollo 11. Even with all the modern technology at their disposal, the good people back on earth still wouldn't have seen a thing had it not been for one well-placed satellite dish in the middle of an Australian sheep farm. By telling the true story of the quirky scientists who kept that mechanism operational, "The Dish" blasts off and clears the tower as the most heartwarming, enjoyable, and inspirational movie since "Billy Elliot."

The time is July 1969, and the eyes of the world are focused on the voyage of Apollo 11. NASA is able to broadcast TV images of the mission while the moon is facing them, but its up to a small group of scientists located in--of all places--Parkes, Australia, to pick up the ball for the rest of the time. When they are informed that they will be solely responsible for covering the actual moon walk, team leader Cliff Buxton (Sam Neill), assistant technician Ross Mitchell (Kevin Harrington), shy calculations expert Glenn Latham (Tom Long), and conservative NASA representative Al Burnett (Patrick Warburton) struggle to overcome minor mishaps, mother nature, and even each other to make sure that Neil Armstrong's one giant leap is seen by all mankind. Talk about having the weight of the world on your shoulders!

Looking back, it's a miracle that the Apollo Program even happened. In the late 1960's, the carnage of the Vietnam War was at an all time high, race riots were exploding all over the place, and the youth counterculture was trying to overthrow the establishment. With so many problems spiraling out of control, its no wonder that people began to question the importance of spending billions of dollars to send man to the moon when there were more pressing issues here on earth.

Over in Australia, the mood couldn't have been any more different. Director Rob Sitch knows this, and while the rest of the world was hip-deep in the chaos of 1969 (represented here by a killer soundtrack), Sitch keeps Parkes, Australia, firmly rooted in the idealism and innocence of the 1950's. The main order of the day, aside from making sure that pesky dish was working, was getting the town hall ready for the imminent arrival of the Prime Minister.

Sam Neill is perfectly cast as the team leader. Failure may not be an option, but success would be an even more appropriate way of honoring his dearly departed wife. Patrick Warburton, who is best known as Puddy from "Seinfeld," plays the by-the-book NASA brass who learns to loosen up, take chances, and be a team player. He initially clashes with Kevin Harrington's argumentative dish technician, but they learn to overcome their differences for the good of the mission. Ultimately, the real scene stealer is Tayler Kane, who plays a clumsy security guard who takes his job a little too seriously. All he really has to do is keep people out of the dish, and he can't even do that very well!

Despite being contrived and sappy at times, "The Dish" is an original and irresistibly charming feel-good comedy that combines the quirky small town feel of "Chocolat" with the inspirational and heartfelt intimacy of "October Sky." By honoring such a shared global experience, the film taps into the human element of mankind's greatest technical achievement. The movie doesn't go into accurate detail--Tom Hanks' HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon" did a marvelous job of that--but as seen through the eyes of a young boy glued to the "telly," the film lays out the mission in a way that will make adults nostalgic and kids curious.

In a classic episode of "Star Trek," Captain Kirk gave one of the best speeches of his career when he declared that "risk is our business!" In the end, that's what "The Dish" is all about. From bending the rules to make sure that the mission goes off without a hitch to getting up the courage to ask out the girl next door, the film is quick to point out that the biggest risk in the world is not taking one. The voyage of Apollo 11 wasn't just a major risk for the United States, it was a major risk for the entire world. Without the team players in Parkes, Australia, we would never have been able to witness the first time we boldly went where no man had gone before.

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