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A Million Miles Away

Play trailer 2:14 Poster for A Million Miles Away PG Released Sep 8, 2023 2h 1m Biography Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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89% Tomatometer 53 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Inspired by the real-life story of NASA flight engineer José Hernández, A Million Miles Away follows him on a decades-long journey, from a rural village in Michoacán, Mexico, to more than 200 miles above the Earth in the International Space Station. With the support of his family, José’s drive & determination culminates in the opportunity to achieve his seemingly impossible goal.
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A Million Miles Away

A Million Miles Away

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Critics Consensus

Thanks in part to a pair of appealing lead performances, A Million Miles Away is one inspirational biopic that mostly avoids heavy-handed gimmicks.

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Audience Says

You'll want to bring tissues to watch A Million Miles Away, a fact-based drama that takes biopic tropes and turns them into heartwarming movie magic.

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Critics Reviews

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Michael Ordoña Los Angeles Times A Million Miles Away doesn’t exactly zoom past the stratosphere, but it’s kept in orbit by Hernández’s inspirational true story and the comfort of family ties. Sep 18, 2023 Full Review Adrian Horton Guardian It’s a story that exceeds the bounds of Earth with enough heart to keep it grounded. Rated: 3/5 Sep 15, 2023 Full Review John Anderson Wall Street Journal Mr. Peña is a familiar face and likable performer and is paired to wonderful effect with Rosa Salazar. Sep 14, 2023 Full Review Pallavi Keswani The Hindu The emphasis on the role of José Hernández’s family and community makes A Million Miles Away a compelling, feel-good watch. Jan 19, 2024 Full Review Ernesto Diezmartinez Letras Libres A solid melodrama and feel-good movie that does not move an inch from the Hollywood model. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 2.5/4 Oct 29, 2023 Full Review Shawn Edwards Fox 4 Kansas City An inspirational story with universal appeal... the problem is it's a bit too conventional. Rated: 3/5 Oct 27, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jenaro V Un biopic más, no es lo suficientemente entretenido como para mantener tu atención, ni lo suficientemente emotivo como para apelar al sentimentalismo. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/13/24 Full Review Dang M This is a movie about a young Latino man who comes from a family of migrant farm workers. He aspires to be an astronaut. Against all odds he wills himself to make his improbable dream a reality. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/11/24 Full Review Dennis C Inspirational movie for new generations Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/04/24 Full Review Michel P This the most inspirational story I've seen. This guy surmounted impossible odds with support of his family. The movie is very well done and acting is excellent. There's a few appearance of Jose himself on the launch pad doing a fist bump with the actor playing Jose. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/30/24 Full Review Kyle M NASA flight engineer Jose Hernandez is a dreamer who dreamt of the impossible, a real-life story with the tendency to inspire others to passionately believe in their path, probably becoming your by-the-numbers biopic if envisioned generically. Although without ever picking up the source material whereas Hernandez recollected his journey, grounded storyteller Alejandra Marquez Abella seems to give the structural idea of how the entire thought process was projected onto prints. It defines Hernandez’s journey, as it should define the dramatized treatment embodying the crucial motivation that got him soaring towards reaching the stars he questioned. Otherwise, “A Million Miles Away” would only minimally impress amid the less effective route. Hernandez was young when taking up labor as a farm worker, going back and forth into California from his rural village in Michoacan, Mexico after a day in school. His wonders shifted upward, gazing at the stars in the dusk sky, asking unanswered questions, finally finding something more living than his family’s mundane lifestyle. In a tale of perseverance, community and sacrifice with his family’s support, Hernandez’s decades-long journey culminates in focusing on accomplishing the impossible goal for a once migrant farm worker to become an engineer then an astronaut stationed in the International Space Station. Early on in the film when Hernandez let out his frustrations over the mundaneness in picking berries, his father counseled him with the five-step ingredients of life’s recipe. It’s at that moment as he absorbed the advice as much we learn it, the very structural wisdom becomes the film’s definitive core and inspiring significance above your average chronological biopics. Each chapter in Hernandez’s life is based off those steps, culminating in his dedicative statement that all the decisions he made were focused on towards his primarily positional goal. While he reflected his life onto his 2012 memoir “Reaching for the Stars” so others can learn how possible his journey was, Abella decided to approach the material based off the very wisdom that defined his driven determination, rather than the conventional route as she refined it in emphasizing its main influential sense. Just from doing that, the story gains relatability over the prolonged process in achieving career milestones, ascending Hernandez’s intuition upon broadened compels. Much like Abella’s written direction, the production merits, alongside technological details, and showcased talents can be collectively praised as utterly passionate in highlighting the story with the core meaning kept in mind. Particularly, Camilo Lara’s composed score thematically heightens the overall endeavor in attempt to sweeten the socially supportive hearts exchanged, then nicely expressed how much of a distance our dreams require us whilst adjacent to the setting. Above the mostly ethical performances, Michael Pena refreshed his dramatic demeanor in soulfully portraying Hernandez with a relatively close persona and equally refined conviction. Rosa Salazar portrays Hernandez’s wife Abela whose dream is running a restaurant, frankly a more grounded dream by eased possibility and lower expectations, and she brings a supportive challenge in their chemistry as he gazes upward while she also weighs positional reality. Passionately told and exceptionally performed on an empathetic drive, “A Million Miles Away” spreads, and highlights, Hernandez’s story through another medium, purposefully serving to inspire other dreamers out there to receive an experienced reality check with reassuring possible turns. That may be the ideal effect that defines most other biopics telling worthwhile stories that either adds to our perceptions regarding historical events, or getting to know the subject with a journey we could learn from and finds appliable peace over our own. This went straight to impressing straight for the latter prompt, thus becoming one of the best biopics in recent memory, ignited by timeless messaging. (B+) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/27/24 Full Review Jonsh K When I saw the little child holding the corn rocket, I wanted to obliterate myself. I HATE SPANISH. My profe showed us this >:( Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/11/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Inspired by the real-life story of NASA flight engineer José Hernández, A Million Miles Away follows him on a decades-long journey, from a rural village in Michoacán, Mexico, to more than 200 miles above the Earth in the International Space Station. With the support of his family, José’s drive & determination culminates in the opportunity to achieve his seemingly impossible goal.
Director
Alejandra Márquez Abella
Producer
Mark Ciardi, Campbell McInnes
Screenwriter
Alejandra Márquez Abella, Bettina Gilois, Hernán Jiménez
Distributor
Amazon Studios
Production Co
Amazon Studios, Select Films, Redrum
Rating
PG
Genre
Biography, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 8, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 15, 2023
Runtime
2h 1m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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