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The Reluctant Astronaut

Play trailer Poster for The Reluctant Astronaut Released May 14, 1967 1h 41m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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Roy (Don Knotts), a perpetually terrified 35-year-old man-child, still lives with his parents. He plays an astronaut at a local fairground, but his father (Arthur O'Connell) wants him to be a real astronaut and lands him a place at NASA. On arrival, Roy discovers he's just a janitor, but he keeps up the charade, which eventually gets him fired. When NASA wants to send someone unqualified into orbit to one-up the Russians, however, they send Roy into space, where things invariably go wrong.

Audience Reviews

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Frank P Pretty good movie from 1967 - a few laughs, good cast, Blu-ray version outstanding video and audio. (I first saw this when i was in my twenties and thought it was hilarious back then, but that could have been caused by the stuff that I was smoking) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/21/23 Full Review Stephen C What the f**king sh*t is this?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member This is such a great feel good movie. Don Knotts is a less confident version of Barney Fife here. This movie is in my top 3 of all time! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Goofy and forgettable. Don KNotts does his best at repurposing jokes from "The Andy Griffith Show." Very few of the jokes hit their mark, and the film is more uncomfortable than it is funny. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Typically silly Don Knotts vehicle has Don as the small-town operator of a carnival kiddie spaceship ride. Even though he's deathly afraid of heights, Don wants to be an astronaut and gets a letter from NASA offering him a job, except that's it's to be part of the custodial staff. This being a Don Knotts picture, Don mistakenly ends up in the astronaut program and hilarity ensures, or at least mildly funny comic moments of hilarity ensure with nervous nelly Knotts being helped through the program by macho astronaut Leslie Nielsen (which is funny in itself since Nielsen would later be the comic center of "Police Squad"/"Naked Gun" as Lt. Frank Drebin). Overall, "The Reluctant Astronaut" is not a classic, but it is mildly diverting. The film also features the debut of Melissa "Little House on the Prairie" Gilbert. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member An intensely humorous Don Knotts picture, albeit dated. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Reluctant Astronaut

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The Reluctant Astronaut

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Movie Info

Synopsis Roy (Don Knotts), a perpetually terrified 35-year-old man-child, still lives with his parents. He plays an astronaut at a local fairground, but his father (Arthur O'Connell) wants him to be a real astronaut and lands him a place at NASA. On arrival, Roy discovers he's just a janitor, but he keeps up the charade, which eventually gets him fired. When NASA wants to send someone unqualified into orbit to one-up the Russians, however, they send Roy into space, where things invariably go wrong.
Director
Edward Montagne
Producer
Edward Montagne
Screenwriter
James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Universal Pictures
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 14, 1967, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
Jul 6, 2004
Runtime
1h 41m