Rocket Science (DVD)

Rocket Science is the story of a young teen who tries to overcome his studder by joining the school debate team. This film grabbed my attention because it is directed by Jeffery Blitz who also directed the wonderful indie film Spellbound. I had high expectations because Blitz had done such an amazing job in Spellbound, however Rocket Science did not live up to the quality of Spellbound. Rocket Science starts out very dramatic with Hal's father leaving his mother, or rather being thrown out by his mother. It moves into the public high school in New Jersey where poor Hal is battling a studdering problem. A young girl who had lost the state debate ...  Read the complete review

Sometimes Americans make great low budget movies and sometimes they make films they think will be great low budget movies, which is the case here. The mid-budget Juno tried too hard to be a low budget classic to earn plaudits and so felt forced and too clean whilst the low budget Rocket Science seems to have read the same low budget bible it shouldn't be reading and ticked every box, which is all very fine if the film is memorable, which this isn't. It's clearly taken its lead from other high school Indy classics, the superior Election with Reece Witherspoon and Mathew Broderick coming to mind, and so already lost its purpose in a well trodden boy meets girl genre. And ...  Read the complete review