Review of The Dish (2000) by Jonathan B — 23 Apr 2016

This is a delightful and mild-mannered comedy set in 1969 concerning the townsfolk of a small Australian community that became a significant player in the NASA Apollo 11 moon expedition. The town is the site of a large satellite dish that NASA needed to relay television signals from Neil Armstrong and the crew on the moon back to Earth and the millions of viewers waiting to see the historic events unfold.

Sam Neil plays the head of the small radio telescope team who find themselves thrust into the spotlight. It is a gentle comedy of manners and the differences between two cultures. There are a fair number of chuckles and giggles and an interesting story to be told in this feel good movie directed by Rob Sitch.

I'm not quite sure how much of the story is based in fact but the characters are all well drawn if somewhat stereotypical, the acting is sound and the script both entertaining and honest. I liked this little movie a lot for it's period feel and charm together with its gentle way of sending up and ribbing some of the more pompous elements of human nature.