| Director | Richard Linklater |
|---|---|
| Genre | coming-of-age film, drama film, science fiction film, teen film |
| Runtime | 98 min |
| Country | United States |
Stanley is a boy in the 1960s living with his and five siblings in the quickly-growing suburbs of El Lago, Texas. His dad works an office job at NASA. Stanley grows up living frugally, watching the newly-invented color TV, and playing with other kids in his neighborhood. Despite issues such as nuclear threats from the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and overpopulation, NASA brings Stanley's family optimism about the future. Stanley enthusiastically learns about the Mercury program and the then-ongoing Apollo program, and speculates with classmates on the existence of alien life.
In 1969, 10-year-old Stanley is on the playground at his elementary school when NASA officials approach him and inform him that he has been selected for a secret mission to the Moon. The engineers at NASA had accidentally built the capsule too small, and only a child would fit. As an athletic and high-achieving student, Stanley is a good fit for the program. He is prohibited to talk about the mission with anyone, even his family. He begins mission training that summer, under the cover of summer camp.
During training, Stanley practices survival techniques such as hunting, fishing, and making clothes from his parachute. He is trained to fly the small module, which is named the Apollo 10½. He also operates a Lunar Landing Training Vehicle, and practices landing it on the Moon in simulations.
After his training is complete, Apollo 10½ launches flawlessly. Stanley travels to the Moon, lands, and returns to Earth without any problems. However, his mission is still kept a secret, and he is still not allowed to tell anyone about it.
Later, Apollo 11 launches, much to the excitement of Stanley and his family. During the astronauts' four-day ride to the Moon, Stanley and his family go to a drive-in movie theater, the beach, and Astroworld.
Returning home, Stanley and his family watch Apollo 11 crew's descent to the Moon. The approach is rocky, and the astronauts have to manually control and land the Lunar Module. However, they ultimately successfully land on the Moon and Neil Armstrong takes his first steps. Stanley reflects on his secret mission, Apollo 11, and the space program.