First Man (2018)

I finally decided to give Damien Chazelle another shot. Perhaps the lack of jazz would help my appreciation. And the fact that he only directed and produced rather than wrote this time. Of course, even if he were the writer, he could do only so much to a famous true story.

The pic follows Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) from a 1961 spaceplane flight to shortly after returning from the moon. (I didn't know about the quarantine then; contagious lunar pathogens would be the least of my worries.) Quite a few obstacles occur in between: Cosmonauts have been winning every match in the Space Race, some tests end in disaster, and public opposition to this use of tax dollars is increasing. On a more personal level, Neil mourns a daughter recently lost to cancer but refuses to take time off, and his wife (Claire Foy), while supportive of his career, frets that she'll be the next astronaut widow.

Now here we have the drama and suspense I found sorely missing from Apollo 11. I almost added "the educational value," but IMDb lists dozens of anachronisms and other factual errors in FM, and some viewers insist that it doesn't do the real Neil justice. Nonetheless, it does more to make me feel like a part of the era, internalizing perspectives from before success was assured. I might have questioned the space program's value then. Also, I'd hate to ride in a jittery or sparking aircraft of any sort.

That said, the whole did not constantly engage me. Some details, such as one of the Armstrong sons acting bratty, serve little purpose. At times, I considered doing something else while the movie played or setting the remainder aside for the next night. It feels pretty bleak, even at its triumphant finale. (The lack of a flag-planting moment doesn't bother me; we can all see which nation Neil represents.) And yes, Gosling still usually bores me, so I prefer to watch Foy.

I won't say FM is great, but it does well enough that I won't write off future Chazelle efforts. Like the program it depicts, it gets rocky and offers just enough satisfaction to make me glad I stuck with it.