Project Hail Mary

***no spoilers***

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to go to the movies with friends. When I was single, I went to the movies all the time; often by myself. I found that I could feel however I wanted to feel and it wasn’t tainted by the feelings of others. I could live in my pure joy, sadness, or even empathy and feel all that comes with that.

These days, I rarely have time for the movie theater unless it’s a whole family event. So when my friend wanted to see a movie for her birthday, I was all in.

My familiarity with Project Hail Mary wasn’t extensive. I loved the movie The Martian (also written by Andy Weir). I felt like that movie had all the right ingredients for pure storytelling and I just knew Project Hail Mary had a good shot too.

I am an avid reader but Andy Weir’s audiobooks have eluded me thus far. Though the draw is strong, they are all Audible exclusives and I don’t subscribe. It’s costly and I go through books so fast, it just doesn’t make sense. I get all my audiobooks through the library (or I should say libraries). I have multiple library cards  that give me access to most books.

I didn’t know much about the story going in. I like it better that way. I like to have a complete opinion untainted by anyone else’s thoughts. I hadn’t even seen the trailer. For this reason, I won’t give you any real details of the movie. I am just here to share with you how I felt.

Ryan Gosling gave a stellar performance. He is really coming into his own. He embodied the character and made you believe everything you were supposed to. If there isn’t award buzz for this movie, I will be shocked.

Project Hail Mary was really funny. Within the dialogue there were lines that could only draw laughter through the delivery. Sandra Huller didn’t disappoint. Her deadpan humor had the whole theater laughing constantly.

Rocky’s dialogue drew laughter in its simplicity and innocence. Rocky is a child, teenager, and adult all rolled into one and I loved every bit of him.

My favorite movies have characters that have heart. When there is an internal need to do the right thing, it bleeds into their actions and voice. While deeply flawed, the redemptive nature of the characters in this movie shine through from the very beginning, grounding my perspective; heart in spades.

I cried. I used to cry in movies all the time. I was such a softy. But life has a way of closing you up to easy emotions. I don’t cry in movies very often anymore. This movie made me cry…twice.

Project Hail Mary can be enjoyed by nearly all ages. A few scenes reach some intensity, but that was the only thing keeping it at a PG-13 rating. If you’re looking for language, sex, or even real violence, you aren’t going to find them in this movie.

After Project Hail Mary, I learned that it has been Ryan Gosling’s passion project for several years. After reading the book, he bought the movie rights in hopes of creating a film that can be enjoyed by the whole family. His daughters even had a small behind the scenes role during the making of the movie.

Project Hail Mary was the whole package. It gave me all the feels and I left the theater with a warm feeling that lasted all night. This movie now joins the ranks of my favorite movies of all time. That’s right, it broke my top 5. I already have plans to see it again…in the theater. I convinced my friend to buy the book for me through his Audible account (discount) and send it to me. In fact, I bought all 3 of Andy Weir’s books. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Have you seen the movie yet? If not, get your butt to the theater. It’s worth it. If you have, did you love it as much as I did? It’s ok if not. Nothing is going to ruin my theater high. I still wanna hear about it though.