Space Cadet

Falsifying credentials on job applications or lying to get one’s dream job is a common trope used in comedy films. Examples include Confessions of a Shopaholic, Second Act and of course The Internship, to name but a few. It’s employed repeatedly to present the idea that creative and unconventional thinking can sometimes overcome someone’s lack of degrees, subject expertise and on-field experience. This is something Purple Hearts writer Liz W Garcia capitalises on with her new feature Space Cadet starring Emma Roberts, Tom Hopper and Gabrielle Union.

The film follows Rex (Roberts), a lost bartender trying to correct the course of her life after it got upturned by the death of her mother. Always having dreamed of travelling to space, she enrols in the NASA astronauts-in-training program,e with the help of her best friend Nadine (Poppy Liu) who, unbeknownst to Rex, has rewritten her cover letter, exaggerating Rex’s achievements. Caught in between love, deceit and a chance at her dream job, Rex struggles through the programme, all the while making friends and enemies along the way.

Space Cadet follows a very similar formula to The Internship, specifically the team-building schtick, the competitive activities and even the one drunk night of getting to know other people within the same team. The similarities are almost uncanny, save for the very different worlds of search engines and space technology. Still, Space Cadet offers some fun and quirky misadventures unique to Rex’s story, from her party life background and Florida girl ingenuity to Nadine channelling some voice acting work to legitimise Rex’s references on her resume.

Roberts and Liu are truly the charismatic backbone of the picture. Roberts gives Rex, a character with a tendency to be an unlikeable protagonist with her selfish and brash behaviour, a certain vulnerability that speaks to the audience’s experience of not meeting certain expectations or one’s presumed potential. Liu on the other hand steals every scene she features in with her high energy and commitment to the role of the supportive and quirky best friend. Together, these two just bring out the extremes of anxiety and second-hand embarrassment that is both entertaining and nerve-wracking for the viewers to witness. It adds well to the tension of Rex’s deceit and the whole build-up to the fallout of it all.

Some of the major letdowns of the feature are how empty some of the scenes can feel, especially with the lack of background characters and noise pollution. In one scene, Rex is serving a series of alcoholic beverages, but when the camera pans to the other side, the audience can see that there is no one there. Such moments break the immersion and the enjoyment of watching a film that aims to depict the party and bartender lifestyle. Some of the sets feel very bare, with no creativity in the cinematography, and the computer graphics coming across as subpar, making space – Rex’s love and one true passion – feel lacklustre and dull.

Space Cadet is a nice little treat for any Roberts fans out there, especially those looking for a fun and inspiring watch that doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s a moral in there somewhere about no age limits in making dreams come true. While the rest of the film’s visual execution is far from perfect and the dialogue errs on the side of forced and unnatural, Roberts does shine in this particular role, and she is surrounded by co-stars who strongly support her performance, fully committing to their ridiculous and obnoxiously loveable characters.

Mae Trumata

Space Cadet is released on Prime Video on 4^th July 2024.

Watch the trailer for Space Cadet here: