Beyond the Stars#Cast

Eric is the teenage son of a computer scientist who worked for the Apollo program, which sent the first humans to the Moon. Eric, determined to become an astronaut himself one day, befriends Paul Andrews, the thirteenth man on the Moon. Paul is avoided by other astronauts nowadays because he was very rude and distant when he returned from space. Eric slowly learns that during his excursion on the Moon Paul discovered something that he keeps as a secret.

• Christian Slater as Eric Michaels
• Martin Sheen as Paul Andrews
• Robert Foxworth as Richard Michaels
• Sharon Stone as Laurie McCall
• Olivia d'Abo as Mara Simons
• F. Murray Abraham as Dr. Harry Bertram
• Don S. Davis as Phil Clawson
• William S. Taylor as Dr. Willis
• Babz Chula as Anne Michaels
• Terence Kelly as Al Fletcher

The movie was filmed in and around Huntsville, Alabama and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and outside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, during fall 1988 and under the title Personal Choice.{{Cite web |last=Weinstein |first=Steve |date=1988-07-26 |title=At 18, Acting Is Still a Game for Veteran Christian Slater |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-26-ca-6525-story.html |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |date=September 6, 1988 |title=Rose Taboo |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-rose-taboo/139453554/ |work=The Toronto Star (Newspapers.com)}}{{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=Pauline B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=86vMCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Beyond+the+Stars%22+Sharon+Stone&pg=PT39 |title=Contemporary Cinematographers on Their Art |date=1998-01-19 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-136-04577-6 |language=en}}

The story was inspired by the life of Buzz Aldrin.{{Cite book |last=Balzini |first=Barbara |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GYiQBQAAQBAJ&dq=Personal+choice+saperstein&pg=PT31 |title=Sharon Stone: Felice di essere ancora una vamp |date=2014-11-26 |publisher=Imprimatur editore |isbn=978-88-6830-242-9 |language=it}}

The film was renamed Beyond the Stars, but was never released in American theaters. Later it was shown on cable television and released on laser disk.{{Cite news |last=Carroll |first=Liz |date=1990-03-04 |title=On Location |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sunday-news-on-location/139453723/ |access-date=2024-01-24 |work=The Sunday News |pages=11}}

Beyond the Stars was noted for its ”interesting cast’.{{Cite book |last=Barsanti |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G4GDBwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Beyond+the+Stars%22+-wikipedia+saperstein&pg=PA43 |title=The Sci-Fi Movie Guide: The Universe of Film from Alien to Zardoz |date=2014-09-22 |publisher=Visible Ink Press |isbn=978-1-57859-533-4 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Azzara |first=Roberto |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I8KCDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Beyond+the+Stars%22+-wikipedia+Saperstein&pg=PT113 |title=La fantascienza cinematografica, la seconda età dell'oro |date=2019-01-07 |publisher=Youcanprint |isbn=978-88-278-6491-3 |language=it}}{{Cite book |last1=Ink |first1=Visible |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2RacqQu0B3IC&q=%22Beyond+the+Stars%22+-wikipedia+Saperstein |title=Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever, 1997 |last2=Craddock |date=1996 |publisher=Thomson Gale |isbn=978-0-7876-0780-7 |language=en}} It was presented as a "fair sci-fi effort, with good performances" by all members of the cast but with a "poor script".{{Cite book |last=Castell |first=Ron |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hZY_ZjmzkIwC&q=Beyond+the+stars+1989+film |title=Blockbuster Video Guide to Movies and Videos, 1996 |date=1995 |publisher=Dell Pub. |isbn=978-0-440-22114-2 |language=en}} The Canadian website Film Media was very critical of the film, stating: 'Verbose and sclerotic plot. Ungainly direction. Dull acting."{{Cite web |title=Mediafilm |url=https://mediafilm.ca/1989/time-stars |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=mediafilm.ca |language=fr}}

Leonard Maltin described it as an "excruciatingly slow story of former astronaut".{{Cite book |last=Maltin |first=Leonard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yzPADT7BTRcC&dq=%22Beyond+the+Stars%22+-wikipedia+saperstein&pg=PT236 |title=Leonard Maltin's 2013 Movie Guide: The Modern Era |date=2012-09-04 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-101-60463-2 |language=en}} According to Film Dienst, "The story of a friendship, told with partly successful observations, quite naively highlights the contradiction between idealistic discovery and the appropriation of technology by the military, but remains superficial in its humanitarian and ecological appeals."{{Cite web |title=Moon Trek - Das Licht der dunklen Seite |url=https://www.filmdienst.de/film/details/17630/moon-trek-das-licht-der-dunklen-seite |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=www.filmdienst.de |language=de}} The film received an extremely positive assessment in the French Nouveau Guide des Films, in which it was called "a top achievement of pantheist lyricism" and Stone's performance, highly praised.{{Cite book |last=Tulard |first=Jean |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nWocAAAAQBAJ&dq=Sharon+Stone+Personal+choice&pg=PT851 |title=Le Nouveau guide des films - Intégrale |date=2013-07-18 |publisher=Groupe Robert Laffont |isbn=978-2-221-12486-4 |language=fr}}

In his book Generation Multiplex: The Image of Youth in Contemporary American Cinema, Timothy Shary states that the lack of success of the film typically reflects the little interest of audiences of the time for youth using rational scientific principles.{{Cite book |last=Shary |first=Timothy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p7Abxwlp-hwC&dq=Beyond+the+Stars+Martin+Sheen%C2%A0&pg=PA189 |title=Generation Multiplex: The Image of Youth in Contemporary American Cinema |date=2009-01-27 |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=978-0-292-77490-2 |language=en}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb title | id = 0096921 | title = Beyond the Stars }}

{{rotten-tomatoes|beyond_the_stars}}

Category:1980s American films

Category:1980s English-language films

Category:1989 drama films

Category:1989 films

Category:American drama films

Category:Films about astronauts

Category:Films shot at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center

Category:Films shot in Vancouver