Movies I Love, Part VI: “Galaxy Quest”
I ran into my buddy Will Russell the other day at Heine Brothers.
You gotta love a guy who, along with a pal or two, turned obsession with the Coen brothers’ The Big Lebowski into a reasonably lucrative cottage industry. Annual festivals across the country, paraphernalia, a book for heavens’ sakes. Such Achievers, those boys.
So while we were each waiting for our actual coffee companions to arrive, we shot the shit. I asked if any actors from the film have actually showed up at any of these festivals. Yes, several. And Will explained as how Jeff Bridges, who played The Dude himself,posted at a festival in L A. Brought his band too. “Really nice guy,” advises Will.
Which conversation got me to thinking about these types of gatherings which attract myriads of obsessed aficionados from hither and yon. I guess the biggest cult of these sorts involves Star Trek. But, given that Lebowski Fests are centered on bowling and White Russians, they’re obvious looser and more fun.
Achievers trump Trekkies.
Besides, cemented in my brain is an image of some Dude wannabe at one of the early festivals, maybe the first, dodging traffic while crossing Bardstown Road at Goldsmith Lane in the middle of rush hour. He had on his bathrobe and jellies, drink in hand. There was way too much traffic to intone, “Careful, man, there’s a beverage here.,”
As my mind wandered back into the conversation, I asked Will, an obvious film buff, if he’d ever seen that comedy about a group of Star Trek-like TV actors, most all tired of doing the convention circuit, who are coerced by real aliens to spaceship to outer space and help save their planet.
Of course, as usual, I couldn’t remember the name of the flick. Or the dour actor who is marvelous as the most disgruntled series regular who is the doctor on board. With the help of IMDb, I was reminded that he was Alan Rickman, a guy who knows how to frown.
And the film — this week’s Movies I Love, Part VI — is Galaxy Quest.
Tim Allen is the William Shatner character. There’s also Sigourney Weaver and Tony Shalhoub along with Rickman. Plus Sam Rockwell who can shine when he’s on his game. Their show has been off the air almost twenty years and they’re stuck doing these conventions and store openings and hate it and each other.
The show has been broadcast out into space and these folks called the Thermians — Is that a great name or what? — build a spaceship to the exact specs of the TV series and come to get the actors to save their planet.
It is a most clever premise. And it works to great comic effect.
Galaxy Quest is just a really really pleasant diversion. It plays on our love of our favorite TV shows. It plays on the absurdity of the premises of those shows.
I want to tell you to run out and rent it tonight. But, hey, I want to see it again. So wait a few days, will you?
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