October Sky

“Sometimes one dream is enough to light up the whole sky.”

Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal) sees Sputnik cross the sky over Coalwood, West Virginia, and wants to build a rocket of his own. His father John (Chris Cooper) runs the mine and expects Homer to go down into it like every other man in town. Joe Johnston follows Homer, his friend Quentin (Chris Owen) and their teacher Miss Riley (Laura Dern), with the boy's whole future riding on whether he can leave the mine.