Bad Story + Bad Acting = Bad Movie

Rating: 2/10 (14 January 2002)

I don't know whether to begin with the bad acting or the bad story, so let's start with the acting.
Jodie Foster: Total unbelievable as the super-scientist Dr. Ellie Arroway, who searches for a signal from outer space, and finally finds one. Sometimes she overacts; sometimes she's hardly noticeable. During the "launch" scene, if I had had to hear her yell "I'm OK to go" one more time, I'd have let her go and turned to another channel.
Tom Skerritt: Showed no enthusiasm at all for the role of David Drumlin, scientist and Arroway's boss. Even when chosen as the "astronaut," Skerritt shows as much enthusiasm as a giant sloth might at sunrise. Just terrible.
Matthew McConnaughy: I'm trying not to laugh. I might be able to buy him as a New Age guru type, but as Carter Joss he plays a New Age guru type who gets taken seriously - even by the President of the United States and the entire US Government, who put him on a panel to select the astronaut! Please!
And speaking of Bill Clinton, interesting decision to put in newsreel footage of Clinton's press statements that make it sound as if he's addressing this issue. That must have led every viewer to say - "Hey look Martha! It's a real live President! Guess we should take this seriously!"
Now, on to the story. (Might be some minor spoilers here.)
The aliens' message is composed of prime numbers (numbers divisible only by one and themselves) to establish that they understand basic mathematics. So, we're told that the message contained, in sequence, the prime numbers up to 101. In fact, they show a printout of the numbers. Sure enough: 1,2,3,5,7,11,13,17,19, etc., etc. Except, listen to the signal. It's fine up to 11, then the next number just goes on and on in the background while the dialogue goes on, well past 13, which is the next prime number. And the Hitler tape. OK. Maybe the opening ceremonies of the 1936 Berlin Olympics would have been the first television signal to go into space. Let's assume it doesn't degrade beyond recognition on the way to Vega. It's established in the movie that Vega is 26 light years away. So, the signal leaves Earth in 1936, and should arrive in 1962 (Earth time.) Assuming that the movie is set in 1997, when it was made, that means the Vegans replied in 1971 (Earth time.) Let's see. They know there are other civilizations in space. That's established in the movie. But when they receive a signal, it takes them 9 years (Earth time) to decide to respond? Wouldn't they have a standing protocol? You know - receive a signal, respond to it. Something like that. Why would it take so much time to decide to respond?
It's also awfully convenient that the Vegans decide to help Carter Joss in his mission of convincing Arroway about the importance of faith. Good question from the Committee: "They take you all the way to Vega, then give you no physical evidence to prove that you've been there?" True - the movie explains that: "that's how it's been done for millions of years." How convenient.
I haven't even mentioned the mysterious multi-billionaire who lives on a plane that hardly ever lands and finances the Vega project, and the building of "the machine." And I won't.
UGH! 2/10