O so well intentioned, but....

Rating: Null/10 (2 October 1999)

DULL!! DULL!! DULL!!
WOWSERS!! This thing went on for almost 2 and a half hours before we got to see-
SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!!

--Jodi do the 'Field of Dreams' bit in outer space. Kinda touching but...so was 'Land of the Lost' if you were in the right mood.
I didn't buy a word of this. NASA was presented as corrupt, religion as idiotic and medieval minded, the media sheep(well, that part was close...) and so on and so forth. I got the impression that Jodi Foster's character was a Prophet on a Mission for Science(Bill Nye where are you when we need you?!) and that everyone who disagreed with her was a fool,ignorant or reactionary.
Sure.
It was great seeing Rob Lowe play that babyfaced Christian Coalition lobbyist, and I always like James Woods-but that was about it.

Part of the problem, besides the great length of the film, and its sanctimoniousness-is the casting of Matthew M. While he was good in 'A Time to Kill' and 'EdTV', here he is simply too young and too much Beatnik Man to be the Billy Graham-like character from the Book Carl Sagan wrote which the film is based on. He tries, just isn't the most convincing that is all.
Another problem, which I had with the Sagans(Ann Druyan too) is that they seem to think that we give a hoot about their religious beliefs(or in their case, lack of same.) Now, I hate to break it to'em, but NOBODY CARES. If Carl Sagan was an athiest, great, whatever got him through the night. What he was paid for, and was good at, was explaining what the Methane seas of Titan meant for in the search for life. Not his religious convictions--hell, I don't care anymore about that than I would finding out his favorite Beatle was Ringo.
Get the idea? Professional opinion makers-Isaac Asimov, Andy Rooney, Sagan, James Randi, Rush, Stern, Imus, etc. all seem to think they have to have an Opinion on EVERYTHING, and because they're about to pontificate, we are all out here waiting with baited breath, hanging on every word.

In a word-No.
Not even close.
And not to be cruel, but to all those agog with Jodi Foster's performance, okay it was good, but it was also the same old glacial, intense type of job she's done in everything from 'Hotel New Hampshire','Foxes' and 'The Little Girl who Lives down the Lane', 'Freaky Friday' and 'Carny'. She has nothing on Theresa Russell, Kathleen Turner or even Kim Catrell guys, I hate to break it to you. Just a better press rep and better agents.
So--what is my Contact rating--*** outta ****, because it Tries at least to make you think, it is well acted and executed despite itself; but Carl Sagan--really shoulda left message sending to Western Union.
Ditto Jodi.