And, really, it's a fairy tale. It's not about realism. Once you realize Space Cowboys is a fairy tale, it's a lot of fun. When the plot gets in the way of the boys' shenanigans, Eastwood ignores it, often letting long stretches of film go by before deciding it's time to get back to business. There's always a moral Behind this relaxed jazz approach, Space Cowboys even manages to teach us a few things about our often-frustrating relationship with space and the space program.
Some characters eventually loosen up, but there's never room to doubt just who the bad guys are.
Even science fiction, the daydream of space travel, is considered a diversion for those who never grow up, and adolescents grown old before their time. Younger space enthusiasts may not realize it, but that's a long time to wait for a dream to come true. Those decades of waiting and dreaming dig deep into Space Cowboys and the irrepressible title foursome, dead ringers for Peter Pan and his Lost Boys. None of them ever grew up, and at the end, they remember how to fly. And in the meantime, the fact is that the future belongs, should belong, to all of us, irrespective of age.