Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this rousing and sometimes sappy adventure that's easily his best directing effort since The Bridges of Madison County.

Eastwood plays a man who was once a member of the space program. He's called upon by his old boss (solid James Cromwell) to help train a younger crew, who will then be sent up to repair a satellite system designed by Eastwood. Bitter about an event that took place years earlier, Eastwood agrees only if he and his old team can reunite and assist in the operation.

The set up in this film is quite obvious. We're introduced to each character individually as they've moved on to new stages in their life. Naturally they all accept Eastwood's offer, even though they may be too old to pull it off. That's where the film gets it's kick. The team is played with obvious delight by Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner and Donald Sutherland. Eastwood gives the entire cast room to breathe and the four seasoned veterans play off of each other beautifully. In fact, it's the humor of the film that makes it worth going out to see. It's also nice to see Eastwood involved with a woman close to his own age in the film. These are some of the movie's best moments. And although the film's opening offers some annoying character dubbing, I found myself won over for the most part. It's hard to not like these cosmos cowpokes. And despite some truly manipulative moments, I never felt like I was watching Spitfire Grill In Space. Speaking of space, Space Cowboys also offers surprisingly realistic effects in the final act of the film. There's also a bizarre tribute to Stanley Kubrick's brilliant Dr. Strangelove, that doesn't quite work, but still manages to bring a smile. And although Eastwood's opus doesn't quite capture the drama of The Right Stuff or the heroism of Apollo 13, it does manage to engage the audience with some thrilling moments.

Ultimately, the best part about Space Cowboys is it's running theme; that growing old doesn't have to be a bad thing. It's nice to see this cast of pros playing their age and still doing extraordinary work.