The Dish (2001)
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96% of critics liked it
(98 reviews) -
77% of users liked it
(8,100 ratings)
In this comedy, as American astronauts prepare to make one giant leap for mankind, a small Australian town stumbles through its own small steps to help. In the summer of 1969, Cliff Buxton (Sam Neill) leads a team of scientists overseeing the operations of one of the world's largest radio… More In this comedy, as American astronauts prepare to make one giant leap for mankind, a small Australian town stumbles through its own small steps to help. In the summer of 1969, Cliff Buxton (Sam Neill) leads a team of scientists overseeing the operations of one of the world's largest radio telescope dishes, nestled in a New South Wales community of sheep farmers. As NASA prepares for Apollo 11, the first manned voyage to the moon, Buxton and his crew are asked if they will allow their telescope's dish to be used as a backup receiver for the television transmission from the moon, should the main receiver in California fail. Buxton and his men are more than happy to help, and the village is agog as they gear up for their own small part in one of the world's greatest adventures. Mayor McIntyre (Roy Billing) and his wife May (Genevieve Mooy) are thrilled to be greeting a small but steady stream of important visitors, though many of the locals are not especially good with etiquette, and several members of Buxton's team, most notably high-strung Mitch (Kevin Harrington), are less than enthusiastic about Al Burnett (Patrick Warburton), the know-it-all NASA technician brought in to oversee the Australian operations. When a change in Apollo 11's schedule means the Australian dish will have to pick up the vital broadcast from the moon, Cliff, Mitch, and Al must put aside their differences to pull the show together. Though played for laughs, The Dish was inspired by actual events. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Rob Sitch
- Written By
- Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy, Rob Sitch
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Mar 14, 2001 Limited
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
All these years later, the sight of a man walking on the surface of the moon has lost none of its power.
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Susan Stark, Detroit News
Both an entertaining, instructive jaunt down memory lane and also, for the younger generation, a most palatable lesson in modern history.
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Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
The Dish also does a nice job of evoking what 1969 was like for people who didn't live in San Francisco, Paris or even Melbourne, Australia.
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Steven Rosen, Denver Post
Makes you admire the Australian ability to make a comedy that's sincere rather than crass.
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Desson Thomson, Washington Post
For many moviegoers, that feel-good spirit is going to be hard to resist.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Sam Neill
as Cliff Buxton
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Kevin Harrington
as Ross "Mitch" Mitchell
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Tom Long
as Glenn Latham
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Patrick Warburton
as Al Burnett
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Genevieve Mooy
as May McIntyre
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Tayler Kane
as Rudi Kellerman
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Billie Brown
as Prime Minister
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Roy Billing
as Mayor Bob McIntyre
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Andrew S. Gilbert
as Len Purvis
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Lenka Kripac
as Marie McIntyre
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Matthew Moore
as Keith Morrison
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Eliza Szonert
as Janine Kellerman
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John McMartin
as U.S. Ambassador
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Carl Snell
as Billy McIntyre
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Rosalind Hammond
as Miss Nolan
- Bille Brown
- Billy Mitchell
- Frank Bennett
- Kerry Walker
- Randall Berger
- Susan Ward
