TFW u Slingshot (CREDIT: Bleecker Street/Screenshot)

Starring: Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne, Emily Beecham, Tomer Capone, David Morrissey

Director: Mikael Håfström

Running Time: 109 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: August 30, 2024 (Theaters)

Well okay, since Slingshot didn’t get a super-duper big release, nor was it heavily advertised, I suppose I ought to provide a quick synopsis so that you don’t have to open an extra tab. Casey Affleck plays an astronaut named John who’s on a mission to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. He’s joined by two other astronauts, played by these dudes Laurence Fishburne and Tomer Capone. Meanwhile, there are flashbacks to John’s time on Earth when he was recruited into the mission and fell in love with his girlfriend Zoe (Emily Beecham). Those flashbacks will prove to be important later! Anyway, while the crew gets to the point in outer space where they must perform a slingshot maneuver around Jupiter, John starts to lose his mind a little bit.

To get extratextual for a moment, I saw this movie with my dad on Sunday afternoon of Labor Day weekend, which was a good scheduling idea, as the ending made me go, “Hmm, I’m not quite sure how I feel about that.” Luckily, ambiguity that’s as big as the vast expanse of space was easier to handle on a relaxing weekend. So if you’re thinking about seeing Slingshot yourself, just make sure to avoid any simultaneous existential crises. (Unless you’re into that sort of thing!)

Grade: 800 Slings out of 1555 Shots