A Million Miles Away

"It takes more than a dream to reach the stars."

2023 2h 2m EN

🙌

7.6

BANGER

🍅

89%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.6TMDB · 556🍅89%Rotten Tomatoes●62Metacritic★7.3IMDB · 24,999

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The life of engineer and former NASA astronaut José M. Hernández, the first migrant farmworker to go to space.

“It takes more than a dream to reach the stars.”

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Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

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Cast

Michael Peña
José Hernández
Rosa Salazar
Adela
Julio Cesar Cedillo
Salvador
Veronica Falcón
Julia
Juanpi Monterrubio
José (Age 7)
Garret Dillahunt
Sturckow
Sarayu Blue
Kalpana Chawla
Bobby Soto
Beto

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alejandra Márquez Abella
Writers: Bettina Gilois, Hernán Jiménez, Alejandra Márquez Abella
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Mexico

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Mexico.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Camilo Lara. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hervé Schneid shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Michael Peña and Rosa Salazar and Julio Cesar Cedillo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It takes more than a dream to reach the stars.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt21940010 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alejandra Márquez Abella directs. Camilo Lara scores. Hervé Schneid cuts. Produced in United States of America, Mexico. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 3 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Mexico.
3Original score by Camilo Lara. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Hervé Schneid shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Michael Peña and Rosa Salazar and Julio Cesar Cedillo carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "It takes more than a dream to reach the stars.".
7IMDB entry: tt21940010 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Original score: Camilo Lara
Editing: Hervé Schneid
Runtime: 122 min · 2h 2m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: A Million Miles Away (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 62/100
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 24,999 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

6 wins & 7 nominations total

Also by

Alejandra Márquez Abella

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Victoria@alai.com2023-09-16
★ 9/10
Incredible movie on so many levels. Almost anyone can relate to starting wherever you are in life and daring to dream of achieving your deepest underlying desire. This movie shows how often these accomplishments happen in part due to an earlier generations' sacrifice and dream as well. The production, acting, story, graphics, and more were and are top shelf. Bravo to the astronaut who lived and wrote this inspiring story.
Brent Marchant2023-09-25
★ 6/10
As uplifting tales of inspiration and motivation, movies about underdogs and beating the odds have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially when based on true stories. And this latest Amazon Prime Video offering is yet another offering to come out of that genre. Writer-director Alejandra Márquez Abella’s biopic about the life of José Hernández (Michael Peña), the first individual from a migrant farm worker background to go on to become a NASA astronaut, chronicles the impressive journey of a young Mexican-American from the agricultural fields of California to the flight deck of the Space Shuttle Discovery. The film provides a comprehensive view of this unlikely hero’s life from his often-disrupted childhood to his career as a Lawrence Livermore Laboratory engineer to his tenacious efforts at becoming a space-faring explorer, an uphill battle during which the odds were often stacked against him, both professionally and as a dutiful husband, father and son. It’s a moving story, the kind of picture that makes a good viewing choice for impressionable, wide-eyed grade school students with big dreams of their own. However, it’s also extremely formulaic in its storytelling approach, precisely hitting all of the requisite high and low points in just the right amounts and at just the right times. The downside in this is that it becomes predictable, at times blatantly obvious, even without knowing the particulars of the protagonist’s story, seriously undercutting any meaningful attempts at narrative originality. The picture is also a little on the long side; in its sincere attempt to be thorough, it sometimes incorporates so much detail that the story’s more incidental moments start to bog down the flow of the film. To its credit, this release has its delightful moments of unexpected humor and features fine performances by its capable cast, even if the material they’ve been given to work with at times seems a little lackluster, despite the underlying heroic nature of the story. “A Million Miles Away” is certainly a decent watch, but don’t be disappointed if you don’t feel like you’ve been rocketed into orbit by the picture’s end.