What is Spaceman about? Adam Sandler’s Netflix movie explained

Adam Sandler is showing off his acting chops again in Spaceman, a new sci-fi movie on Netflix from the director of Chernobyl. Here’s what it’s about, who’s in it, and if it’s worth watching.

Sandler is the modern-day master of the goofball comedy, whether it’s iconic turns in underrated movies like Click and Big Daddy or critically-maligned heaps of hilarious crap like You Don’t Mess with the Zohan. However, he’s also a gifted actor with incredible range.

This project is his latest dramatic effort in Sandler’s overall deal with Netflix and is among the best new movies to stream this month. Here’s Spaceman explained.

What is Spaceman about?

Spaceman follows a lone cosmonaut (Sandler) on a mission to investigate a mysterious cloud near Jupiter. But it strains his relationship with his wife (Carey Mulligan), and soon he has nobody but a large alien spider (Paul Dano) to comfort him.

The movie, directed by Johan Renck, is based on Jaroslav Kalfař’s 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia.

The official synopsis reads, “Six months into a solitary research mission to the edge of the solar system, an astronaut, Jakub (Adam Sandler), realizes that the marriage he left behind might not be waiting for him when he returns to Earth. Desperate to fix things with his wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), he is helped by a mysterious creature from the beginning of time he finds hiding in the bowels of his ship. Hanuš (voiced by Paul Dano) works with Jakub to make sense of what went wrong before it is too late.”

Arachnophobes may be put off by the giant spider, but Renck knew if Hanuš had a “beautiful heart and soul”, even the most spider-averse would love him. You can find out more about the fuzzy arachnid in our Spaceman review.

“I am arachnophobic as well, something that I’ve been forced to overcome a little bit by having four kids and I have to sort of chase spiders out of their rooms every now and then — and that’s actually related a little bit to the film,” he told Dexerto in an interview.

“I wanted Hanuš to be disgusting, revolting, scary, pathetic… but also cute and sweet, and I thought, ‘That’s gonna be a challenge.’ But what I’ve come to learn and understand now is, no matter how revolting and scary and ugly and weird-looking anything is… if its heart and soul are good, you’re going to love it.”

Spaceman cast: Who’s in it?

Adam Sandler leads the Spaceman cast as Jakub Procházka with Carey Mulligan in a supporting role as his wife.

The Spaceman cast list:

• Adam Sandler as Jakub Procházka
• Paul Dano as the voice of Hanuš
• Carey Mulligan as Lenka Procházka, Jakub’s pregnant wife
• Kunal Nayyar as Peter
• Lena Olin as Zdena
• Isabella Rossellini as Commissioner Tuma
• Sadie Sandler as Young Lenka
• John Flanders as Gregor
• Sinead Phelps as Pregnant Woman

Sandler isn’t a stranger to dramatic roles and has worked with revered directors on some of their best movies. He often reels in great co-stars, and Spaceman was no different during the casting process.

Is Spaceman worth watching?

While Spaceman has a mediocre 57% score on Rotten Tomatoes, we still think it’s worth watching if you like somber sci-fi movies.

Our four-star review called it a “sweet Solaris riff.” We said it, “doesn’t chart new ground in sci-fi… but its message is quietly wondrous: for all that we don’t know about the universe, love is the one faith (and dream) we can all experience.”

It’s received positive reviews elsewhere, too. HeyUGuys describes it as “a cosmic epic that resonates on a deeply personal level,” and Empire dubs it a “strange, heartfelt sci-fi drama” with “Sandler at his somber best.”

However, other critics have taken a harsher view of the film. “Spaceman is neither particularly astute about human nature nor discernibly interested in the politics embedded in it, and it is not even meme-ably bad, which is a shame. So much wasted potential,” The New York Times wrote.

“Dreary, sluggish sci-fi which will have most viewers banging on the doors for an escape pod,” Screen International wrote.

Spaceman is available to stream on Netflix now. If you’re curious about when Spaceman takes place, we’ve got you covered. You can also read our Spaceman ending explained, or check out other new movies this month.