By Ethan Stinson

Through slice of life films like “Dazed and Confused” or “Everybody Wants Some!!,” director Richard Linklater (“Before Sunrise”) has proven himself to be a master of crafting endearing, nostalgic coming-of-age stories. His most recent film, “Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood,” stays true to these expectations, overcoming an unfocused story with its charming cast, captivating visuals and undeniable likability.

Set in the 1960s, “Apollo 10 ½” tells the fictional story of Stanley, a fourth-grader (Milo Coy, in his film debut) who receives the opportunity to be the first person to land on the moon. Funnyman Jack Black (“Jumanji: The Next Level’) narrates the film as an adult Stanley, who recounts details of his childhood living in Texan suburbia. 

Though the space race and eventual moon landings serve as a backdrop for the film, the titular spaceship and its expedition only consume a small portion of the story. Instead, the narrative is mostly dedicated toward contextualizing the life of Stanley prior to his mission. His hobbies, family dynamic and daily life are depicted in a personal, nostalgic fashion reflective of Linklater’s own experiences growing up in Texas during the same era.

At times, the film functions more as a time capsule than a true narrative, highlighting historical events and the pop culture of the ’60s through extensive descriptions. The decade is also signified through the usage of an era-appropriate soundtrack, featuring the likes of artists like Creedence Clearwater Revival (“Down on the Corner”), Johnny Cash (“A Boy Named Sue”) and The Archies (“Sugar, Sugar”), among many others. 

While its more brief or casual references work well to further its historical authenticity and nostalgic feel, those which are discussed at length sometimes overstay their welcome. By featuring some more extensively than others, the film occasionally loses focus of its main story, thus generating mild confusion as to what it is meant to be about.

Like the Linklater films “Waking Life” and “A Scanner Darkly,” “Apollo 10 ½” features animation developed with a technique known as rotoscoping, through which live-action footage is traced over. The resulting product is a comic book-like visual style which contributes a greater sense of childlike wonder to the story. Considering it focuses primarily on childhood nostalgia and dreams, shooting the film solely in live-action would have done the narrative far less justice.

Aside from the inclusion of Black, Zachary Levi (“American Underdog”) and Glen Powell (“Hidden Figures”), the film mostly refrains from using big-name stars for the purpose of generating appeal. Instead, it heavily depends on Linklater’s brilliant, character-driven screenplay, which features a pleasant amount of organic, often funny dialogue.

 In the spirit of other animated slice of life films like Studio Ghibli’s “My Neighbors the Yamadas,” the endearing, slightly exaggerated personalities of and interactions between “Apollo 10 ½’s” characters allow for humorously relatable situations and conversations to take place, thus contributing further to the story’s charm. Moments which particularly stand out are those featuring Stanley’s penny-pinching dad, (Bill Wise, “Boyhood”), whose actions and words of advice often cartoonishly reflect his fixation on finding ways to save as much money as possible.

Though its story and characters may lack the memorability and focus of other Linklater films, “Apollo 10 ½” ultimately deserves praise for being one of his most personal projects. Honing in on themes and techniques for which he has become best known for featuring in his films, the space age tale serves as an honest, heartfelt love letter, not just to the time and place depicted, but also to his childhood.

Image from Netflix via YouTube