Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

SoftInloveRox Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

toappleway This film brought tears of Joy to my eyes as I watched it. Anyone who doesn't like this movie needs to have their emotions checked out!There are so many great aspects of this film..The kid actors were fabulous and of course John Corbett does a great job as always.. The guy who played the owner of Big Dan's was really good and the voice of the Space Camp judge I loved. The judge really made me feel like he was also pulling for these kids.This is one of the best TV movies I have seen in a long long time.. Way to go ABC and Hallmark!I would highly recommend this movie! The best part is you can watch it with you kids, not many movies I can say that about.

Funandsun When a special needs high school class goes on a rare field trip there is disaster. The following may be considered a spoiler. The principal says the class will no longer be allowed to go on field trips. But at the failed field trip a brochure for Space Camp had already captured the imagination of a student and one of their teachers. Not only will the trip cost $50,000.00 but the principal, Space Camp, and other students don't think they can handle it. The next 10 months the class prepares for the trip of a life time. Filled with the daily bullying faced by children with special needs the students over come low expectations to surprise, delight, and change attitudes. While some of the dialogue from the adults seems stilted but real the students are totally real and deliver great performances. Limited by TV time the actions still flows well and keeps the story alive until a triumphant finish.

vchimpanzee In this fact-based Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, Mike Kersjes is a special education teacher and football coach at Forest Hills Northern High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1988.On a field trip to a planetarium, Mike's easily distracted students start misbehaving and are taken out. The school is informed that the students shouldn't come back. Ben, who has Down's Syndrome, took a bunch of brochures for space camp in Huntsville, Alabama, and once they are back on the bus, he hands them out to the other students, and even after arriving home, Ben wants to go to space camp.It's a crazy idea, but Mike is willing to consider this because he believes such an experience will be good for his kids, who are often told what they can't do and not given chances to prove what they can do. His co-teacher Robynn tries to talk Mike out of it but if Mike is told no, he says he won't pursue it further. Mike is told no and asks to speak to a supervisor. Then he is essentially told no once again but given the option of submitting a proposal. Which he does, despite being told he is out of his mind by Principal Keller. But Ben's father is on the school board and can go over the principal's head.The kids like the idea, and Mike and Robynn travel to Huntsville to meet with Col. Wechsler, who has the final say. Believe it or not, even though Dr. Barnhart has shown the teachers what is involved and tried to discourage Mike from continuing to pursue this, the mission is a go. As long as Mike can raise the $50,000 required to get the kids there. And as long as the kids successfully complete the training required to make sure they can benefit from the experience rather than embarrassing themselves and the school and guaranteeing no other "special" children will get to attend space camp. And as long as the kids don't do anything else to get in trouble so the principal can definitely say no.It's an uphill battle. And many of the other students at the school, including the football players who start feeling their head coach is neglecting them, continue to make fun of these "losers". What they will have to learn to do is what Jackie Robinson learned to do (though he isn't mentioned, this pioneer in baseball had to endure all sorts of abuse without fighting back).These kids are not losers, of course. One man who knows that is Big Dan, who has Ben and one of the other boys working in one of his burger restaurants. He wishes all his employees were as good as they are. And most of the kids have specific talents. Some are even geniuses in their own way but can't function in a normal classroom. They just have to learn to use their strengths and work together.You know if the movie was made, they somehow made it to Huntsville and probably conducted themselves admirably. Sure, there may still be obstacles even there, but so what? They made it, right?Everyone does a good job in this movie. John Corbett carries the movie capably and pushes the children to do their best. Jessy Schram is not merely pretty but a fine assistant in Mike's efforts. Her best scene is the one in Huntsville that apparently makes all the difference. Robynn is from the South and knows how to be charming in the way other Southerners expect.All the young actors with lines do a good job (I seem to recall several kids who didn't have lines but made the trip). Whether the actors are disabled or not I can't say, but either way they all did really well. Any actors who aren't disabled are quite convincing as kids with problems, and all of the kids make us care. And if they are disabled, they have quite a challenge but meet the standard.Logan Huffman is the standout member of the group; Scott is dyslexic but constantly asks to be put in with the "normal" students; he takes tests to prove he can function in regular classes, but eventually stops making fun of the others and starts working with them. And Mike wants him to be a leader, which he doesn't believe he can be. Oh, yes, he can.Space camp is everything it needs to be. It really looks like training for astronauts, and teaches the viewers about the science and the various challenges astronauts face.And all of this can be watched by the whole family. There is some name-calling and minor violence, but nothing objectionable.The term "The Right Stuff" is used here. This movie has that.

KristiAnn1 The movie, which stars John Corbett, is based on the memoir by teacher Mike Kersjes with Joe Layden in the 1980′s. It gives an inside look into the way one educator empowered special needs students who were often bullied by others to find compassion and respect for everyone.[3] In the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, many of the special-ed students were played by young actors who have Down syndrome, autism and learning disabilities. Space Camp is a competitive education program at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Even though it's designed for gifted science students, Mike, a special education teacher and football coach at a Michigan high school, decides participating in the science program would do wonders for the self-esteem of his students – especially Ben, a boy with Down syndrome, who dreams of becoming an astronaut.Aided by fellow teacher Robynn McKinney, Mike faces incredible obstacles in trying to make his dream become reality. School administrators oppose the plan as being too expensive. Space Camp officials are skeptical: They've never had special-ed kids apply before.At long last, Mike and his students are given the green light. And then the real challenges begin, over nine months of rigorous teaching, learning, training and fund-raising. The kids are belittled and in some cases bullied by their fellow classmates, but Mike finds a way to keep them on track. He even convinces the school's football team, his other students, to help them prepare for the intense physical challenges of Space Camp. The class finally leaves for Huntsville, Alabama. Will kids with Down syndrome, Tourette's, learning disabilities and emotional problems be able to leave their baggage behind, coalesce into a team, and compete with some of the brightest students from across the country!