Should you bring the kids? Yes, but it's best for kids 12 and older. The storyline centers around the importance of family and following your dreams, but some of the content is really PG-13. Language includes the sh** word, and the story includes themes of death and suicide. For more info, see "Bringing the Kids" below.

THE STORY: If you build it, they will come. Only in this case, "it" is a rocket, and "they" are government officials coming to shut the rocket down.

The story revolves around Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton), a guy who spent his whole life dreaming about becoming an astronaut. He earned a degree in aerospace engineering and was a shoe-in for the NASA astronaut training program. But fate had other plans, and he was forced to drop out and return home to the family ranch in Texas.

But that's not the end of the story (otherwise, there would be no movie). No, Farmer's space dream never died, and he spent the next decade (and every cent he owned) building a rocket in his barn. Most of the material came from rocket scrap-yards (yes, there ARE such things!). His goal: launch himself into space.

Fortunately, he doesn't have to do it alone. There's his wife, Audie (Virginia Madsen), daughters Sunshine (Logan Polish) and Stanley (Jasper Polish), and 15-year-old Shepard (Max Thieriot), already following in his dad's engineer footsteps. Shepard's looking forward to serving as "Mission Control" on the big day. Audie's dad, Hal (Bruce Dern) offers encouragement, too.

When word gets out about the wacky project (it's not every day someone tries to buy 10,000 pounds of high-grade fuel), Farmer ends up in the middle of a media frenzy. News hounds and tabloid reporters start camping outside his gate, even Jay Leno takes a shot at the "space cowboy".

Sure, he might be off his rocker (or is that rocket?), but Farmer becomes a sort of renegade hero, stirring people to remember their own long-lost dreams. He also wants to teach his kids to be brave, follow their heart, and never give up. After all, the family that dreams together stays together.

The government isn't quite as thrilled. The FBI, CIA, FAA, and NASA see him as a potential threat to civilian safety. He must be stopped by any means possible! Bruce Willis plays a former astronaut who walks the line between admiring Farmer and thinking he's nuts.

It doesn't get much better than Billy Bob Thornton, especially paired with director Michael Polish, who also helmed the quirky Twin Falls Idaho and Northfork. This movie isn't quite as heavy as those, but still has a few weighty themes (see below). All in all, though, a good mix of fun and drama.

BRINGING THE KIDS:

PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5): While the idea of a homemade rocket launching into outer space is appealing, this movie is too mature for preschoolers. A better bet is Disney's Little Einsteins, a series about four loveable kids jetting around the globe in their musical spaceship, Rocket. Spouting fun and teamwork, these DVDs blend animation, live-action footage, famous works of art, and classical music. The next Einsteins adventure to hit store and cyber shelves is 2005's The Legend of the Golden Pyramid, on DVD Feb. 27, 2007.

GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6 - 10): While this movie is centered around family, there are too many mature themes to recommend it for this age group. Language includes the use of ass, damn, and sh** several times. The storyline references Farmer's dad, who committed suicide earlier in his life. Another character dies during the course of the movie, and there's a funeral scene. Peril includes a rocket scene, as well as FBI agents pursuing Farmer with guns. Farmer's ranch is nearing foreclosure, and there's talk about the kids being taken away due to his mental health. Because of these reasons, I don't recommend it for kids younger than 12.

TWEEN / TEEN (ages 11+): This movie shows that you really CAN turn dreams into reality, if you have a plan of action and refuse to quit, no matter how bizarre the dream. Let's face it, every person who ever invented anything had to push through obstacles. And yet, here we are, going to the moon, driving non-horse-driven vehicles, and communicating over this strange contraption called the Internet. The message: Dream big. Even if you have to build a rocket in your barn.

SCORE: 3.5 out of 4 Reels