October Sky (1999)
This really played on all Hollywood cylinders and had a Oscar-bait aura to it, yet it was hard not to be caught up in the charm and engineering spirit of things. Combining coming-of-age with the American dream is hard to beat in the wholesome department, but it also got a bit too cheesy at points. I like Chris Cooper as the complicated father figure here, and while he is mostly portrayed as an antagonist, we do get a sense he has his own doubts and fears about the future of mining to worry about. Jake Gyllenhaal is convincing and an impressive performance from the young Jake here.
Rating: 3.5