{"id":2670,"date":"2024-07-05T14:04:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-05T14:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canvasholidays.me\/?p=2670"},"modified":"2024-07-10T16:57:19","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T16:57:19","slug":"space-cadet-is-a-spiritual-successor-to-legally-blonde","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canvasholidays.me\/index.php\/2024\/07\/05\/space-cadet-is-a-spiritual-successor-to-legally-blonde\/","title":{"rendered":"Space Cadet is a spiritual successor to Legally Blonde"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \"A
Image: Amazon Prime Video<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To the stars\u2026 with a lot of glitter and tie-dye!<\/p>\n

In 2001, Legally Blonde <\/em>told a generation of girls they could be unapologetically girly, unabashedly plucky \u2014 and still sharp, smart, and capable of getting into Harvard Law School, becoming lawyers, and winning a landmark case. It\u2019s a staple of girl-power movie lists, winning and memorable enough to inspire a sequel, a musical, and an upcoming spinoff series<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Prime Video\u2019s Emma Roberts vehicle Space Cadet<\/em> takes a similar route with a radically different profession. This time, the protagonist is a big-hearted Florida party girl who gets into NASA\u2019s astronaut candidate program. The parallels are intentional: Writer-director Liz W. Garcia told us Legally Blonde <\/em>was a huge inspiration<\/a> for her movie. <\/p>\n

That isn\u2019t a bad thing: Space Cadet<\/em> is a strong addition to the girl-power canon, full of glittery, sticker-covered notebooks and tie-dyed T-shirts. Garcia\u2019s movie is the perfect successor, adding just enough to the formula to make it stand out, but keeping the same heart and message that resonated with audiences 23 years ago.<\/p>\n

[Ed. note:<\/strong> This review contains some slight setup spoilers for Space Cadet<\/em>.]<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Emma
\n Image: Amazon Prime Video\/Everett Collection<\/cite>
\n <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Emma Roberts (American Horror Story<\/em><\/a>) plays Tiffany \u201cRex\u201d Simpson, a bartender whose childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut were dashed when her mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Rex chose to turn down a full-ride scholarship to college so she could focus on supporting her parents. After a high school reunion, where she reunites with a friendly former academic rival who\u2019s found success in space tourism, she decides to pursue her dreams, hoping the admissions committee at NASA will see her potential. Her best friend, Nadine (Poppy Liu), takes matters into her own hands and embellishes Rex\u2019s resume a little. Rex gets into the program, but doesn\u2019t initially find out that Nadine fabricated her credentials. Even though she\u2019s burned by Nadine\u2019s deceit, Rex is determined to see the stars, so she decides to see the facade through to the end. <\/p>\n

The comparisons between Rex and Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) in Legally Blonde <\/em>are pretty evident. Like Elle before her, Rex is clearly capable. She\u2019s smart and a quick learner, she knows her way around applied physics and mechanical engineering, and she\u2019s a fantastic team player. But what sets Rex apart is her motivations, and the whole reason she\u2019s out of place: She got screwed over by life, and this is her chance to go to space. Her drive doesn\u2019t come from trying to get back a boy who dumped her for being too girly and fun-loving. (No shade to Elle! Spite is a great motivator.)<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Rex
\n Image: Amazon Prime Video\/Everett Collection<\/cite>
\n <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Rex\u2019s motivations \u2014 and the fact that her resume is<\/em> a lie \u2014 add a grittier texture and more intense stakes to her journey. She\u2019s a great character, and Roberts imbues her with a lot of heart. Seeing her ricochet around like a bright, sparkly rocket amid the more serious, traditional astronaut candidates is absolutely wonderful, especially as they start to warm up to her.<\/p>\n

Due to the program\u2019s cutthroat eliminations, some of Rex\u2019s most interesting relationships don\u2019t get much screen time \u2014 like her connection with secret romance novelist Violet (Kuhoo Verma), who offers to catch Rex up on theoretical science in exchange for Rex helping her ace the physical components of the training. And her romance with handsome yet tight-laced program coordinator Logan (The Umbrella Academy<\/em><\/a>\u2019s Tom Hopper\u2026 in glasses and cute sweaters <3 <3) feels a little shoehorned in, like it\u2019s an obligation for the genre.<\/p>\n

Logan is dreamy, and his crush on Rex is endearing. But when half of his screen time is just him performing his job duties and calling up Rex\u2019s professional references (all Nadine, using different phone numbers and increasingly elaborate theatrics), Space Cadet<\/em> doesn\u2019t really take the necessary time to sell their mutual romantic attraction as something more than just a check box on a list of tropes. <\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Logan
\n Image: Amazon Prime Video\/Everett Collection<\/cite>
\n <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

But that running gag with Nadine is hilarious, as are the scenes with Rex\u2019s ghost-tour guide dad (Gossip Girl<\/em>\u2019s Sam Robards), and the moments when her party-girl lifestyle comes in clutch and helps her with traditional astronaut training. Garcia does a great job of balancing the humor with the more grounded emotional stakes. Part of the reason Rex is so driven is because her mom fostered her love of science and space; she wants to make her mom proud. That relationship is threaded throughout the movie, and Rex never resents her mother or her situation \u2014 she just wishes it could be different and ultimately lets it fuel her. <\/p>\n

Space Cadet <\/em>is incredibly funny, but it\u2019s also about someone pursuing a life she thought she\u2019d missed out on, and finding her own strengths when she feels like she can\u2019t measure up. Legally Blonde<\/em> had Elle find a passion for law, even though people around her turned up their noses at her ambitions; in Space Cadet<\/em>, Rex grits her teeth and lets her unique background inspire her instead of holding her back. Like Rex\u2019s moonlit beach parties, this movie is a good time \u2014 but Space Cadet<\/em> is also inspiring enough that it might persuade viewers to take a moment while laughing to look up at the metaphorical stars and decide to pursue something they once talked themselves out of. <\/p>\n

Space Cadet<\/em><\/small> is now streaming on Prime Video. <\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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