Set for your post fireworks after parties, Prime Video’s Space Cadet premieres on the Fourth of July. Both a throwback and an update, this new workplace rom-com is filled with fun and forgotten dreams. Directed by Liz Garcia, Space Cadet is the lovechild of a coming-of-age teen comedy—all grown up and ready to take on the universe—and a NASA comedy of manners. It’s like Private Benjamin (1980) jumped forward in time, but instead of a boot camp, we’re going to Space Camp for the grown girls.
Our it girl, Rex (Emma Roberts), is the ultimate delulu when she decides—despite having no credentials, whatsoever—her dreams are still within reach. As a Florida party girl with a knack for engineering and a forgotten goal of space travel, Rex bluffs her way into NASA’s astronaut program with a little help from her bestie. The subsequent hijinks play out like the “misfit in the halls of excellence” trope got a makeover, but all the archetypes are women this time. Just imagine Top Gun but with the women in the cockpit and the comedy on high.
What I enjoyed most about Space Cadet is its exploration of friendship and second chances. Rex may be our lead, but her friends Nadine (Poppy Liu) and Violet (Kuhoo Verma) are hilarious characters on their own while providing support even when Rex goes off the rails. This trifecta keeps the power of sister-friends who believe in you front and centered. Their dynamics add a layer of girl gang loyalty and true-to-life connection to the story.
Ooh, but what about the rom-com of it all? Tom Hopper shows up to give us the nerd-love warmth we wanted. And as a potential future ex-boyfriend, Sebastián Yatra is super cute too. What I didn’t expect was a Gabrielle Union appearance as Pam Proctor, the smartest person (with the highest IQ) at NASA.
Liz Garcia told me, “Well, in some ways, when you get to create a movie, you get to create sort of your fantasy of the world, right? I was like, I can see a world where we think of these government institutions like NASA—although NASA is not this way anymore—but we think of them as being run by fusty white men. And I loved the idea of the most impressive person there, cowing all the men, being this black woman. And, of course, who could do that better than Gabrielle Union.”
Union’s gift for incredulous comedy is put to good use here, as is the entire cast. Space Cadet made me want to call up my girls, grab some snacks, pour out the libations, and watch it loudly. A salute to sisterhood, dreams remembered, and the audacity to reach for the stars when the world’s gravity seems too heavy to overcome. Cheers to Space Cadet, a toast to second chances and the talents inside us that supersede degrees and accreditations.
