Writer: Robert Gordon, David Howard
Cast: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shaloub, Daryl Mitchell, Alan Rickman
The space opera series Galaxy Quest was canceled in the 1980's after three seasons. Since then, the cast members have earned their living traveling from one convention to another, until most of them are heartily sick of the whole thing.
Everyone, that is, except Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen). Nesmith's life since the NSEA Protector was granted has revolved around reprising his role of Commander Peter Quincy Taggert and bullying the others into doing it with him. Never mind that most of them consider him an egocentric, narcissistic limelight hog. He's oblivious to, wallowing in the adulation of the fans--until he overhears a sneering critique of himself during a visit to a convention restroom.
At this particular convention, however, there are some very special fans anxious to meet him, and they traveled an extremely long way to do it. They believe that the Galaxy Quest episodes are, in fact, "historical documents," and they're counting on Commander Taggert and the rest of the crew to save them from interplanetary annihilation.
At first, Nesmith thinks he's being chauffeured to yet another convention, and the fact that he's massively hung over doesn't make it any clearer. When he finally realizes that these fans are really far out, he can't resist the opportunity to play Taggert one more time. Unfortunately, there's a big gap between pretending to save the galaxy on a sound stage and doing it on the bridge of the spacecraft.
This movie succeeds in so many ways it's hard to decide where to begin to discuss it. Is it funny? Oh, my, yes! The idea of taking a bunch of actors and dropping them into reality has delightful potential, and the Robert Gordon-David Howard script uses every ounce of it without ever becoming heavy handed. Their characters may be silly from time to time, but they aren't fools. Director Parisot keeps the action going at a steady pace, letting the one-liners zap along the way they should--here and gone. Miss one? Too bad.
He has also assembled an extraordinary cast. Tim Allen gives what may well be the best performance of his career, free of the crude, annoying "toolman" persona that he's dragged along into most of his earlier feature efforts. Nor does he take the easy road and play Jason Nesmith as a William Shatner parody. His Nesmith is a pushy, loudly arrogant ham, but at the same time Allen captures the underlying lonely desperation of a man
