Ryan Gosling in Project Hail Mary Podcast

Welcome to the Torg Stories Podcast. On this episode, Anne and I discuss the film Project Hail Mary. The film stars Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace. He’s a molecular biologist who wakes up from a coma on a space ship.

What grade do I give the film? Why? 

1. I give the film a B+. I liked it! I recommend it!
2. It’s touching. The moments between Dr. Grace and Rocky are touching. It’s amazing that the story got me to care about a rock / crab / spider. 
3. It’s inspiring. Dr. Grace authentically learns to be a hero. 
4. It’s funny. With Dr. Grace, Rocky and Carl are very funny. Dr. Grace says he and Rocky are clock bros. 
5. Excellent structure / use of time. 
6. Some really suspenseful moments: the delivery of the original message from Rocky, the collecting of the living organism to save the planet, is Rocky going to wake up? 
7. Beautiful shots of space with colors evocative of a sunset. 
8. I didn’t know how the film would end. 
9. Downsides: pacing of beginning. Think length is only critique? Maybe some of the music choices jarred me out of the moment. 

My Expectations Leading Up seeing Project Hail Mary:

• I remember a hard advertising push to launch. I’m a steady listener to the Bill Simmons podcast and they alluded to it during an episode. I remember Bill asking his son what he thought. So I wanted to see it and as is usually my way, I waited until I could see it at home. 
• Gosling hosted SNL with Harry Styles in the audience. Styles’ song “Sign of the Times” figures into the plot. I expected more of an Armageddon action film, more like Deep Impact. 

I like that word “project” in a title. I considered The Family Basketball Project. 

The Author, The Screenwriters, and The Directors

• Author Andy Weir: Dad was a physicist and mom an engineer. He’s your age Anne. He wrote the Martian bit by bit on his website. Sold as a 99 cent kindle. Afraid of flying. 
• Screenwriter:  Drew Goddard, adapted Martian and this. 
• Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directed Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Which Spiderman movies?

Actors who have most pull on me to want to see a new movie when it comes out:

1. Tom Cruise 
2. Matt Damon 
3. Ryan Gosling 
4. Will Ferrell 
5. Emily Blunt 
6. Denzel Washington 
7. Brad Pitt 
8. Robert Downey Jr. 
9. Ryan Reynolds 

List your most interesting and/or best moments of the film: 

1. The mystery of “what’s going on” when he wakes up on the ship and the other two members of the crew are dead. 

• On the second watch, to know he was involuntarily put in a coma and to know he had lost his memory hit me harder. 

2. As Dr. Grace gets his memory back on the ship, we get flashbacks to what happened. The structure is really important to keeping the film interesting. What if it was in linear time? 
3. The MORE ORIGINAL problem of the astrophage feeding off of the sun and CO2 on Jupiter. 
4. The interactions between Dr. Grace (Gosling) and Carl, the security officer. Talking through what they are doing. 

• Writing and thinking floats on a sea of conversation. I see that with Grace and Carl just talking it out. Maybe CO2 is fresh air for the dots. 

5. Dr. Grace doesn’t have any courage. The events force him to develop it. 
6. I like that Dr. Grace shows personality. Some basketball players can do that and many don’t. 
7. Does Eva (the Director of project Mary) have a super dry sense of humor? I think she does. 
8. When the ship turns off automatically when it reaches its destination and gravity is gone. 
9. The interactions between “Rocky” the alien and Gosling. “Rocky” picks the voice to be used for him. 

10. Big: Grace and Rocky save stars. Rocky builds a ball and comes in. He says, “Why room so messy? Question.” 
11. One of the funniest moments was Rocky’s super hearing. 
12. AI Mary learns Rocky’s name and they are all talking as they head to get the sample. 
13. Do you believe in God? It beats the alternative. I thought Dr. Grace and Eva were going to kiss. 
14. When Sandra Huller who is Eva Stratt sings Styles’ “Sign of the Times.” Click here for the lyrics. 

• Welcome to the final show. They told me that the end is near. 
• Have the time of your life. Breaking through the atmosphere. 

15. Grace: I got to meet you. I got to do all of this amazing stuff. I’m good. I’ve made peace with it. BIG: Rocky couldn’t help his crew. He can help grace. Grace go home. (crying) 
16. The ship blew up. That’s why Grace had to go. We don’t learn that until less than an hour to go. 
17. I put the “naut” in astronaut. 
18. The Beatles song when he sends the probes home. The probes are named after the Beatles and the book is dedicated to them. It’s a “We’re going home” song. 
19. Eva receives the predator and the videos. 

What movies are keeping company with this one? This movie reminds you of what other movies? 

1. Castaway – long stretches of no dialogue.
2. The Martian – Any Weir wrote that book and he wrote this one. Drew Goddard wrote both screenplays. 
3. Arrival – Amy Adams is a linguist called on to try and communicate with aliens who have landed.
4. Deep Impact – Hail Mary does have that very suspenseful stretch where they are trying to capture the living organism that is feeding on the astrophage. 

At the end (SPOILER), Gosling’s character Dr. Grace has to decide if we will make the long journey back to earth (10 years?) or stay on Rocky’s planet. What do you think he will decide? What would you advise him to do?

• Reasons for earth: be with other humans, he saved the world. Is that a reason to go back? Do science. 
• Reasons to stay: real friend, enjoys teaching, don’t have to spend all that time going back. Who knows how long. 
• He should go back to earth for the primary reason that he could tell people about his experiences on another planet and share with them what he learned.

Thanks for checking out this episode!