Lucy in the Sky

Natalie Portman crashes to Earth as an astronaut whose grip on reality dissolves following a successful space mission. Inspired by real events, this drama from feature debut director Noah Hawley (of TV's Fargo and Legion) could have provided an interesting look at what happens to an individual when you have seen the fantastic and returned to the mundane. Instead, it's a film clogged with over-the-top antics and showy visual flourishes, such as the aspect ratio regularly changing, and, while Portman is spirited, she is often called on to play a very basic kind of "unhinged" character - one who requires little more than flailing hands and a raised voice. It's a disservice to the star, as well as a fine cast, including Dan Stevens as Portman's impossibly nice husband and Jon Hamm as the smarmy lover who sends her over the edge. So while Lucy in the Sky shows a few moments of promise, it is, on the whole, a movie that required significantly more focus.