Houston, we have a problem. For our 13th episode, we’re launching into a discussion of Ron Howard’s true-life space adventure, APOLLO 13. Fasten your helmet and head to the launchpad, we have lift-off.

Molly and Chloe crunch the numbers on this adventure blockbuster based on astronaut Jim Lovell’s memoir about the ill-fated 1970 NASA mission to the moon. We talk superstition, space shuttles, seventies fashion and scientific calculus, and what makes Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon and Ed Harris’s performances so believable. Plus we weigh up the film’s authenticity: while its commitment to replica sets and antigravity filming in the ‘vomit comet’ had even Buzz Aldrin fooled, there’s still something missing from Mission Control…

Finally, we calculate the funniest line and best 70s spectacles for our awards section, play a quick round of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon and make some out-of-this-world recommendations for what to watch next.

Correction! The seamstress we mentioned who made the Apollo spacesuits was called Hazel Fellows. Learn about her here.

Janet Maslin’s original 1995 review for the New York Times

An article featuring behind-the-scenes footage of the anti-gravity shoots

An interview with Ron Howard to mark the film’s 25th anniversary

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Check out the other films we recommended on Letterboxd

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