October Sky

As the Soviet satellite Sputnik streaks across the heavens in October 1957, it's a source of inspiration for 17-year-old Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who refuses to follow in his father's footsteps laboring in West Virginia's coal mines. Hickam would rather reach for the stars -- literally. Drafting a few friends, he sets about crafting a rocket to compete for a science-fair scholarship -- and a chance to change his seemingly immutable future.