As much as I like chimps, having them in a film is usually the kiss of death. Pairing them up with a relatively unknown comedian doesn't really help much either. But Rocketman takes the wacky concept of space travel to Mars, throws in a monkey and Harland Williams and comes out with a silly but fun comedy.
Justifying a plot in most comedies is traditionally a futile effort, as it is here, but here goes: Williams plays a computer geek who invented the software a spacecraft uses to navigate through space and plan landing trajectory. When control pilot who's supposed to be on the shuttle is injured (by Williams) the geek must take his place. But first, the training. Ooh the wacky training. Then the 8 month flight. Oh how it gets fouled up. Then the landing and Mars explortaion. Ooh, imagine the hijinks. Then the arbitrary serious climax with happy ending.
Yeah, it's formula to a "t", but Williams comedic ability and childlike character make the film entertaining. And, while the humour is stupid enough to make kids laugh, it's smart enough to make adults laugh too.