2001, 1 hr 40 min., Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.�Dir: Rob Sitch. Cast: Sam Neill (Cliff Buxton), Kevin Harrington (Mitch), Tom Long (Glenn), Patrick Warburton (Al), Tayler Kane (Rudi), Eliza Szonert (Janine), John McMartin (U.S. Ambassador), Roy Billing (Mayor Bob McIntyre), Lenka Kripac (Marie McIntyre), Genevieve Mooy (May McIntyre), Carl Snell (Billy McIntyre), Matthew Moore (Keith), Bille Brown (The Prime Minister).

All the dish on this one is that it�s a gem, and highly under-buzzed (to coin a new word) in the press and online. I�m just glad to finally see any film for one of the few times this year, and since The Dish was just released near me in Atlanta, I decided to take Dad and Danielle�s advice and catch the film that Australians have fallen in love with.

And Americans should, too. After all, even though it�s set Down Under in Parkes, Australia, it deals with the Apollo 11 moon landing and Neil Armstrong�s monumental step for mankind and how the Aussies played a part.

As a fan of history (esp. back-stories), space exploration, Australians in general and quirky comedies, The Dish is right up my alley. Which is weird, because I don�t remember owning an alley. But if I did, this film would sit right on it. Or up it. Boy howdy, I just can�t hold that clich� analogy together.

Anyway, the little town of Parkes, home to the largest receiving telescope in the Southern Hemisphere (sitting in the middle of a sheep paddock), gets the enormous job of transmitting Apollo 11�s signal to Houston while the craft is on the opposite side of the planet from the U.S. The town is full of fun personalities, which really drives the film in a positive direction and keeps a smile on the audience�s face, where even I decided to ignore questions I had about the film. So much so that I can�t remember what those concerns were.

You�ll only recognize a few faces, such as Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) and Patrick Warburton (of �Seinfeld� fame as Elaine�s on-again-off-again boyfriend). Neill is The Dishmaster, which sounds eerily close to a biography of Emeril Legasse. Warburton is a NASA representative sent to oversee The Dish.

Everyone else speaks in the most Australian accents you�ve heard since last year�s Olympics. And though they may be eclectic, these guys have smarts, using X�s and Y�s and other symbols I can�t pretend to know the titles of in math problems that take up the entire chalkboard. But that won�t stop them from enjoying playing cricket in the Dish.

Last summer at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, I was excited to be a part of our crew for CNN Newsource, relaying information for our affiliates across the world. I can�t even begin to imagine the pride involved in relaying the sound and pictures of one of the most important moments in mankind�s history for a billion people.

The Dish relays this excitement for you, telling a back story you�ve never thought of before, and giving a clear picture in one of the most clever and witty films of the year. So go out of your way to see it, and you don�t have to travel Down Under to find it; it�s worth your while.

The verdict:

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