The Dish proves that a tiny story from a large epic can serve as a delightful dish when prepared and served correctly. It tells the story of how the Parkes Observatory at Parkes, New South Wales, Australia, was used by NASA throughout the Apollo program to receive signals in the Southern Hemisphere. The otherwise unknown dish ended up being an important player, relaying the live television of man's first steps on the moon, during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. But what sets this film apart is not so much the historical events. It is that the filmmakers wisely chose to give the same importance, from the story’s perspective, to the success of the scientific mission at hand, as the romantic challenge a team member faces, overcoming his shyness and asking a local girl out. One can easily forgive the film’s fictionalization of the actual events in favor of the need for dramatic elements.
The cast, led by Sam Neill, is reliable and human, making The Dish a real charmer.