Heartwarming / October Sky

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• Jim isn't always a Cool Big Bro, but he has his moments. In his first scene, he asks another jock to go easy on Homer during football practice.
  • After Homer gets knocked down anyway and doesn't make the team, the coach lets him down gently.
  Coach Gainer: Well, Homer, you've sure got guts; but ya gotta know when to quit.
• When John Hickam intervenes to stop Roy Lee's stepdad from beating him. He vows to repay generously any harm done to the boy and tells Roy in the car, in tones of unaccustomed emotion, that Lee senior was "one of the best men I ever had working for me".
• The way that a lot of other kids at the school, and then plenty of adults, start watching the launches, and become gradually more supportive.
• Despite his lack of support for the rocket project, John gives Homer some leftover cement from a building project to use for the launch pedestal.
• Jim is prepared to give up his football scholarship to work in the mines and pay for John's surgery, only for Homer to volunteer instead.
• The name of the final rocket.
• The principal's face when the boys win the National Science Fair. He started off telling Miss Riley not to get their hopes up and now he's overjoyed at what they've accomplished.
• When someone sabotages Homer by robbing his display, Homer's mother pushes her husband to make a deal to end the strike so one of the employees can hurry and make and ship a replacement out to Homer before the official judging the next day. The rest of the town also gives Homer a loud cheer over the phone and then the hero's welcome he gets when he comes back home and gets off the bus.
• Homer began making his rockets from the mine's workshop (something he really shouldn't have been doing), and one of the workers, Ike Bvkovsky, helped him make his rocket parts, even teaching him little by little how to use them. When Homer's father found out about this, he gave Bvkovsky a different job working inside the mines. Later on in the film, Ike Bvkovsky is killed in a mining disaster, and Homer is devastated to see not only the man who helped him from the start dead, but also see that his father was injured as well, he takes Bvkovsky's number tag from the clock in board, as a good luck charm. During the award presentation, what is he holding when 1st place is about to be announced? Bvkovsky's Number Tag.
  • During the final Rocket Launch, Homer begins by giving thanks to all the people who have helped them get this far, he made sure to give Ike Bvkovsky his posthumous due.
• Although it depresses Homer to go into the mines to support his family, John is proud to see that his son stepped up and eager to teach Homer the ins and outs of mining. The two even get to share some bonding time while underground.
• Homer's parents reminiscing over some cheap but affectionate presents he gave her.
• During the Indianapolis science fair, Homer is in line for a movie and hears two other kids talking about which exhibit will win, with one of them saying it will be Homer's rocket and praising how cool it is. Homer's smile is a sight to see.
• Homer's father finally going to watch Homer launch his rocket at the end of the movie and Homer inviting him to press the launch button (which he does) followed by him slowly putting his arm around Homer's shoulder and smiling at him.
• During Homer's 18th birthday, Elise made sure to get him an autographed photo of his idol, Werner Von Braun. It's heavily implied that it was his father's idea or doing.

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