Rating: 
Summary: A laugh riot, especially if you live in deer hunting country
Review: Escanaba in Da Moonlight is a hysterical film about the traditions of deer hunters, and one family's bizarre ordeal on the opening day of deer season.The first film in actor/director Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose film company, which will make films exclusively in his home state of Michigan, Escanaba in Da Moonlight is a gem of a comedy. And while the humor will especially hit home for residents of Michigan's Upper Peninsula (The Superior state, as they call it), and those living in other "deer country" states such as Wisconsin and Minnesota, this movie has plenty of laughs for everyone. Centering on the Soady family on their annual cabin trip the first day of deer season, the film explores the trials and tribulations of the "buckless yupper," Reuben Soady, (Jeff Daniels). Now, fair warning, this movie gets pretty bizarre. Among the occurrences the Soady family has on its day of hunting are UFO's, a government agent gone mental, possession and Native American superstitions. But all the insanity leads to big laughs. And it doesn't let up until near the end, where the only flaw lies. The film crosses the line of becoming too sentimental, offering too much cheese. If Daniels toned it down a bit at the end, the film would have been perfect. But the film is still a highly enjoyable look at the world of the "U.P." (The Upper Peninsula), and is worth multiple viewings. Make it a tradition to watch this on the opening day of deer season. It's well worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: The hunting movie to end all hunting movies!
Review: As a native of Michigan, this movie was a must for my DVD collection. I hadn't seen it, but felt it was my obligation to buy it - even if it ended up being terrible. Boy I'm glad I did! It is a film that pokes some good-hearted fun at the people who live in the upper peninsula (Yoopers!) as well as deer hunters. As a person whose lifestyle is antipodal to the whole "outdoorsman / sportsman" scene, this was quite a comical story. Not one I could really "relate" to, mind you, but jovial nonetheless. In between the Jimmer and the DNR man you're sure to have a smile on your face by the time the closing credits come up. As others have likely mentioned, this feature gets pretty strange (to say the least). In fact, the subtitle could have been "HUNTING TRIP OF THE ABSURD." But just remember - it's all in good fun. This is not the type of film that would even try to win any awards. If Samuel Beckett were a hunter, he would have loved this movie. In fact, if Beckett had been a Michigander, he might have WRITTEN this movie!
Rating:
Summary: Da Turdy Point Buck
Review: Anyone who has spent time in deer camp (aka ATF - Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) knows this is based on real experiences. It doesn't matter if you're from the U.P. or someplace where the whitetails are bigger than dogs, this movie to deer season what Blazing Saddles is to westerns.
Rating:
Summary: Yooper Humor!!!
Review: This is a truely unique and "Michigan-Upper-Penisula-Centric" movie. To anyone who lives in or comes from Michigan, this is one of the funniest films you will see in years, because if you have lived anywhere in Michigan north or west of the Metro Detroit Area, you know these characters are real and have probably met a few of them. Having family conections to the Traverse City area, and coming from a family of deer hunters, I can vouch for the accuracy of the "Deer Camp" cabin portrayed, right down to the old Michigan license plates on the walls,the never ending Eucher game, and "Da Two Holer." The complex Soady family relationships are wonderfully offset by the truely unique character of "Da Jimmer." But you don't have to be from "Da Superior State" to enjoy this movie. Based on a long running hit play (in Michigan, anyway) of the same name, written by Jeff Daniels (who also adapted, directed, produced and starred in this movie), the humor is broad enough to be enjoyed by others not lucky enough to come from the Great Lakes State. There is much more here than just a potential cult movie due to the abundance of insider jokes about Yoopers. This is a funny story about family and "Huntin' Buddies," and includes an insider's view of some of the mysteries and rituals of "Male Bonding." The small cast of actors turn in very enjoyable and believable performances!
Rating:
Summary: Heaven is North of Da Bridge
Review: When things start going strange in the UP, they go seriously strange. This is your typical boy-bags-buck story- only the boy is in his mid-40's and is known around town (Escanaba) as the "Buckless-Yuper." In fact, if he doesn't bag a buck this season he will go down in Soady family history as the oldest family member never to bag a buck. In fact his uncle (the family idiot) even bagged a buck by shooting through the outhouse wall. So, he shows up at the family deer camp for the 30th season in a row. But no one wants to hunt with him because they are convinced that he is cursed. It doesn't help that strange things start happening- from the whiskey going bad and the numbers on the playing cards changing, to UFO's and marauding bear spirits. My personal favorite scene is the family's decision to sacrifice a DNR ranger to appease the evil spirits. It's a hoot, but then I used to live in the deep woods in the western UP- just north of the Mystery Lights (so nothing surprises me anymore.) Those folks from big cities like Escanaba always were a might high-strung. Who ever thought of using Jeff Daniels from "Dumb and Dumber" deserves an award for good casting. Wait a minute- Daniels WROTE it- that explains things.
Rating: 
Summary: WE DESERVE BETTER
Review: This movie was gross, wierd, and pure nonsense. Don't waste your time and money. Yoopers are some of the greatest people in the USA and this movie does them a disservice. The one and only good thing in the whole movie was the very last statement, "Heaven is North of the Bridge". How true!
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe I have to be da Yooper to get it
Review: I'll probably get slammed for this, but I didn't really care for this movie all that much. I wanted to like it, I really did, but it got a little weird for my tastes. I really like Jeff Daniels, and I thought I would really enjoy this film, which he wrote and directed, and is also based on a play he wrote. Jeff Daniels stars as Rueben Soady, a resident of the UP (Upper Peninsula) in upstate Michigan and comes from a long line of hunters. In the story, deer season is beginning again, and Rueben has yet to 'bag a buck', or, to put it in English, he has never shot a deer. This makes him sort of an outcast in his community, a man in his early forties, from a long line of hunters, and he has never shot a deer. Well, as I said, deer hunting season is starting, and Rueben meets up with his father, Albert Soady, played by Harve Presnell (Fargo), his younger brother Remnar, and a really weird friend named Jimmer Negamanee at the family hunting cabin. When this movie started, it had the makings of a warm, lighthearted comedy, but soon took a turn for the weird. I have never been hunting, and I enjoyed much of the talk, reminiscing and adherence to traditions displayed within the film. There were some truly funny scenes, but the movie soon started to incorporate elements of mysticism (Rueben's wife is a Native American and she is featured in a dream Rueben has), the occult, and the unexplained. There were references to aliens, mystical bears, and ancient Native American rituals. I wouldn't have minded it much, but I thought too much focus was placed on these parts, with over extended scenes involving all three. Also, it seemed to me that the Native American rituals were sort of played off as being more hokey than a part of a vanishing culture, a vehicle to get a few laughs and not much else, giving me a sense of disrespect, but I am sure that wasn't the intention. Another scene that seemed to drag on was one where Rueben somehow went into a catatonic state and his father and brother decided to try and bring him out of it by having a sleeping Jimmer expel gas on his face. Now, when men get together in a setting such as this, they do tend to revert to more primal tendencies, I will not argue that, but this all seemed very silly and childish. I don't mind silliness, but when taken to the lengths it was in this movie, it was just too much for me. The movie had a number of good points, as I liked all the actors, but the plot veered off into enforced strangeness once too often for my tastes. The potential was here from a great little movie, had they stuck more to reality. I am sure a number of people, especially those who live in the northern Midwest or those with hunting experiences probably got more out of this than me, enjoy it more than I did. There was a lot of quirkiness in the movie, which I generally enjoy when it comes naturally, but here is seemed like it was forced. I am giving this movie three stars as it there were funny parts here and there, and it was imaginative, and I like Jeff Daniels, but I feel there could have been more here than there was...no real extras here in this full screen presentation.
Rating:
Summary: great wierd fun
Review: Having no real idea how yoopers really are, i could still draw some great parallels with the rednecks from my neck of the woods (alabama). And being tired of the same ol' romantic comedy stuff, this offbeat and very very quirky movie was a fresh treat. If you are a patron of the absurd, yet can still laugh at "low humor" such as flatulence jokes........then this, my friend, is a movie you will enjoy. Eh?
Rating:
Summary: Holy Wah! We really DO talk that way, eh!
Review: Just saw da movie over da Christmas holiday, and though it takes some strange twists, it's a keeper, if you understand the humor. I lived most of my life in "Esky" (graduated from Escanaba Area High in '81), and though it's a bit exaggerated, Jeff Daniels did pretty darn good fer a troll, dat is. Fer doze dat don't know what a "troll" is, dats someone who lives below the Mackinaw bridge (like da trolls in da storybooks), which seperates the upper peninsula of Michigan, from da lower peninsula, hence da term "Yooper," derived from U.P. (Upper Peninsula).
I think da lady from Kansas is someone who used to live der and is ashamed of it (or knows someone like dat), and/or has little sense of humor. Lighten up.
Rating:
Summary: Deer Hunting Parody... Bizarre, but funny
Review: The premise is decent, but it does get pretty bizarre with the alien abduction jokes and the goofy mystical wierdness. It can be a little hard to follow. It is almost like they were poking fun at horror/sci-fi films at the same time they went after deer hunting and Michigan. If you live in Upper Michigan or Wisconsin, you are sure to get most of the humor. If you're not, but know someone from the UP or Wisconsin to explain the inside jokes, or enjoy jokes about flatulence, you'll probably bust a gut laughing. I think it would be nice if they'd release a DVD with special features (like a commentary explaining some of the inside jokes). For those of you who rely on Closed Captioning, the DVD doesn't have it.
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