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Summary: A hidden Treasure!!!
Review: I thought it was brilliant, quirky and wonderful. It has a very unique slant on a terrible tragedy, and a nice little love story woven into it. The movie is beautifully filmed and the photography adds a lot to the mood and emotion. I like the fact that it was set in the 1970's because it wouldn't have flowed any other way...the jukebox, the telephones and the vietnam war all are background, but key elements. It could only have worked in the 70's... there just is no place in this movie for cell phones and computers. Great soundtrack too. If you liked "Sweet November" you'll love this movie.
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Summary: Phenomenal soundtrack enhances the mood
Review: I was so intrigued by the 70's era music in this movie, that I searched for the soundtrack on the internet. Van Morrison's music adds such an effervescense to movie scenes that it just stops you in your tracks to place you in the movie's moment with the characters. Moonlight Mile is no exception. I also loved Jefferson Airplane's "Coming Back to Me" featured on this soundtrack. It helped me remember why I loved music in the 70's. I could actually envision being back there during the hippie days, wearing a long peasant dress and a peace-sign necklace, and being in love with the world...envisioning my young deceased husband silhouetted, stepping out of the shadows with backlighting, returning to me, as the song says. But then, the reviews say that Moonlight Mile will hit home with anyone who has lost a loved one. This movie is richly acted and incredibly put together.
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Summary: flawed but fascinating family drama
Review: In "Moonlight Mile" a middle aged couple, along with their prospective son-in-law, attempt to come to terms with the sudden, senseless murder of their daughter right on the eve of her wedding. Oddly enough, considering the grave nature of the subject matter at hand, it is amazing just how upbeat and sunny much of "Moonlight Mile" turns out to be. This is a film about death that does not come across as lugubrious and morbid - though often at a price. We occasionally sense that it is avoiding the ugly darkness of the subject it has chosen to tackle. Perhaps the film's cheery, optimistic tone is just that spoonful of sugar we need to help the medicine go down.Writer/director Brad Silberling certainly knows whereof he speaks. He based his tale on the death of his own girlfriend, actress Rebecca Schaeffer, who was slain by a crazed fan in 1989. As a result of his personal experience, Silberling is particularly adroit at dramatizing the utter inadequacy of people's responses to grieving loved ones. He captures with dead-on accuracy the superficiality and hollowness of the clichés, shibboleths and expressions of concern proffered, however well intentionally, in the name of "compassion" and "understanding." Silberling shows that, in a time of grief this all-encompassing, a family unit must turn in upon itself, shutting out the rest of the world in the process. This is what happens with the Floss family. Ben and JoJo can speak openly and frankly about their daughter only with each other and with the young man, Joe, who was on the brink of becoming a member of their family and who not only lives with the couple but is all set to become a partner in Ben's commercial real estate company. In a way, Silberling has set a difficult task for himself right from the start. By choosing to not show us Diana before her murder, we find ourselves unable to sense the void her death has left in the lives of these three people. We are caught a bit off guard by the strangely casual tone of the opening sequences in which the family prepares for and attends the girl's funeral. Ben, JoJo and Joe all seem to be taking this shocking death a bit too much in stride. It is hard for us to believe that she has only been dead for three days when the story opens. Yet, on the other hand, we know that people do often manage to find amazing stores of inner strength that help them get through the early stages of a person's death - only to collapse into grief once the funeral is over and all the guests have gone home. This happens to be the case here - though the moments of despair in this film never plunge quite to the depths of those in, say, "Ordinary People." In fact this might almost be called "Ordinary People-Lite," a film about grief for a mass audience that doesn't want to be too disturbed by the experience. That may sound like a more negative assessment of the film than I am trying to convey, for "Moonlight Mile" is an often sharp and incisive piece of moviemaking, intelligently written and beautifully acted by Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon, Jake Gyllenhaal and Ellen Pompeo as the postal worker who falls for the grieving husband-to-be. Set in New England in the 1970's (reason unknown actually), the film is really the story of Joe and his coming to grips with the reality of his situation. Essentially weak-willed and eager to please everyone about him, Joe has to decide whether to allow himself to become absorbed into the lives and world of this couple - functioning almost as their surrogate child - or to break away from this co-dependency and strike out on his own, with or without the new woman in his life. The film deftly balances a number of seemingly conflicting moods and tones, as moments of subtle satire and lowbrow slapstick yield to scenes of searing drama and heartbreaking emotion - just as in life. Admittedly, the end of the film may be a bit too neatly arranged and upbeat for this particular material, but the extraordinarily skilled and gifted cast makes us believe it anyway. One might wish for a bit more grit and messiness in the presentation, but "Moonlight Mile" - which has been exquisitely photographed, by the way - still has the power to move us.
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Summary: Brad Silberling's meditation on surviving a painful death
Review: Like many people my interest in seeing "Moonlight Mile" had as much to do with the fact writer-director Brad Silberling's story stems in part from the tragic murder of his girlfriend Rebecca Schaeffer as it does with the cast featuring a trio of Oscar winners in Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon, and Holly Hunter. However, it is not fair to characterize this film as a cathartic exercise on Silberling's part; the genesis for the film's story is more the relationship he shared with the parents of his girlfriend than her murder. Those looking for strong parallels between fact and fiction will be disappointed, because the resonance of this film has to do with the relationship between young Joe Nast (Jake Gyllenhall) and the couple who were almost his in-laws, Ben (Hoffman) and JoJo Floss (Sarandon). It is in trying to keep talking and to find ways of just functioning while they are overwhelmed by grief that we can convince ourselves Silberling is sharing with us "truth" about what it would be like to be in the shoes of such people. When "Moonlight Mile" begins it is three days after Diana Floss (Careena Melia) was shot in an ice cream shoppe across the street from her father's commercial reality office. A guy walked in intending to gun down his wife; she received two bullets in the head but survived, while Diana was killed. Now Joe finds himself living with Ben and JoJo trying to figure out what to do next. Part of this is becoming Ben's partner in what will now be called "Floss & Son," although commercial realty in a small New England economically depressed town in the early 1970s does not make much sense. But Ben has lost a daughter and apparently now wants a son, while the tart tongued JoJo has stopped writing, and in the absence of a plan for his life Joe feels obligated to help them deal with their loss. Before we can decide what this movie is going to be about it takes a sudden turn. Ben wakes up and realizes that he never stopped the printer from sending out the invitations to the wedding that is never going to happen and wants Joe to stop them from being mailed out ("It would just be too uncomfortable"). Joe ends up at the old fashioned local post office where he meets Bertie Knox (Ellen Pompeo), who does not bat an eye at the idea of some strange guy walking into the place and wanting to pull 75 wedding invitations out of the mail. Ben is attracted to Bertie; it is impossible not to be because this is one of the most captivating appearances of a young female character in a film (think Kate Hudson in "Almost Famous"). But then it dawns on us that Ben's fiancé was just brutally murdered a few days earlier. Is Joe reaching out in his despair, incredibly shallow, or is there something else going on here? So, suddenly a film about three people trying to get beyond the death of someone they love is competing with a romance. Do not worry, because eventually everything will make sense. What confused me the most was that this was a period film, because that was not especially clear to me. Why should the film be set in the early 1970s? It has to be for a reason more than having a dog named Nixon. But the Vietnam War comes into play because Bertie thinks Joe is a draft dodger at first (how else to explain why he is still in town) and more importantly because she also has lost someone: her boyfriend was declared M.I.A. in Vietnam three years earlier. Joe has found something of a kindred spirit. "Moonlight Mile" is not a great film, despite the stellar cast, mainly because the deep dark secret that is the film's ticking time bomb ends up smacking more of melodrama than tragedy. It is one of those things that if you think about it rather than just accept it then the holes in the logic of it all become rather glaring. Ultimately the film belongs not to Brad Silberling or his surrogate character Joe, but rather to that of Bertie. It is rather amazing that Ellen Pompeo can steal this film from all those veteran actors with their Oscars. But if you can create a character in performance where it makes perfect sense that someone who just buried their fiancé the day before could be smitten with a total stranger, then you have got to be impressed. You can write what you want and do whatever with the lighting, but such magic can only be created by performance. Sarandon is totally on target in her role, as is Hunter, but Pompeo provides the memorable performance in this film.
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Summary: Gyllenhaal shines-- again.
Review: Moonlight Mile (Brad Silberling, 2002) Brad Silberling has had a rather long and completely undistinguished Hollywood career. Aside from helming City of Angels, one of the most useless remakes of all time, he did a lot of TV work. Two words: Cop Rock. Thus, Moonlight Mile came as something of a surprise; Silberling's first truly good flick. Much of this has to do with the amazing cast. How on earth Silberling, who also wrote the autobiographical script, managed to sign such incredible talent on the strength of his previous career is utterly beyond me. But then, stranger things have happened. Joe Nast (the brilliant Jake Gyllenhaal, fresh off cult-favorites Donnie Darko and Bubble Boy) is living with the parents of his fiancee after her murder in a diner shooting (she was an innocent bystander). Her parents, Ben (Dustin Hoffman) and Jojo (Susan Sarandon) are understandably devastated, and latch onto Joe as something of a replacement kid. Joe is desperately confused about everything. Until, that is, he meets Bertie (Ellen Pompeo, recently found in Daredevil, unfortunately for her) and finds himself deeply attracted to her. Meanwhile, he's being taken on as a partner in Ben's commercial property business, which is trying to buy a bar at which Bertie moonlights, in order to pave the way for a big development envisioned by the movie's evil overlord, Mulcahey (Dabney Coleman). The parents have brought a civil suit against the shooter, and have a parasitic attorney (Holly Hunter) who's looking to make a name for herself with this case. And Joe's also holding onto his own secrets, which could send them all spinning out of control. Everyone, and I mean everyone, in this film gives a top-notch performance. Gyllenhaal's speech at the trial is almost as good as the "smurf sex" rant in Donnie Darko. Hoffman, whose career has been on a gradual downward slide for years, returns to the form that held him in such good stead before, and including, Marathon Man. Even the normally unwatchable Sarandon turns in her best performance since The Hunger. Hunter turns in a rare excellent performance (she hasn't been this good since, probably not coincidentally, The Firm; she reprises Gary Busey's role here), and a raft of minor characters turning in star-quality performances help the whole thing hold together. As should be obvious from the plot synopsis, this ain't your normal romance. But then, Jake Gyllenhaal's presence in any flick seems to indicate it's not going to be your normal whatever (Donnie Darko was not your normal teen comedy, Highway was not your normal road flick, etc.). Moonlight Mile may be a chick flick, but it's like someone crossed the script for a chick flick with the script for a David Lynch film, then hit the puree button on the blender. The end result is twisted and wonderful. Definitely worth a rental. *** ½
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Summary: Imperfect but Poignant Portrait of a Family Coping with Loss
Review: Moonlight Mile is a drama set in small town America in the early 1970's. Joe (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a young man whose finance, Diana, has recently died. JoJo and Ben (Susan Sarandon and Dustin Hoffman) are the deceased woman's grieving parents. Joe struggles to move beyond the emotional and material expectations which his broken engagement has left him to fulfill, trying not to disappoint his would-be in-laws while at the same time wanting to embark on a new life and a new relationship with a woman he has recently met. Joe, JoJo, and Ben each try to find ways to move past their loss and into the future, which may require acknowledging some unpleasant facts about the past. The performances of Susan Sarandon and Dustin Hoffman are top-notch as you would expect from such experienced thespians. Jake Gyllenhaal's performance is uneven. His character, Joe, is an introverted man who speaks very little, so Gyllenhaal often must communicate Joe's thoughts and emotional state with expressions alone. In some scenes he does a fine job of it; in others Joe's blank looks are conspicuous. On the other hand, Gyllenhaal does some very good work in scenes that have more dialogue. Susan Sarandon is on-target as JoJo, a plainspoken and somewhat overbearing woman who is trying to find her way back into life after the loss of her only child and finding that the emotional tools that she normally employs are not quite getting the job done. Dustin Hoffman plays Ben, JoJo's husband and father of the deceased, whose only immediate consolation for his daughter's death is found in an awkward relationship with his would-be son-in-law, Joe. Ellen Pompeo plays the part of Bertie, the woman with whom Joe finds new love. And Holly Hunter has a small part as the lawyer prosecuting the man who is responsible for Diane's death. My greatest criticism of this film is that it contains a courtroom scene in which a witness is allowed to launch unimpeded into a long, emotionally pivotal (and narratively helpful) monologue. Somehow I don't think such a thing would get very far in a courtroom without eliciting an objection. Chalk it up to artistic license, but that scene stuck out in what was otherwise a credible account of people searching for a way to move forward after experiencing great loss. The monologue itself is believable, but not in a courtroom. I recommend Moonlight Mile for its strong performances and the fact that it shows people dealing with the death of a loved one in what is ultimately a very functional manner. Moonlight Mile differs from In The Bedroom, a film that deals with similar issues, in that the directing style is not as melodramatic as In The Bedroom.
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Summary: Good performances allow film to get beyond cliches
Review: Moonlight Mile is a film that almost challenges cynical audiences to roll their eyes at a story that could easily become maudlin and entirely predictable. Good performances and a story that sometimes veers in unexpected directions prevents this from happening, if just barely. Ben and JoJo (Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon) are parents whose daughter has recently been murdered. Joe (Jake Gyllenhaal), who was about to marry the girl, moves in with the grieving parents. So far, this is a typical play-like scenario that promises a series of melodramatic and eventually tedious scenes. Movies that begin with the loss of a loved one are vehicles for stars to give performances that many critics will dutifully call "Oscar worthy." The actors in this case do quite well with this material and manage to make the characters real people. Susan Sarandon always brings a certain intelligence and sophistication to her roles and this is no exception. It is easy to sympathize withJoJo's exasperation with "well meaning" neighbors. Hoffman, too, is a veteran who can usually be counted upon to bring something original to a character. Ben is a fairly complicated, and in some ways weak personality. He leans on his would-be son-in-law for support, pressuring him to enter a career in commercial real estate that the boy is obviously only lukewarm about. I could have done without the ultimately pointless parallels to The Graduate (Hoffman's character in that classic was also named Benjamin and Gyllenhaal's shyness and uncertainty are reminiscent of the Ben from that film). The movie is set in the 70s in a small New England town. One reason for using an earlier period is probably that today it would seem less likely that a young man would feel as much obligation to his in-laws as Joe does here. There are also some very good supporting roles. Holly Hunter is the prosecuting attorney who counsels the family on how to ensure that the girl's killer gets appropriately punished. The scene where she asks them how they feel about the death penalty is a good example of a realistically done awkward conversation. Ellen Pompeo is a postal worker who Joe is attracted to; this new relationship complicates matters with his new adopted family. Moonlight Mile is not perfect, but it manages to sustain an authentic and interesting atmosphere for the duration.
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Summary: Miles deep in the heart
Review: Moonlight Mile is one of the best films of 2002. It's fantastic script teeters on the edge of humor and heartache through out. It's sentimental nature never goes soft but instead always maintains an indifferent feel and for that remains believable.
Joe (Gyllenhaal) loses his fiance' when she is killed in a disbute at a local diner. He stays with her parents Ben and Jo Jo (Hoffman and Sarandon) to work with Ben in Real Estate, to make up for his loss and to hide inner pain and secrets. When Joe meets and falls in love with a women, who works at a bar Ben is trying to close a deal on, the truth must be revealed. A touching, moving film about finding one's home and security gives a realistic look on dealing with loss and the road to recovery. Spectacular performances from Gyllenhaal, Hoffman, Sarandon, and newcomer Ellen Pompeo respectively.
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Summary: Marching with the Walking Wounded
Review: MOONLIGHT MILE opens on the morning of the day during which Diana Floss is to be buried by her father Ben (Dustin Hoffman), mother JoJo (Susan Sarandon), and fiancé Joe (Jake Gyllenhaal). Diana was caught in the gunfire a man directed at his wife, a waitress in a local cafe. The remainder of the film follows Joe for 2-3 weeks as he continues to live in Diana's old room, serving to keep the girl's memory alive for Ben and JoJo. Moreover, Joe sticks with the original plan to have been followed after he and Diana were married, i.e. to join Ben as a partner in his commercial real estate business. And there are occasional sidebars to the legal proceedings against Diana's killer being handled by lawyer Mona (Holly Hunter). I predict that MOONLIGHT MILE will be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, and nominations will perhaps go to both Hoffman and Sarandon in the best actor categories. The film is a perceptive and not overly sentimental depiction of the mourning of the Walking Wounded after the grave of a loved one is covered over and the friends and food of Shiva week are gone. (The Floss family is Jewish.) Sarandon has perhaps the meatiest role as JoJo. Her monolog to Joe about what keeps her and Ben together (and bickering) after 31 years is the Great Truth of many marriages, I suspect, and possibly the movie's best single scene. Notwithstanding my high regard for the film, I'm bothered by the niggling feeling that Gyllenhall's portrayal of Joe was too one dimensional. It's as if his life begins with the opening scene. At no time does the audience learn about his past. Where was he born and raised? Does he have siblings or living parents? Did he have dreams of being anything before meeting Diana? It's like he's this orphan, a blank slate upon which his connection with the Floss family writes. There's no depth to the young man, and this viewer was relieved when the local USPS station manager and part-time bar waitress Bertie (Ellen Pompeo) got him to snap out of his funk. Bertie herself is one of the Walking Wounded, her boyfriend now being MIA in Vietnam for a couple of years. (The film is set in the early 70s). I can only give MOONLIGHT MILE four and a half stars because of my stated reservations about Joe's persona, but am comfortable with the fact that this rating system will round it up to five.
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Summary: A bit slow, but rewarding in the end
Review: My fiance and I rented this movie a couple nights ago, but were forced by impending sleep to turn it off about 45 minutes in. Suffice to say, "Moonlight Mile" is not a movie to be watched if you're drowsy. However, the next night, after resting up, we decided to rewind the tape back to the beginning and have another go at it. And, while I often found myself fighting off slumber yet again, in the end I was well rewarded for staying awake (my fiance expressed her approval as well, making this movie one of the few rentals we've both liked in our seven years together). "Moonlight Mile" is yet another of those quirky, star-filled small-time movies that addresses subject matter too often neglected in more mainstream cinema. In this case, it's an examination of the ripples an unexpected death can cause in the lives of the living, and the film does a very good job. The action starts shortly after a young woman has been murdered in Vietnam-era America, and her parents Jojo and Ben (Susan Sarandon and Dustin Hoffman) and her fiance Joe (Jake Gyllenhaal) have to figure out how to adjust to life without her. The plot focuses largely on how each of the principals react to the loss: Ben tries to immerse himself in work, Jojo gets snippy and uses lots of colorful language, and Joe tries to figure out just what he wants to do with his life. Of course, there's a lot of tension lurking beneath the surface, and a big secret that gets revealed to the audience about halfway through as the plot lurches toward its inevitable catharsis. Although there is a bit of Hollywood melodrama here, "Moonlight Mile" mostly plays it cool. This is one of those movies that may require you to think a bit to enjoy it, so casual watching isn't really an option. But considering a lot of what's been coming out lately ("Swimfan," anyone?), I guess that's not really a bad thing.
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