Rating: 
Summary: Pointless and disappointing, but not a total waste
Review: Okay, that sounds harsh for a film with a cast like this. But expectations aside, this film doesn't have much to offer. It has its moments, but ultimately seems to be about nothing in particular. Just a few minor observations. This is a very unconventional look at the grieving process. It's hard to tell at first that a tragedy occurred because the parents crack jokes and act obnoxious. It's not unrealistic, no, but there has to be more than that. And I waited for more. For something. It never came. Just a silly courtroom conclusion, which seemed to exist mostly to get an "aww shucks, isn't he cute!" redemption for Jake G's empty character. Sounds like an easy payoff for moviegoer's that like that kind of thing. I'm not one of them. Although I initially found the idea appealing, I was ultimately bothered by the fact this movie was set in the early 70s. What was the point? The director was inspired by events that happened to him in 1989. So why 1971/72? It seemed like a forced attempt to make the movie sort of retro-cool. The times had nothing to do with the story. They also threw in the obligatory Viet Nam subplot (the girl's boyfriend is MIA in Viet Nam--whoa, that's so heavy and cool). I felt this movie existed to give simple-minded moviegoers warm and fuzzies, with a feeling that they visited an important time and place. Whatever. I thought the characters were all empty. One thing I did like--the main thing I liked--was Ellen Pompeo as the boy's new love interest. I think she is a real find. I at first couldn't get over the resemblance to Renee Zellweger, which turned me off since I'm still reeling from Renee's grating performance in "Jerry Maguire". But I really grew to like her (Ellen Pompeo), and I think she will be interesting to watch in the future. As for Mr. G., he's a yawn-and-a-half and will only be a star as long as he can get away with that "aww-shucks" charm. He doesn't seem to have much to offer as an actor other than that. Or maybe it was just the weak script. We'll see.
Rating: 
Summary: yikes! what happened here?
Review: okay, you'd think with big name actors (sarandon, hoffman) a movie would be better...but it's not. hoffman gets the over-acting lifetime achievement award anyway, but in this particular film it is so over the top that it is painful to watch. sarandon seems to be positioned as the only voice of [angry], sacrosanct "reason," which is unfortunate because it makes her public persona seem a bit inauthentic, as though it came from this character sketch. gyllenhall is just not interesting as the wimpy dude--his falling in love with the bartender just seemed too cliche to believe and it was just way too much melodrama overall. i gave it two stars for the barfing dog scene...otherwise it would have scored just one.
Rating: 
Summary: Poignant and Brilliant
Review: Rarely does a movie handle death so smoothly. Moonlight Mile shines as we see all the stages of grief without dwelling on the grief itself. Jake Gyllenhall, one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, is both vulnerable and strong, reeling us in. Hoffman and Sarandon display their usual brilliance. This is seriously the greatest movie of all time. It has something for everyone: drama, humor, romance, and suspense, and above all it shows that losing a loved one doesn't have to end one's own life.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Performances, Marvelous Script
Review: Susan Surandon, Dustin Hoffman, and Jake Gyllenhaal have truly outdone themselves. Surandon and Hoffman play grieving parents, Gyllenhaal is their would be son-in-law. Each give stellar perfomances and the script is amazing, both of which straddle the line between tragedy and comedy. As soon as a tear comes to your eye, Surandon's character Jo will blurt out a randomly brash straightforward comment that will make you laugh.
Ben (Hoffman) and Jo (Surandon) have just lost their only child, Diane, who was tragically shot in a diner. She was to be married to Joe (Gyllenhaal), who ends up staying with Ben and Jo because he has secrets that force him to believe it's the right thing to do. Then Joe meets a girl named Bertie, who helps him fish out his wedding invitations at the post office. Joe is attracted to Bertie, but he also doesn't want to hurt anyone.
The movie is a little slow, but I'm forgiving when a movie turns out to be so incredible. There were points in the movie when I had a hard time watching, just because it brings forth memories in my life which are sad, but unforgettable. As sad as I may have gotten while watching this movie, it makes me not want to forget.
I highly recommend this movie. You're getting alot out of this one movie, a great cast, great script, great direction... Definitely check it out!
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed it, overall
Review: The actors are terribly underdirected. Holly Hunter, as the lawyer, weirdly sports a clipped Texas accent in Marblehead, Mass, where the movie was filmed. Sarandon does a good job, but Dustin was all over the place with his character. I think the director was intimidated by him and just let him go. I thought Jake Gyllenhaal was autistic for the first half of the film. The one exception is the fantastic performance of Ellen Pompeo, as Jake's sudden new love interest.
Acting students should note her performance behind the bar the day after she and Jake make love. She is washing out glasses while grooving to a Gary Glitter tune on the jukebox. The scene is brief and she doesn't even speak, but THAT's acting. She doesn't need directing.
I really enjoyed it, but it could've been better.
Rating: 
Summary: A beautiful, dark look at relationships
Review: The film is written and directed by Brad Silberling, whose loss of his girlfriend Rebecca Schaeffer in 1989 was the inspiration for this story. I thought that the greatest thing about this movie was it's ability to make the viewer commiserate with nearly every character. After the death of their daughter, Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon portray grieving parents, Jake Gyllenhaal is a guilt riddled former fiance, and Ellen Pompeo is a woman with her own troubles caught up in this family by fate or by choice(?) I think that there is a catharsis seeing all of the emotion that these characters exude -- and even in trying to hold it in, end up wearing their hearts on their sleeves to their own amplitude. Although I have read reviews that perhaps Jake Gyllenhaal is not the ideal actor for this role, I truly thought he brought a great deal to Joe's character. Perhaps seeing him in a similarly morose roll in "The Good Girl" (the characters are very different, but the sort of intraverted-quiet-guy theme is similar) may have made me question his range as an actor, but I won't hold it against him. Overall, one of the better movies exploring human nature, greiving, and a look at what we are willing to sacrifice for love, friendship and family. I also have to add that the choice of music fitting the 70's was great. It doesn't overpower the script, but it compliments it very well.
Rating:
Summary: Flawed, But Beautiful
Review: There are some wonderful things about "Moonlight Mile", director Brad Silberling's semi-autobiographical new film. In presenting the grief of losing a loved one in a violent and sudden manner, it's nearly flawless. The moments of quiet humor piercing the claustrophobic clouds of grief felt so genuine; I found myself often thinking, "That's really what it's like!" The bewilderment, aimlessness, and absolute confusion in the face of tragedy are brought vividly to life by the wonderful acting of Susan Sarandon and Dustin Hoffman, as the parents of a murdered girl, and by Jake Gyllenhaal, the fiance. These performances are absolutely outstanding in their juxtaposition of pain, anger, sorrow, helplessness, and the desire to carry on. While the film occasionally seemed melodramatic and patchy in a way that I can't yet really identify, it was still very affecting. "Moonlight Mile" is well worth experiencing.
Rating:
Summary: Good script , some good acting, but too much soap opera
Review: There's comedy and pathos here, and some excellent acting in his family melodrama, which tries hard to deal with the theme of sorrow and renewal. The film opens as the family prepares for the funeral. There's Dustin Hoffman, the murdered girl's father. He has a commercial real estate business in a nondescript small town somewhere in America. Susan Sarandon plays the mother. She's sharp and witty but you can sense the sadness below her verbal wit. Both of them are fine actors and evoke the kind of sympathy from the audience that their roles call for. Then there is Jake Gyllenhaal. He's the young man who was supposed to marry their daughter three days hence. He is torn with conflicting emotions, especially when Dustin Hoffman invites him to stay on and go into business with him. Too bad I couldn't feel those emotions. His acting was wooden throughout and called for an actor with greater skill. I couldn't relate to him or his dilemma at all, in spite of a good script. A newcomer, Bertie Pompeo is cast as his new romantic interest. She has a sorrow of her own as the film is set in 1973 and her own boyfriend has been lost in Vietnam. I can't understand why the film was set in that era however. With the exception of the soundtrack with the tone of music from the 70s, there was no reason to do this. Holly Hunter plays a lawyer who prosecutes the murderer. She's adequate in the role but it doesn't really call for much. I must say I did feel an occasional tug of emotion and had a chuckle or two. I'm just not the soap opera type though and found myself bored most of the time. I therefore can only give this film a mild recommendation.
Rating: 
Summary: A Painful Experience
Review: This could easily be the worst film I have ever seen in my entire life. I have seen THOUSANDS of films in my lifetime, and none of them approach the absolute insanity of this film. The diologue was worse than an awful dub of a Chinese film. The entire theatre burst out laughing when Dustin Hoffman yelled, "Why don't you fix the window!" I've been told Siberling wrote to get over a tragedy that happened in his life, and maybe that clouded his judgement and kept him from realizing he wrote a turkey. I cannot warn you enough. Do not go see this film. Do not rent this film. Do not purchase this film. If so you will realize why Sarandon has stayed with Hoffman all these years, and I can imagine you will have to struggle to keep your lunch down. You have been warned.
Rating:
Summary: Simple, poetic, honest storytelling
Review: This film's most compelling qualities are its simplicity and its honesty. I also feel that the early 70s setting has a certain appropriateness in its similarity of feel to other films of that period, ranging from Harold and Maude to Coming Home. There's a...quietness about it and them that is tender, raw and lovely at times. The film has a poetic emotional quality that is soft-spoken but nor corny. It hurts, but it also laughs. There are a few weaknesses I see, namely that the editing was perhaps too ruthless, and it seems to have cut out scenes that add strength and depth. I enjoyed the film more after watching the deleted scenes on the DVD. I especially noticed a lack of depth in the development of the relationship between Ellen Pompeo and Jake Gyllenhaal. I just couldn't get into their relationship because it didn't feel as if enough screen time was devoted to it, or maybe I didn't sense them connecting enough. I'm not a filmmaker, but I felt as if they needed one really long talk in the film, or maybe something that showed them meeting a number of times. I don't know...something. I especially liked Susan Sarandon's character and portrayal. Some of us know people like that, but you really don't see them on film very often. She's a real, smart, and honest woman living a simple creative life. I'd like to be more like her! The soundtrack was very nice indeed. It is a collection of some of my favorite songs. I was especially delighted to hear two Bob Dylan songs from my favorite Dylan album, "Blood on the Tracks." Jorma Kaukonen is another favorite, so it was great to hear him on something more recent than the older albums I have. One more thing: the cinematography is aesthetically very lovely. There is a certain subdued color to the photography that almost suggests black and white photography...and the setting in the 70s, when color photos were still new-ish, not new, but also possessing some subdued earthy tones, really fits the appearance well. Overall, there were just some really nice artistic aspects of this film that appeal to me. The colors, the writing, the emotional poignancy, the music, some of the artistic qualities within the story (Jo Jo as a writer, the Italian word stickers around the house...), and a number of other things combine to make a really aesthetically beautiful film with depth too.
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