Customer Reviews

Moonlight Mile

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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. *** 

I saw this film and the more recent "Monster" on the same afternoon so I will be comparing the two films here, though they may have little in common: The first thing which struck me about "Moonlight Mile" was the soundtrack which is unusually good--so good it may make you forget about the plot. In any case, it will orient you towards the mid-70's. The second thing that was noteworthy is that while the film included a tragic event, the accidental death of Diana, the final outcome was positive and so the film was not a tragedy, unlike some other Hollywood films I have seen recently. The major theme of the film is an upper middle class family dealing with grief. Certain details and memories such as Diana's Italian stick-it notes on the furniture make Diana almost a living presence in this film. Because he meets Bertie, the postal clerk and barmaid who has not seen her Vietnam soldier boyfriend in three years, and whose favorite song is the title track, Joe raises himself out of his tragic situation and finds that he can go forward with his life with some hope of a positive outcome. He also raises the film out of tragedy.

Not so with "Monster", which becomes increasingly gruesome as the story progresses. Still tragedy can be entertaining, at least the Greeks thought so, and so did Shakespeare. Aileen or Lee is presented as an incredibly gauche, ill-mannered, foulmouthed, violent-tempered, overweight, and unattractive prostitute from a bad background who makes a lot of poor choices and who increasingly leads a life of violence, thankfully sparing her lesbian friend all responsibility for her actions in taped interview. Aileen has promised her friend a better life, but what she becomes is an unwitting accomplice in a downward spiral of violence. The film is filled with many characters from the fringes of society. Along with "21 Grams" and "House of Sand and Fog" I consider "Monster" one of the 3 to 6 most depressing or harrowing films I have seen in the past year, and that list should also include "The Hours" and "In The Bedroom."Because they include extensive war footage, I will also include the recent "The Hunted", "The Pianist", and "Harrison's Flowers" on the list.

After Brad Silberling had finished making City of Angels with Nicholas Cage, his fiancé was murdered by a maniac for no reason. Silberling ended up bonding with her parents and it is this experience that has brought to the screen for Moonlight Drive.

The story is exceptionally well done. The dialogue is sublime. The acting is on top form with all involved. It does have its faults but when all is said and done this is actually a very enjoyable little drama. The situation is simple. Jake Gyllenhaal, playing Joe Nast, is staying at the home of his dead fiancé's parents - Dustin Hoffman, playing Ben Floss, a real estate businessman, and Susan Sarandon, playing Jojo Floss, Ben's wife and a novelist with writer's block who are trying hard to come to terms with their child's murder and a looming trial that is about to cause them a great deal of stress, as their lawyer - Holly Hunter, playing Mona Camp, constantly informs them. Joe is given errands to run for Ben in the small local town and soon befriends a girl who works in the post office and who has a strange background. Joe has a dark secret that he is afraid to tell the Floss's. Ben thinks he may have been somehow responsible for his child's death. He is trying to start a business with Joe in town to try and deal with his grief but a broken window nearly drives him around the bend. JoJo suspects that there is something wrong with Joe but does not know what. JoJo is torn between these worlds and does not know what to do. The trial date looms as the family try to hold themselves together.

The drama is really in the deep conversations and funny moments that the film brings, however it does drift into sentimentality too often and certainly the love subplot needs a little polishing and some loose ends are never really fixed. For all intensive purposes though if you like to watch good drama with an interesting premise, some great dialogue and some really interesting acting then Moonlight Mile certainly delivers. If you pick this one up from the shelf you are certainly not going wrong. Beware though, like City of Angels, the pace may seem a little slow for some.

Director Brad Silberling brings a refreshing look at the drama of losing someone you care about, offering a deep, intense, moving and credible movie.
Jake Gyllenhaal (in another winning performance after "Donnie Darko") plays Joe, a young adult whose fiancé was recently murdered and he now deals with his recovering process and the future choices that will guide his life. Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon play Joe`s fiancé parents who deal in different ways with their daughter`s death.

The story is an emotional, realistic drama that, even though it`s a bit sentimentalized at parts, never gets into heavy melodramatic, overly patchy areas. There`s even some sarcasm and bitter dialogue in a couple of moments, however it doesn`t become a dark comedy either. The plot, at first, seems like one of an average tv-movie-of-the-week, but its execution is very well done and effective. The directing and photography are are impressing and the soundtrack wisely translates the 70`s period where the story is setted.
"Moonlight Mile" is a poignant movie about loss, family, grief, choices and the process of growing up. Easily one of the best, and unfairly underrated, pictures of 2002.

Director Brad Silberling brings a refreshing look at the drama of losing someone you care about, offering a deep, intense, moving and credible movie.
Jake Gyllenhaal (in another winning performance after "Donnie Darko")plays Joe, a young adult whose fiancé was recently murdered and he now deals with his recovering process and the future choices that will guide his life. Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon play Joe`s fiancé parents who deal in different ways with their daughter`s death.
The story is an emotional, realistic drama that, even though it`s a bit sentimentalized at parts, never gets into heavy melodramatic, overly patchy areas. There`s even some sarcasm and bitter dialogue in a couple of moments, however it doesn`t become a dark comedy either. The plot, at first, seems like one of an average tv-movie-of-the-week, but its execution is very well done and effective. The directing and photography are are impressing and the soundtrack wisely translates the 70`s period where the story is setted.
"Moonlight Mile" is a poignant movie about loss, family, grief, choices and the process of growing up. Easily one of the best, and unfairly underrated, pictures of 2003.

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.

I just finished watching this movie and loved it - was very moved. First off, to get the obvious out of the way, the soundtrack is fabulous and the dog is great.

That said, i really appreciated this view of the grieving process - sometimes quiet, sometimes stilted and wooden, sometimes angry, sometimes funny. I can't even repeat here some of the conversations a group of us had after a friend's suicide - too ribald and raunchy. It helped us ease the pain. The scene of the deceased daughter's "friends" going through her clothes to pick stuff out was also very painfully realistic. I've been there.

I thought Jake Gyllenhall was fantastic. I've seen him in other things but he really stood out to me. And Susan Sarandon, I think, always gives her best. Dustin Hoffman walked that line of holding it all together and giving you the feeling that any moment he was going to burst.

The only disappointing moment for me was the relationship that came about between Joe and Bertie. Not that that's not realistic - many people I know who lost their partners quickly married or got together with someone else again shortly thereafter. I can't really say what bugged me about it. I think maybe when they "got together" (read between those words) I expected more pent up grief to be released or something. And maybe that's my OWN personal stereotyping of how grief is experienced at a moment like that.

On the whole, I really liked this movie a lot. I laughed. I cried. I thought of friends who are no longer with me and their families and loved ones. I thought of Brad Silberberg (sp?) and Rebecca Shaeffer. I think she would have been proud.

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.

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.

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.