| MOONLIGHT MILE Rating:   Director: Brad Silberling Producers: Brad Silberling, Mark Johnson Writer: Brad Silberling Director of Photography: Phedon Papamichael Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon, Ellen Pompeo Visit the IMDB Page for full cast and crew |
 Click the photo to buy merchandise from Moonlight Mile |
Review by: Dan
Tester
9/30/02
As I exited the theater after Moonlight Mile, a woman in front of me commented to her friend "I liked it, but I thought it would be sadder." I'm not sure if this was an endorsement or a sign of disappointment for her, but I certainly had to agree in spirit. Not only did I personally think this film would be sadder, I was genuinely surprised by the lack of overall emotion I experienced in a movie about a dead bride-to-be.
Moonlight Mile tells the story of the Floss family who have recently lost their only child in a bizarre "wrong place, wrong time" murder. Dustin Hoffman's Ben Floss is a distant, somewhat cold dad who deals with tragedy like one of his business transactions -- don't let them see you sweat. Susan Sarandon is the angry, bitter mom Jojo, a struggling writer who fears the death of her daughter has smothered her soul. And Jake Gyllenhaal plays Joe, the dead girl's fiancee, living with the Floss' for the time being and harboring a secret that could tear their friendly relationship apart.
I don't think the fact that I was not emotionally caught up by Moonlight Mile is a fault of the film, or a point of criticism. This is a movie about dysfunction, and the characters behave in ways that simply deny the viewer a chance to get emotionally involved. At least that is how I felt, and I assume it is intentional. Hoffman's dad seems as detached from the tragic events of his life as his character in Rainman most of the time. But it is a good, consistent performance, and the film admirably never really goes for the cheap "feel good" moments with him. His final scenes conclude on a believable, sweet note. Sarandon is a bit over the top as the spiritually broken mother, but has some very nice, quiet scenes with Gyllenhaal. It is Gyllenhaal that was just a strange bird in this movie. He spends most of the film running wide-eyed and frantic from place to place, seeking the solace of a broom closet when the world is too much to deal with. It was fine in the early scenes as he struggles to deal with inappropriate comments from uncomfortable mourners, but eventually just gets a little silly.
The film is surprisingly funny at times, very dramatic at points, but unfortunately is rather formulaic overall. The "formula" comes full force midway as Joe is sent to retrieve the wedding invitations from the post office, and "meets cute" a pretty postal worker named Bertie (Ellen Pompeo, who is a combination of Renee Zellweger and Tatum O'Neal from The Bad News Bears). There always seems to be a girl like Bertie in these small towns, and she always seems to "meet cute" the male protagonist. But at least in this movie, it is not just a tacked on love subplot; it at least has something to do with the story. The two stumble into a romantic relationship that causes strife amongst the principles, but it is not until Joe's secret is revealed that the audience can be comfortable with it. The big courtroom finale, meant to conclude the film on a note of hope and redemption, ultimately just kind of fell flat for me. I understand what director Brian Silberling wanted to do, but it was a little too convenient and clean of an ending considering the utter emotional chaos that came before.
Is Moonlight Mile worth seeing? Sure it is. It is beautifully shot, well acted, and well directed. The script tends a bit toward the cliched a bit too often, but Moonlight Mile is at least a movie about something of substance, and that just seems like more than enough of a reason to go a movie these days. However, if you remove the subject of death from Moonlight Mile, and just focus on the dysfunctionality of the family unit contained therein, I personally think the subject was handled more effectively in In The Bedroom and (prepare to be shocked) Stuart Saves His Family. There, that ought to get the message boards a-hoppin'!
But as always, it is only one man's opinion.
(A Touchstone Pictures release. Opened
in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Toronto on
September 27. Expands to more cities on October 4.)
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