Moonlight Mile

Amazon.com

For anyone who has lost a loved one, Moonlight Mile will ring true with heartfelt emotion. Like the characters in this well-acted film, writer-director Brad Silberling confronted death when his girlfriend, actress Rebecca Schaeffer, was murdered in 1989. That tragedy gives Moonlight Mile its mournful authenticity, beginning in 1973 after the killing of a young woman whose fiancé, Joe (Jake Gyllenhaal), is living with her grieving parents (Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon) while contemplating his uncertain future. The film is occasionally sidetracked by Hollywood slickness, but Silberling (who scored box-office hits with Casper and City of Angels) gets the emotional details exactly right, and a potentially formulaic romance between Joe and a local girl (superbly played by newcomer Ellen Pompeo) feels like a natural step toward recovery. Holly Hunter plays a small but pivotal role, and while Moonlight Mile lacks the gravity of the dramatically similar In the Bedroom, it springs from the same source of compassionate understanding. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Oscar® winners Dustin Hoffman (Best Actor, 1980, Kramer vs. Kramer), Susan Sarandon (Best Actress, 1996, Dead Man Walking), and Holly Hunter (Best Actress, 1994, The Piano) star with Jake Gyllenhaal (The Good Girl) in Moonlight Mile -- an uplifting story of endearing honesty and humor. When Joe Nast (Gyllenhaal) experiences an unexpected loss, he wants to be the man he believes everyone wants him to be -- the dutifully bereaved husband-to-be and the perfect would-be son-in-law to Ben (Hoffman) and Jojo (Sarandon). But then another woman unexpectedly enters his life, and he's torn between fulfilling his new roles and following his heart.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful movie.......2007-04-08

I agree with the other poster, this should have gained a better recognition. I had never heard of it until today, I happened to catch it on tv, unfortunate because I had to deal with commercials. A sad movie but excellent acting, a lot of familiar faces and a wonderful story. Will own this soon.

i wish i could give it more than 5 stars.......2007-02-25

i don't understand why terrific movies like moonlight mile don't get the kudos and attention it deserves. this movie's offbeat story is truly refreshing. to say it's a story about a family grieving over the loss of their daughter is almost an oversimplification. there is soooo much more going on here, and its not served up to us on a platter. there is mystery, interesting characters, suspense, super dialogue, and perfectly placed moments of non-dialogue. what a great script. i would classify this as a drama but there are some very funny moments as well. there are some terrific one-liners that will come out of nowhere right at you.

then you've got the cast, which can't be beat - sarandon, hoffman, gyllenhaal, and pompeo (who i'd never seen before and was spot-on). hunter's role was small, but great as always. all of them absolutely perfect. gyllenhaal blew me away when his character finally reached the breaking point. superb.

oh - and the soundtrack is excellent. dylan, stones, van morrison. this story took place during the vietnam war.

Fine Cast but Movie Struggled.......2006-06-19

This is a movie about coming to terms with the death of a loved one. Diane Floss gets murdered as she enters adulthood after getting caught in someone else's domestic dispute (wrong place, wrong time)...The movie centers around her father (Dustin Hoffman), her mother (Susan Sarandon) and her fiancee (Jake Gylenhaal), and how they all cope with the grief. Mother and father want to hold onto as much of their daughter as possible and as a result, find it hard to let go of their would-be son-in-law...This movie should have been good - the subject matter is an excellent starting point and together with a fine cast should give you 'gold' but, it is slow and the diaglogue is 'awful' in places. Hoffman does his best to hold this movie together and Gylenhaal gives a fine performance. Sarandon over-acted but this may be a result of having to work with such a poor script. You can tell a good movie, when you care so much about the characters that you don't want the movie to end...I left with little feelings about each character and could have easily switched this movie off half-way through...I think that Hoffman and Sarandon will only remember this one for the 'pay-cheque'...

A long mile to go.......2006-05-21

Good premise and story line, for the most part a decent dialog, outstanding acting (except for the sleepwalking Gyllenhaal), so what's missing? What's missing is plausibility. A movie about grief doesn't have to dwell on it, but it MUST show early on that the grief is there. If this is done properly, the viewer will accept even the most outlandish behavior as a character's way of dealing with that grief. Kasdan did it brilliantly in 'The Big Chill,' with a mere thirty seconds of Glenn Close sobbing in the shower. Silbering failed to do anything like that in `Moonlight Mile,' so the eccentric parents and the goofy fiance seem uncaring and preoccupied only with themselves. I couldn't overcome it, even though I tried for a good while. By the time Gyllenhaal bares his soul in court it's way too late; what might otherwise have been quite affecting seems only outlandish.

A realistic look at grief.......2006-04-21

In 1971 'The Rolling Stones' recorded a beautiful track entitled 'Moonlight Mile' which is about being away from the ones you love. In the song he sings the words "I am just living to be lying by your side" and in those words we get it...we understand, and that is why this song, this title is so appropriate for a film of this grander. Susan Surandon and Dustin Hoffman star in this beautiful and touching film about losing the most important thing in your life, your child. Diana is engaged to Joe (Gyllenhaal in a powerful, pre-Brokeback, performance) when her life is taken by a madman. She is shot to death while being served in a diner. The movie opens with Joe, Ben (Hoffman) and Jojo (Surandon) getting ready to attend their daughters funeral. The next few seens really set the tone of the film and establish the roles your charactors will play. Within the first five minutes we see that Joe is uncomfortable, almost in his own skin, shy and reclusive and afraid of his suroundings. THis is not his town, these are not his friends, this is not his family and still he stays. Jojo appears strong, stronger than those around her but that's only because she doesn't know how to feel. It's only been three days. How does a mother feel THREE DAYS after her only child is murdered. SO to compensate Jojo finds humor in her situation and in those who share it with her. Ben feels a sense of responcibility. He's the sensible one, conciderate and understanding and appreciative of everyones good intentions regardless of how much he resents them for it. He may not want to see anyone right now, but he puts on a smile and says "thank you very much" because he knows you care. Those are your charactors, and that's your tone, uncomfortable, humorus and understanding. This film takes a VERY realistic approach to grief. Your uncomfortable, especially if you've never faced anything like this before. Your so uncomfortable that you tend to try anything to make yourself comfortable again, even if that means making jokes to place a smile on your otherwise blank face. And this film, is above all things, understanding for it really shows the stages one takes to overcome something like this. Jake Gyllenhaal says it best when he's invited to dinner at a colleges house. It's just not something you 'get over'. The story follows Joe as he lives with Jojo and Ben, mostly out of obligation but you come to realize that he may need them as much as they need him. When Joe meets Birdie (Ellen Pompeo in a superb performance), a local girl working at the post office they both start to form a bond, partly out of pure infactuation. When they dance to 'Moonlight Mile' it will all make sense, for it was that part of the film that did it for me. You spend all your time thinking over and over in your mind that things could have or should have been different, you spend so much time thinking about what could have been that you forget to think about what is GOING to happen next. As I said in the beginning, the song says "I am just living to be lying by your side"...but what if it's not refering to your love lost but to your love now, right in front of your eyes..and at that moment, while they danced in the bar, I got it, and I think they did too. A beautiful, touching and emotional story that reaches in and tugs at the heartstrings of any living breathing human being. I'm shocked this movie was ignored at the oscars, but it's not ignored here.

Average customer rating:

Beautiful movie
i wish i could give it more than 5 stars
Fine Cast but Movie Struggled
A long mile to go
A realistic look at grief

Moonlight Mile [Region 2]
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal , Dustin Hoffman , Susan Sarandon , Ellen Pompeo , and Aleksia Landeau
Director: Brad Silberling
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00009Z5BG

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful movie.......2007-04-08

i wish i could give it more than 5 stars.......2007-02-25

Fine Cast but Movie Struggled.......2006-06-19

A long mile to go.......2006-05-21

A realistic look at grief.......2006-04-21

Charlie Rose with Susan Sarandon (September 20, 2002)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Susan Sarandon (September 20, 2002)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

Description

An hour conversation with actor Susan Sarandon. She discusses her long career in movies, her relationship with husband Tim Robbins, her political activism and her three new films: Igby Goes Down; The Banger Sisters; and Moonlight Mile.

DVD:

DVD

DVD