As he copes with the death of his fiancée, a young man befriends her parents and must figure out what he wants out of life.As he copes with the death of his fiancée, a young man befriends her parents and must figure out what he wants out of life.As he copes with the death of his fiancée, a young man befriends her parents and must figure out what he wants out of life.
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- 1 win & 6 nominations total
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- (as Ed Lachman)
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Featured reviews
This film is truly beautiful and shows deep emotion that isn't in any way corny.A film that I think is very underrated.To be honest I saw it for Jake Gyllenhaal but after seeing it it is now one of my favourite Jake films.
I loved it!
Jake Gyllenhaal is quietly brilliant, inhabiting the space of his grieving and frustrated character with an assurance and maturity that wasn't guaranteed from his earlier performances--a big step forward for him as an actor. And Susan Sarandon is sharp as hell in her best role in years--Hoffman has the most difficult task, portraying a man who is completely submerged in denial, but he serves the film well and handles the inevitable Big Moments late in the narrative with the class and skill you'd expect.
This movie has some genuinely original points of view about the reality of losing a loved one, and the complexity of human emotion: especially how that complexity is usually at odds with how we're expected to behave in such situations.
There is a tortured romance with Gyllenhaal's character that is cliched to begin with, and nearly altogether bungled by the writing. Unfortunately, this part is central to the story, so you're stuck with scenes that seem like a cross between Adrian Lyne sex-drama and an episode of The Wonder Years. This story string also leads > to an ending that will likely be far too neatly tied for many discerning filmgoers, as it was for me.
But when the movie sticks to the messy yet electric triangle of the dead girl's parents and her fiancee, it's really something. Unless you simply can't abide by a movie that's unapologetic about its mainstream Hollywood nature, excellent performances, consistently interesting touches in the writing, striking photography, and more than a few original ideas make this movie worth a look.
Anyway, "Moonlight Mile" is highly enjoyable. What exactly makes this movie so great? It's the acting. The cast is outstanding. Susan Sarandon and Dustin Hoffman are truly amazing as always. Jake Gyllenhaal, who we know from "Donnie Darko", was excellent as well. But, like I already said, Hoffman and Sarandon are the true stars in this one. They were both so funny from time to time! "Moonlight Mile" is definitely worth watching! A true indie with great performances!
8/10
Dustin Hoffman is completely believable as the dad whose hopes and dreams have vanished with his daughter and he struggles to hold on to them in a state of denial. Susan Sarandon's character has accepted the fact and turns away from friends' sympathy. And as the fiancée in a slight state of paralysis from numbness, Jake Gyllenhaal proves he can play more than disturbed teen. The girl's parents try to hold onto him as their last hope of clinging to their daughter. Joe (Gyllenhaal) doesn't want to hurt them by leaving, but has to find his own path now.
The actors keep the movie going for longer than expected. Even though by the end you're glad it's over, it'll stick in your mind. It's the kind of movie you only see once, or else you'll get sick of it. But the one time will be enough for you to appreciate its quiet despair and hope.
It's a movie about a lot of suffering but mostly done quietly. Everybody is getting crushed but nobody is particularly interested to admit it. It has the air of truth. However it isn't able to squeeze emotions out of the audience. We get to witness their suffering without really feeling it. Most of the performances are great. Gyllenhaal does a terrific job bringing life to the emotional dialog which could have gone another way.
Did you know
- TriviaLoosely inspired by writer and director Brad Silberling's own experience. He was dating Rebecca Schaeffer at the time she was killed by an obsessed fan in 1989.
- GoofsMassachusetts did not have the death penalty in the early '70s.
- Quotes
Joe Nast: I'm sorry, I can't, I can't do this. It didn't happen. We loved each other, we broke it off. If I don't-Jesus, if I don't say this now, it'll never-she'll never be a part of this. What are we-what are we doing here? I don't even-I don't even know this guy. She-she didn't even know this guy. What's he got to do with her? I don't-look, you asked me to bring her in the room, and she's not here-she's not. And whatever happens here, whatever happens to this guy, she's not here. And the only way that you're gonna bring her in here is with the truth. I don't know-I don't know what else to say. You just tell me what to say, and I swear, I'll try, but if you want her, you got to keep it honest. You have to understand that Diana had this thing, this way of bringing out the real in people, not just the best, you know-their honesty. And I guess she's doing it again now cause there's no way I'd be sitting here saying these things I can't believe are coming out of my mouth. It was Diana who finally had the courage. *She* was the one who told *me* that I didn't want to go through with it. And I guess she's-she's doing it again, cause all of this-all of this is everything that she wouldn't want. She wasn't a bride-to-be. She wasn't a victim. She was strong and real and messed up and wickedly honest, just like her mother. And if I sit here trying to paint it any other way, I... Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just-I thought-I thought that if I could just... paint the pictures that you needed, you know, that... that somehow... that somehow you'd bring these people some peace, finally, and they'd have their daughter back, or... But, uh... that's not how she'd wanna be. The truth is hard. Sometimes it looks so wrong, you know-the color's off, the style's wrong, but I guess it-I guess it's where the good one's live.
- Crazy creditsThe credits end with "For all our loves...departed, or yet to arrive..."
- ConnectionsFeatured in Moonlight Mile: A Journey to Screen (2002)
- SoundtracksI Want to Take You Higher
Written by Sly Stone (as Sylvester Stewart)
Published by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. o/b/o Mijac Music (BMI)
Performed by Sly and the Family Stone
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
- How long is Moonlight Mile?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $21,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $6,835,856
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $329,771
- Sep 29, 2002
- Gross worldwide
- $10,011,050
- Runtime1 hour 56 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1