Moonlight Mile Review
by Rose 'Bams' Cooper (bams AT 3blackchicks DOT com)October 7th, 2002
'3BlackChicks Review...'
MOONLIGHT MILE (2002)
Rated PG-13; running time 112 minutes
Studio: Touchstone Pictures
Genre: Drama
Seen at: Celebration Cinema (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Official site: http://www.moonlight-mile.com/
IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0179098
Written by: Brad Silberling
Directed by: Brad Silberling
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon, Ellen Pompeo, Holly Hunter, Dabney Coleman
Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2002
Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/2002reviews/bamsmoonlight.html
While watching MOONLIGHT MILE, a weird feeling kept gnawing at the back of my brain stem. I liked what I was seeing, but something bothered me about it; something that I couldn't put my finger on. Then I realized what it was: the producers hired the wrong Earnest Young Star. Where's Tobey Maguire when you need him?
THE STORY (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**)
After his fiancee Diana is killed in an "accidental" shooting, Joe Nast (Jake Gyllenhaal) is taken in by her parents Ben (Dustin Hoffman) and JoJo Floss (Susan Sarandon) - partly so they can grieve together, and partly so Joe can hide away from his feelings of guilt. Having nowhere else to go, and no other plans for his life, he continues on the path he started to take when he was engaged to Diana: he reluctantly goes into a business partnership with Ben ("Floss And Son"), telling himself that he's doing it for Ben and JoJo, because that's what Diana would've wanted.
But Joe's life takes an unexpected turn, when he finds himself drawn to Bertie Knox (Ellen Pompeo), who is grieving over her own loss. Their burgeoning romance threatens to uncover the lie that Joe is living, which would in turn affect not only Joe and Bertie, but also Ben, JoJo, and perhaps even their memory of Diana.
THE UPSHOT
The more movie reviews I write, the more I realize that the movies that stay with me longest, are the ones that resonate with me on a personal basis. MOONLIGHT MILE ranks highly among that group.
I connected with MOONLIGHT MILE on multiple levels: first, on its surface story of loss due to death. I've had a family member who was needlessly killed, and the murderer got away; so too have I had a friend who died just before she was to be married. Unfortunately in her fiance's case, there was no Ben or JoJo to lovingly take him under their wing. And there was an unexpected third connection in this movie for me, in the guise of the father/young daughter relationship that Ben agonized over. This was as close as I got to succumbing to the Tissue Moments that I had been told her rife throughout the movie.
But even if I hadn't had a personal connection to the stories intertwined throughout this movie, I would've loved it simply on the basis of its outstanding performances and well-crafted tale. Dustin Hoffman's turn as Ben was unlike anything I've seen from him in a long time. He was certainly good - but Susan Sarandon blew me away. She expertly captured the mixed emotions of a mother who wants to reject her grief while at the same time needing to live in it...at least for awhile. Sarandon more than redeemed her poor showing in THE BANGER SISTERS with her not-so-quiet power here in MOONLIGHT MILE. Likewise, I found myself immersed in the dialogue; I had to take care that I didn't lose the next line spoken, for love of the previous line. It was if I was being fed a meal of words, and I wanted to savor every bite.
This is not to say that MOONLIGHT MILE didn't have its fair share of flaws, chief among them being Jake Gyllenhaal, as Joe. I find I must qualify that statement, however. I loved Joe's interaction with JoJo; Sarandon seemed to bring out the best in the character as well as the actor. I also liked his initial interplay with Bertie; it helped me to really groove on the actress who played Bert (Ellen Pompeo). But something seemed amiss with the Joe and Ben story; and almost every other connection Joe had in the movie, rang false. Perhaps it was in that omnipresent smirk Gyllenhaal had pasted on his face for most of the film. That smirk completely pulled me out of the moment, whenever it became too much for me to try to ignore.
MOONLIGHT MILE was a sweet, touching movie; it soared in spots, but seemed to coast its way to an ending, with a rather unbelievable court scene capping it all off. But for all of that, I must say that I truly enjoyed the ride.
BAMMER'S BOTTOM LINE
Too bad Tobey Maguire's off spinning his web elsewhere. He could've saved MOONLIGHT MILE from the "wink and a smile" cheesing to which Jake Gyllenhaal subjected this flick. Fortunately, though, Dustin Hoffman and especially Susan Sarandon were able to wrest the film away from young Jake.
MOONLIGHT MILE rating: greenlight
Rose "Bams" Cooper
Webchick and Editor,
3BlackChicks Review
Entertainment Reviews With Flava!
Copyright Rose Cooper, 2002
EMAIL: [email protected]
http://www.3blackchicks.com/
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