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Moonlight Mile
Studio: Touchstone
Year: 2002
Rated: PG-13
Film Length: 117 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 16X9 Enhanced Widescreen (2.35:1)
Subtitles: English and Spanish
In life and love, expect the unexpected.
Amongst all the dozens upon dozens of films that
were released last year, it's a shame that a movie
like Moonlight Mile got lost in the shuffle.
It's a superb drama with a first-rate cast that
explores the grief and subsequent healing process
that must come with suddenly losing a loved one.
As the film begins, we find Joe Nast (Jake
Gyllenhaal) attending a funeral, following the
senseless murder of his beautiful fiancee Cheryl
(Aleksia Landeau) in a shooting at a diner. This
is a moment that has brought him to a crossroad
in his life. He feels compelled to offer support
to Cheryl's parents, Ben (Dustin Hoffman) and JoJo
(Susan Sarandon), but at the same time he realizes
that he must attempt to go on with his own life.
Before the murder, Ben and Joe had planned to be
partner's in Ben’s already established real estate
firm, but now Joe is not so sure that this is a career
path he wants. Visiting the post office one day, he
happens to meet the office's window clerk Bertie
(Ellen Pompeo), who also happens to work at the local
bar that Ben is trying to sell to a planned shopping
center. Joe and Bertie strike up a relationship,
leading the young man to decide where his future
lies, and whether he is brave enough to face the
consequences.
The film boasts flawless performances from its cast
and a script that plays as if life was unfolding
right before our very eyes. Each family member deals
with tragedy in a distinctively different manner,
just as many of us would do the same. The film
manages to effectively capture the essence of its
mid-'70s setting, providing us with an era-appropriate
soundtrack of songs from The Rolling Stones, Van
Morrison, Elton John, Dave Edmunds, Bob Dylan and
Sly & The Family Stone.
It would be completely rude of me not to mention
Holly Hunter, who handles her small part with
admirably, creating a lawyer character that is
totally believable.
How is the transfer?
I wish I had seen this film theatrically because
I was sort of bothered with the way it looked (or
perhaps the way it was meant to look). Picture looks
rather soft and muddy throughout, causing a loss of
image detail. Flesh tones run too red, and nothing
seems to stand out. The film is rather dark, which
results in many of the interior scenes losing a lot
of detail within its blackness. This could very
well be the look the filmmakers were after given the
era the movie represents and the sentimental tone
of this film.
The 5.1 Dolby surround mix is quite good and
effective. The film has a strong front sound stage
that provides detailed dialogue and terrific dynamics
for the rock selections that aid extraordinarily
within the storytelling. The rears provide some
interesting ambient effects from time to time --
mostly the sounds of other people or crowds within
a room or weather elements such as thunder and rain.
This isn't an overly aggressive surround track, and
I wouldn't expect such in a film like this.
Special Features
There are two separate commentaries available
here. The first is with Director Brad Silbering. The
second is with Silberling, Dustin Hoffman and Jake
Gyllenhaal. I chose to listen to the latter, and
I gotta tell you, it was quite a treat! You know how
well the director has thought out his story process
when Hoffman asks about the meaning of the film's
opening, and the director doesn't hesitate with a
thorough explanation to back it up. All three of
these men seem to be having a grand time together,
as Silberling really dives into the technical merits
of the film. I think this may be Hoffman's very first
commentary, but you wouldn't know it as he is
constantly interjecting his humor and opinions of
what is happening on screen while sharing a few
memories of his experiences with films such as The
Graduate and Midnight Cowboy. As director
and writer of this film, Silberling was free of the
usual politics of filmmaking, able to be as creative
as he wanted to be. Dustin Hoffman was a huge
contributor to shaping many of the scenes that take
place, including his very own character. This is a
top-notch commentary for a first-rate film.
Moonlight Mile: A Journey to screen is a
vehicle that doesn't hesitate to promote itself by
throwing scrolling critic reviews across the screen
within its starting moments. Fortunately, this
22-minute featurette is quite interesting as it
explores director Brad Silberling's dream and how
he managed to bring Hoffman and Sarandon aboard --
especially since Hoffman initially turned down the
script. Included here are interviews with all the
principal actors (Sarandon, Goffman, Hunter, Nast
and Pompeo). The featurette also looks at the
production design of the film and Silberling's effort
to create a film that best projects a transitional
70s era. We also learn about how a chamber orchestra
was brought together with traditional rock and roll
music to create a memorable soundtrack.
There are 10 deleted scenes that begin with
a very appropriate audio introduction from director
Brad Silberling who talks a little about the editing
process. Most of these scenes are very quick
extensions of existing scenes, but I did like the
fact that Bertie's relationship with the bartender
was further explored, as well as a very quick moment
where Ben (Hoffman) visits his competition. All of
this ends with a nice little montage that the
director put together with additional deleted material.
Sorely missed here is the film's original theatrical
trailer. For shame!
Final Thoughts
With powerful performances by Jake Gyllenhall as well
as veteran actors Susan Sarandon and Dustin Hoffman,
Moonlight Mile is an honest film that takes a
rather uneasy route, though a very rewarding one. It's
very easy to take a look at these lives unfolding
before us and see our own in the process.
This is a must-see film, and I am proudly placing
it to my list of HIGHLY RECOMMENDED titles.
Release Date: March 11, 2003
All screen captures have been further compressed.
They are for illustrative purposes only and do not
represent actual picture quality
