By Sarah D'Avila
The Man in the Moon (1991)
Genre: Romance/Drama
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Jason London, Emily Warfield, and Sam Waterston
Director: Robert Mulligan
Box Office: $2.8 million
Summary: The Man in the Moon follows a carefree and feisty Danielle 'Dani' Trant (Reese Witherspoon) who waits day after day for her life to ‘finally start’. She shares a close bond with her older sister Maureen (Emily Warfield) . One day, Dani meets boy next door Court Foster (Jason London), and she falls for him; however, when Court meets Dani’s older sister, they begin an affair. This taints Dani and Maureen’s relationship, but when tragedy ensues, the girls reunite.
Review:
Over the winter break, I consumed a lot of media whether it was movies, shows, music, or books. Very evidently, I tend to gravitate towards movies more often than not and of all the ones I watched, The Man in the Moon (1991) is one that completely stood out to me from the rest. The day I watched this movie was particularly cold and so, naturally, I was craving something that reminded me of summer… and then I came across this!
This film depicts a very simple story of a young girl entering a chapter of her life where everything changes for her. Dani is a very relatable character to girls that just always wish for something more in life; always something to distract her from the present moment. She shares a very close relationship and holds a great admiration for her older sister, Maureen, who from Dani’s perspective, seems to have it all figured out.
Being Reese Witherspoon’s debut to film acting, her performance is incredibly natural yet thought out. Considering Witherspoon’s character was of a similar background as her, she portrayed her with an airy, naive, spirited charisma which causes you to empathize with her actions, thoughts, and reactions. She doesn’t shy away from the awkwardness and honesty of new experiences such as first love. For many people, including myself, her performance induces a sense of nostalgia to childhood summers, running around, just starting to learn about life and yourself.
Focusing on other aspects of this movie, the shots are beautiful and really convey a sense of summer breeze which makes you feel at ease because it can either be nostalgic for some or are simply just calming to look at. Some other great performances by Jason London as Court. He played a very charming boy-next-door which then has some more depth added to it when confused and infatuated about his love interests, unfortunately being two sisters.
The Man in the Moon's premise is very simple and easy to follow which makes it enjoyable to watch. Personally, this film reminded me of a book I read in grade 10 English class called The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. In both works of media, you receive a reminder of how simple life is sometimes and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes we get so caught up in comparing ourselves to others in our lives or not in our lives that we forget to appreciate things as they come.
I would recommend this film to anyone ranging from ages 13+ as it has an MPAA rating of PG-13. It includes drama and romance which are genres very enjoyable to some and to others not. Being a fan of simple and meaningful stories, this was right up my alley but may not be to everyone’s taste. This movie can be relatable to some or not; either way, it is a sweet and impactful story which reminds you of the simplicity of life through the perspective of a maturing girl.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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