Feature Friday: Moonlight Mile
When I was in Jr. High, my buddy James and I were big fans of the TV show My Sister Sam. Not particularly because it was a good show, because...no. We faithfully watched it every week for one very important reason: We were in love with the Sisters Russell. I had a huge crush on Pam Dawber (still do) and James was infatuated with Rebecca Schaeffer.
The show was centered around Schaeffer's Patti Russell, a teenager who moves to San Francisco to live with her big sister, Samantha 'Sam' Russell, played by Dawber.
As I said, the show wasn't exactly M*A*S*H, and quickly went the way of the dodo halfway thru it's 2nd season.
However, most people would not even remember the show at all if not for what happened almost a year after it wrapped. On 18 July, 1989, 21 year old Rebecca Schaeffer was shot to death in her West Hollywood apartment by a deranged fan. Her murder led to the classification of stalking as a felony in California.
At the time of her death, Schaeffer was dating Brad Silberling. He took his own experiences and used them to write and direct the movie Moonlight Mile.
Title: Moonlight Mile
Year: 2002
Director: Brad Silberling
Staring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon, Careena Melia, Ellen Pompeo, Holly Hunter
Set in an unnamed town during the mid 1970's, Moonlight Mile opens on the morning of Diana Floss' (Melia) funeral. We meet Joe Nast (Gyllenhaal) and soon learn that he is living with Diana's parents, Ben (Hoffman) and JoJo (Sarandon) and that he and Diana were engaged.
The drive to the funeral is wrought with emotion as the family sees that the world does not stop just because someone you love has passed away. It's painful and profound at the same time.
As time passes we learn that Joe is training to be a real estate agent to work along side Ben. In order for Ben and Joe to get in good terms with the agency, they need to arrange to buy a bar that is sitting in the middle of a property that has already been promised to a wealthy land developer. Ben thinks it would be good for Joe to try to work the sell, in an attempt to keep his mind off the recent tragedy. (We learn that Diana was shot in the town diner, and that the trail of the killer is rapidly approaching.)
As Joe enters the bar to start negotiations, he is met with hostility in the form of the bartender, Ty (Judging Amy's Richard T. Jones). It seems that the bar owner, Cal McGinnis, is MIA in Vietnam, and Ty, is helping running things until he returns. Ty quickly shuts down Joe's attempt to talk real estate, and all but shoves him out the door.
Meanwhile, at the Floss house, JoJo, an accomplished writer, is struggling through her grief in the form of writer's block. She and Ben are barely holding it together, and it's obvious that they view Joe as their last link to their lost daughter.
Joe has the unenviable task of going to the Post Office to retrieve the invitations to a wedding that is never going to happen. While there, he meets Bertie Knox (Pompeo), part time mail clerk and fellow wounded heart.
When Diana's friends show up one night to force Joe to leave the house and try to cheer him up, they end up at Cal's Bar. Joe makes his way over to the jukebox and selects Moonlight Mile, by the Stones. Something strange happens here, as Bertie shows up, from seemingly nowhere, for a dance.
Turns out that Bertie and Cal are involved, and that Moonlight Mile was their song. The bar patrons help her keep Cal alive in her memories by dancing with her to the song.
Joe, not understanding any of this, finds himself in an awkward position. After the dance, he quickly flees, his new feelings for Bertie both intriguing and shameful at the same time. He is torn between is loyalty to the Floss' and the memory of Diana.
To make matters worse, Ben is pressuring Joe to become a partner, while JoJo is slowly disappearing under a mountain of grief oriented self-help books. Also, prosecutor Mona Camp (Hunter) is busy getting everyone prepped for the trial. Plus, Joe is harboring a secret that could destroy all that the family has worked so hard for.
I remember seeing the trailer for this movie in the theater and being interested. And then nothing. It never come out. It wasn't until it came out on DVD was I able to finally watch it. It was worth the wait.
I knew what had happened to Rebecca Schaeffer, but didn't know that Silberling had been her boyfriend. He does a remarkable job here. Showing grief from a truly honest position. I've never seen loss played out quite so convincingly before. The story takes a few turns you don't expect, but then, so does real life.
Jake Gyllenhaal is one of those actors I've had my eye on for some time. His turns as Homer Hickam in October Sky and as the title role in Donnie Darko show just how diverse an actor he can be. His outstanding performances in both this year's Proof and Brokeback Mountain proved he is not just a one hit wonder, but a very capable young actor.
His Joe Nast is not an easy role to play. Joe has layers of grief and sadness built into the emotional wall around him, but he must also show the occasional glimmer of hope of someday coming out the other side. You feel his struggle and his dilemma. He is a young man, forced to decide if he will take up the life he promised to his now deceased girlfriend, without her by his side, or does he strike out on his own, and live his life to the fullest, and leave his surrogate family behind? It's a hard choice, and not one easily, or quickly, made. And Gyllenhaal plays it well.
Dustin Hoffman, in roles like this one, is just marvelous to behold. He truly becomes Ben Floss, so much that you never see him acting. It's all natural. All subtle. All real. His reactions and silences speak volumes and Silberling is wise let him run with it. It's awkward and embarrassing and heartwrenching and honest. Watching this character go through what he has to breaks your heart. And lifts your spirits. They just don't make them like Hoffman anymore.
Nor Susan Sarandon either, for that matter. There's a reason the woman's had 4 Oscar nominations and walked away with a Best Actress statue. She's very good at what she does. And here, she doesn't disappoint. JoJo Floss is a character that could have easily been pushed into the background, and in the hands of another actress, most assuredly would have. But Sarandon takes control and never lets you forget that she's there. Her chemistry with both Hoffman and Gyllenhaal plays quite well. You believe that this woman has lost her child, and the longing - and hunger - in her eyes, that unheard question of "why?" is always visible. Is always brought to the foreground. And you see that she is the glue that holds this family together. JoJo and Ben are one. They complement each other so well, that they have no choice but to overcome this tragedy and move on with their lives. Their very natures provide no other outcome.
Holly Hunter plays Mona Camp, the prosecutor or during the trial in this movie. She doesn't have a large role (she spent most of her time as a producer on the film) but she is always fresh and vibrant on screen. She has a mission, and she's doing her best to make sure that mission is fulfilled.
Ellen Pompeo (Grey's Anatomy's Dr. Meredith Grey) has probably the hardest role to play in the film. She has to play the other woman, but be likable enough not to be the rebound girl. She has to open up just enough to get Joe to notice her without betraying her loyalty to Cal. And she has to play both the strong independent and the fragile damsel. And she has to play it all at the same time. That's very hard to do, and pull off naturally, but Pompeo does it with aplomb. I eagerly look forward to many more films from this talented actress.
I had the misfortune of losing 3 very dear friends during my high school years. I know the cycle of grief and what emotions can do to a person. I can see how the actions taken during those times can be seen and misunderstood from a person on the outside. And I know how devastating a personal loss can be.
Time can cause the pain to dull some, but the ones lost will always be there. In some form or another. People look for answers in the most strangest places. Some find them in religion. Some in outside stimuli. Others find the answers deep within themselves. Most of the time, the answer is never good enough.
We just have to accept that for what it is. Life is not fair. But, the ones we love and lose, will always live on within us. As long as we, in return, just live.
-Jos
"A man's dying is more the survivors' affair than his own." ~Thomas Mann
The show was centered around Schaeffer's Patti Russell, a teenager who moves to San Francisco to live with her big sister, Samantha 'Sam' Russell, played by Dawber.
As I said, the show wasn't exactly M*A*S*H, and quickly went the way of the dodo halfway thru it's 2nd season.
However, most people would not even remember the show at all if not for what happened almost a year after it wrapped. On 18 July, 1989, 21 year old Rebecca Schaeffer was shot to death in her West Hollywood apartment by a deranged fan. Her murder led to the classification of stalking as a felony in California.
At the time of her death, Schaeffer was dating Brad Silberling. He took his own experiences and used them to write and direct the movie Moonlight Mile.
Title: Moonlight Mile
Year: 2002
Director: Brad Silberling
Staring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon, Careena Melia, Ellen Pompeo, Holly Hunter
Set in an unnamed town during the mid 1970's, Moonlight Mile opens on the morning of Diana Floss' (Melia) funeral. We meet Joe Nast (Gyllenhaal) and soon learn that he is living with Diana's parents, Ben (Hoffman) and JoJo (Sarandon) and that he and Diana were engaged.
The drive to the funeral is wrought with emotion as the family sees that the world does not stop just because someone you love has passed away. It's painful and profound at the same time.
As time passes we learn that Joe is training to be a real estate agent to work along side Ben. In order for Ben and Joe to get in good terms with the agency, they need to arrange to buy a bar that is sitting in the middle of a property that has already been promised to a wealthy land developer. Ben thinks it would be good for Joe to try to work the sell, in an attempt to keep his mind off the recent tragedy. (We learn that Diana was shot in the town diner, and that the trail of the killer is rapidly approaching.)
As Joe enters the bar to start negotiations, he is met with hostility in the form of the bartender, Ty (Judging Amy's Richard T. Jones). It seems that the bar owner, Cal McGinnis, is MIA in Vietnam, and Ty, is helping running things until he returns. Ty quickly shuts down Joe's attempt to talk real estate, and all but shoves him out the door.
Meanwhile, at the Floss house, JoJo, an accomplished writer, is struggling through her grief in the form of writer's block. She and Ben are barely holding it together, and it's obvious that they view Joe as their last link to their lost daughter.
Joe has the unenviable task of going to the Post Office to retrieve the invitations to a wedding that is never going to happen. While there, he meets Bertie Knox (Pompeo), part time mail clerk and fellow wounded heart.
When Diana's friends show up one night to force Joe to leave the house and try to cheer him up, they end up at Cal's Bar. Joe makes his way over to the jukebox and selects Moonlight Mile, by the Stones. Something strange happens here, as Bertie shows up, from seemingly nowhere, for a dance.
Turns out that Bertie and Cal are involved, and that Moonlight Mile was their song. The bar patrons help her keep Cal alive in her memories by dancing with her to the song.
Joe, not understanding any of this, finds himself in an awkward position. After the dance, he quickly flees, his new feelings for Bertie both intriguing and shameful at the same time. He is torn between is loyalty to the Floss' and the memory of Diana.
To make matters worse, Ben is pressuring Joe to become a partner, while JoJo is slowly disappearing under a mountain of grief oriented self-help books. Also, prosecutor Mona Camp (Hunter) is busy getting everyone prepped for the trial. Plus, Joe is harboring a secret that could destroy all that the family has worked so hard for.
I remember seeing the trailer for this movie in the theater and being interested. And then nothing. It never come out. It wasn't until it came out on DVD was I able to finally watch it. It was worth the wait.
I knew what had happened to Rebecca Schaeffer, but didn't know that Silberling had been her boyfriend. He does a remarkable job here. Showing grief from a truly honest position. I've never seen loss played out quite so convincingly before. The story takes a few turns you don't expect, but then, so does real life.
Jake Gyllenhaal is one of those actors I've had my eye on for some time. His turns as Homer Hickam in October Sky and as the title role in Donnie Darko show just how diverse an actor he can be. His outstanding performances in both this year's Proof and Brokeback Mountain proved he is not just a one hit wonder, but a very capable young actor.
His Joe Nast is not an easy role to play. Joe has layers of grief and sadness built into the emotional wall around him, but he must also show the occasional glimmer of hope of someday coming out the other side. You feel his struggle and his dilemma. He is a young man, forced to decide if he will take up the life he promised to his now deceased girlfriend, without her by his side, or does he strike out on his own, and live his life to the fullest, and leave his surrogate family behind? It's a hard choice, and not one easily, or quickly, made. And Gyllenhaal plays it well.
Dustin Hoffman, in roles like this one, is just marvelous to behold. He truly becomes Ben Floss, so much that you never see him acting. It's all natural. All subtle. All real. His reactions and silences speak volumes and Silberling is wise let him run with it. It's awkward and embarrassing and heartwrenching and honest. Watching this character go through what he has to breaks your heart. And lifts your spirits. They just don't make them like Hoffman anymore.
Nor Susan Sarandon either, for that matter. There's a reason the woman's had 4 Oscar nominations and walked away with a Best Actress statue. She's very good at what she does. And here, she doesn't disappoint. JoJo Floss is a character that could have easily been pushed into the background, and in the hands of another actress, most assuredly would have. But Sarandon takes control and never lets you forget that she's there. Her chemistry with both Hoffman and Gyllenhaal plays quite well. You believe that this woman has lost her child, and the longing - and hunger - in her eyes, that unheard question of "why?" is always visible. Is always brought to the foreground. And you see that she is the glue that holds this family together. JoJo and Ben are one. They complement each other so well, that they have no choice but to overcome this tragedy and move on with their lives. Their very natures provide no other outcome.
Holly Hunter plays Mona Camp, the prosecutor or during the trial in this movie. She doesn't have a large role (she spent most of her time as a producer on the film) but she is always fresh and vibrant on screen. She has a mission, and she's doing her best to make sure that mission is fulfilled.
Ellen Pompeo (Grey's Anatomy's Dr. Meredith Grey) has probably the hardest role to play in the film. She has to play the other woman, but be likable enough not to be the rebound girl. She has to open up just enough to get Joe to notice her without betraying her loyalty to Cal. And she has to play both the strong independent and the fragile damsel. And she has to play it all at the same time. That's very hard to do, and pull off naturally, but Pompeo does it with aplomb. I eagerly look forward to many more films from this talented actress.
I had the misfortune of losing 3 very dear friends during my high school years. I know the cycle of grief and what emotions can do to a person. I can see how the actions taken during those times can be seen and misunderstood from a person on the outside. And I know how devastating a personal loss can be.
Time can cause the pain to dull some, but the ones lost will always be there. In some form or another. People look for answers in the most strangest places. Some find them in religion. Some in outside stimuli. Others find the answers deep within themselves. Most of the time, the answer is never good enough.
We just have to accept that for what it is. Life is not fair. But, the ones we love and lose, will always live on within us. As long as we, in return, just live.
-Jos
"A man's dying is more the survivors' affair than his own." ~Thomas Mann
posted by Josh at
2:24 PM
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