10 - "The Man In The Moon" (1991)

 

     There is a scene halfway through Robert Mulligan's coming-of-age film when Dani (Reese Witherspoon) and Court (Jason London) share a kiss for the first time. Her response to this event when asked how it was is one word, "Perfect". That same word ran through my mind when this movie was over, "Perfect". A couple of years ago I saw Reese Witherspoon giving an interview on a talk show and the host asked her if there was any role she had that she felt wasn't her best. That perhaps she even regretted. She mentioned this movie, which was her first main role, and stated she felt she was not that good in it. Reese, I respectfully disagree with you and even though it was your first role, I still think it's your best to this day. Witherspoon stars as Dani Trant, a 14-year old girl, growing up in rural Louisiana in the 1950's. She spends her carefree days listening to the records of her idol, Elvis Presley, and swimming in the pond nearby. She shares a room with her 17-year old sister Maureen (Emily Warfield), and on hot summer nights they sleep out on the porch and waste time talking about boys, and their futures. The two girls are raised by a pair of strict, but loving, parents; Matthew (Sam Waterston) and Abigail (Tess Harper). Things seem very simple in Dani's world, that is until 17-year old Court moves onto the farm down the road with his 2 younger brothers and widowed mother Marie (Gail Strickland). Dani meets Court for the first time at the pond and they can't stand each other at first. But as they happen to run into each other more and more, they start to become close. Eventually, the two will develop feelings for each other and they share their first kiss, that I mentioned above. Dani is on cloud nine at this point and takes down all of her Elvis posters in her room...she now has a real love. But then something interesting happens, Court comes over for dinner one night and he meets Maureen, the older sister. It's obvious Court and Maureen are perfect for each other, and they are in love at first sight. Dani feels hurt and rejected by this. 

      I feel it's best if I stop talking about the plot here for those haven't seen the film and want to. The movie takes some unexpected turns, and any one of those turns could have sent the movie off of a cliff. But it manages to survive all the way through and it hits every note perfectly. The film is definitely aimed towards women, and for a time, it was a staple on the Lifetime Network, but guys should not be discouraged from watching it at all. I obviously loved it and other guys I have talked to seem to agree with my thoughts on this movie. There are obvious comparisons to Robert Mulligan's other movie that appeared on my list just a few spots back, To Kill A Mockingbird. The tone and feel of both movies is similar. Mulligan knows how to capture life in the rural south and he proves it with these two films. I'm not sure what else I can say about the movie. The acting is great, the script is great, the cinematography is great, everything about it just works. It's..."Perfect"