HotToastyRag If there's any director in Hollywood who deserves a crown for conquering the coming-of-age genre, it's Robert Mulligan, director of To Kill a Mockingbird and Summer of '42. His last film was The Man in the Moon, one of the most revered modern coming-of-age films. It takes place in 1957, during the summer a teenaged Reese Witherspoon's life changes forever.In Reese's first movie, she's a tomboy, but she's still adorable in her transition out of adolescence, and as she's done in almost every other film since, she melts the hearts of the audience. She stomps around in overalls and smacks her gum as if it never occurred to her to care about her appearance, but she's just as cute in those scenes as she is when she finally dolls up and tries to act like a regular teenage girl.Fourteen-year-old Reese is very close to her older sister, Emily Warfield, but clashes at times with her parents, Sam Waterston and Tess Harper, who don't seem to understand her difficult age. When a new family moves in next door, complete with three teenage boys, everything changes. Reese gets to know one of the boys, Jason London, but as time passes, her feelings grow into more than just friendship.There's a lot more to the plot, but I'd rather not spoil anything. Needless to say, there are all the classic elements to a poignant coming-of-age story, including domestic troubles, love triangles, self-discovery, tragedy, and the bonds of family. Just as in classics like My Girl, you're going to need your Kleenexes during this one. It doesn't matter whether you have issues with your dad, mom, sister, or remember a bittersweet time before you grew up, there are several scenes that will inspire tears. Reese has great chemistry with her on screen family, and I guarantee the parents in the audience will identify with Sam Waterston's protectiveness and wisdom.This one isn't for the faint of heart, but if you're in the mood for a good cry this weekend, or if you're craving a nostalgia movie with lots of Elvis Presley songs, rent The Man in the Moon.Kiddy Warning: I'd probably let my kids watch this one, but I just wanted to warn you, because everyone has different tastes, that there are some upsetting scenes and violence involving children.

James Colver The Man in the Moon is a very special movie that I've held close to my heart. I remember seeing it in the theater when I was only 12. The movie perfectly captures the human experience between 2 sisters who whose love for each other is temporarily compromised by the passion they share for a boy. The boy inevitably falls for the older sister who's similar in age and the younger is left heartbroken and betrayed. Yet there was so much more. The transcending quality of this movie is that it captures so many perspectives and experiences from other characters who share in this summertime drama. It captures the loving father who's must help his daughters reconcile after the boys tragic death. The older mother who in her youth also experienced what it was like to be 1 of 2 girls that a boy had to choose whom to love. Her historical perspective from this past experience proved that 2 women can still be good friends after the choice is made, and this message foreshadows her daughters experience too. And lastly it captures the experience for a teenage boy who must take care if his mother, and younger brothers after his father suddenly dies. As he juggles his overwhelming adult responsibilities he tries to maintain a mere friendship with a younger girl who personally feels much more. The overwhelming love he feels for the older sister is conflicted by his guilt in knowing that his friend will ultimately feel betrayed. There are many aspects of this movie that one can appreciate. The movie wasn't predictable and I was surprised by several turns that it took. Best of all, I personally think that what makes this movie magical is how at the ending there is no clear antagonist, or protagonist. In real life one is loved by many and also hated by others. A simple minded movie would lead one to believe that a villain always remains a bad person forever. However, real life is much more complex. When a story patiently captures each characters perspective it transcends at that point to more closely resembling real-life. I think each person who watches this movie will take away something a little different from it. In my youth I identified best with the young girl because I too was not chosen by someone who I cared deeply for. Later as an adult I identify much more with the father. I only wish more people gave this timeless work the attention it truly deserves.

claytonchurch1 I like romances. Here's what I liked: the scenery (I got the "feel" of living in rural Louisiana, and that was great); and Matt's good, fatherly words to Dani on the boat were worth the movie. Here's where the movie failed me. Though I love Sam Waterston, I'm a northerner who's now lived in the South for 14 years, and see here and elsewhere that when northerners (Sam's from Boston) try to play Southerners, they get so much wrong, which Sam does. I like his fatherly role, but his style, mannerisms, and accent are just out of place as a Louisiana dad. If I were a Southerner, I'd feel very poorly represented. Sometimes the writing was just bad, with characters saying things way too "philosophy of life-ish." They were little monologues that were out of place. Lastly, with the writing, characters are sometimes having all this emotion one way or the other when "all that" wouldn't be possible to have built up in the character in the short time frame that the storyline proposes. There's betrayal in the movie that is simply accepted by all the characters (but one), so the person wronged is never given any sense of consolation or true apology. That left me wanting. Maureen's character was flat--in the end, I needed some kind of character growth (realizations) in her that the writer(s) never delivered. That was disappointing.

David Traversa Nice movie if one leaves aside the picture-perfect characters in this family of squeaky clean members: Ideal mother, perfect father, excellent daughters, noble boyfriend, all of them with perfect manners, living in an idyllic environment, with admirable neighbors, friends and pets (and weather!).Maybe people like them exists, lucky them.Under those premises the film is excellent and very pleasant to watch.After all, not seeing awful characters on the screen is quite a change!! And maybe that disoriented me and had that first reaction, but now, thinking it over, it wouldn't be a bad thing to live among people with those straight and noble principles. Nice living.Very well interpreted, all actors splendid in their roles, good direction, excellent photography and editing and good final resolution for the storyline.