The Man in the Moon

"Remember when you couldn't wait for your life to begin... and then, one day, it did?"

1991 1h 39m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 392

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Maureen Trant and her younger sibling Dani share a strong connection, but local boy Court Foster threatens to throw their bond off balance. Dani and Court meet first and have a flirtatious rapport -- but when he meets Maureen, he falls hard and they begin a passionate affair. The new couple try to keep their love hidden from Dani, but she soon learns the truth, disavowing her sister. But a heartbreaking accident later reunites the girls.

“Remember when you couldn't wait for your life to begin... and then, one day, it did?”

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Cast

Reese Witherspoon
Danielle "Dani" Trant
Jason London
Court Foster
Emily Warfield
Maureen Trant
Sam Waterston
Matthew Trant
Tess Harper
Abigail Trant
Gail Strickland
Marie Foster
Bentley Mitchum
Billy Sanders
Ernie Lively
Will Sanders

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Mulligan
Writers: Jenny Wingfield
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

35 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Mulligan, shot by Freddie Francis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Trudy Ship shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Reese Witherspoon and Jason London and Emily Warfield carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Remember when you couldn't wait for your life to begin... and then, one day, it did?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0102388 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Mulligan directs. Freddie Francis behind the camera. James Newton Howard scores. Trudy Ship cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
235 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Robert Mulligan, shot by Freddie Francis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Trudy Ship shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Reese Witherspoon and Jason London and Emily Warfield carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Remember when you couldn't wait for your life to begin... and then, one day, it did?".
8IMDB entry: tt0102388 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "sibling relationship", "louisiana", "coming of age", "skinny dipping".

The technical file

Cinematography: Freddie Francis
Original score: James Newton Howard
Editing: Trudy Ship
Production design: Gene Callahan
Makeup / hair: Christina Smith
Sound: Lee Dichter
Stunt coordinator: Larry Holt
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,237,669
Box office: $2,853,801
Return: 231% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Man in the Moon (1991)

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Robert Mulligan

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2021-08-13
★ 8/10
Two sisters growing up in the Deep South in the late 50s During the summer of ’57 in rural Louisiana a 14 year-old girl (Reese Witherspoon) and her older sister (Emily Warfield) maneuver through the challenges of family, boys, responsibilities and more. Sam Waterston and Tess Harper play the parents while Jason London appears as a new neighbor that attracts the attention of the younger sibling. “The Man in the Moon” (1991) is a coming-of-age drama in the South in the mold of “Ode to Billy Joe” (1976), “The Great Santini” (1979), “My Girl” (1991), “Lawn Dogs” (1997) and “Simon Birch” (1998). It’s as good, or better, than the best of those. Reese was 14 at the time of shooting and this was her feature film debut. The movie’s full of gems relating to relationships, spirituality, tragedies, forgiveness and growth. ’Nuff said. The film runs 1 hour, 39 minutes, and was shot in the heart of Louisiana: Natchitoches (the Trant house), Kisatchie (the swimming hole), Robeline (church scene), Chousatta (dance scene) and Many (store scene). GRADE: A-

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