Box of Moonlight (1997)

That was an excellent one.

Brilliant and touching

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

John Turturro is a high-strung, anal-retentive electrical engineer who takes a detour on a business trip to find an old childhood lake and stumbles across a free-spirited guy (Sam Rockwell) who lives out in the boonies in half a house and sells ceramic lawn ornaments he steals from other people's lawns.This low-key exercise in quirk from writer-director Tom DeCillo (Living in Oblivion) boils down to "Seize the day," "Stop and smell the flowers," insert life-affirming platitude here. It's memorable chiefly for Turturro and especially Rockwell in his first real front-and-center role; DiCillo regulars Catherine Keener (second-billed in what amounts to a four-scene cameo) atypically cast as a shy fantasist and Dermot Mulroney as a burn-scarred mechanic liven up this underpopulated movie. Essentially a buddy movie for the indie-film crowd, but if you enjoy Turturro and Rockwell (I do) there are worse ways to spend 107 minutes.

There were several reasons why I found this film interesting and amusing: A. I could have been Al Fountain. How many times have I been told 'You can't see the forest for the trees?' B. Lisa Blount didn't look much different than she did in 'An Officer and a Gentleman' but Catherine Keener looked 'cute' and much younger than she did in 2000, not many years after 'Box of Moonlight' was released. I wish they had all skinny-dipped, but Catherine Keener '...won't do that..' (a line from a Meat Loaf song).C. Sam Rockwell was superb; Turturro played the straight man to a 'T.' This film must have held my interest because it seemed to be a 'short.' Any time a film goes by too quickly, in my opinion, it has to be a winner. Do you feel the same way?

Great performances in this hidden gem by Turturro and Rockwell. One message I loved in this movie is that magic can be captured in the most unexpected places. This perhaps comes out most prominently in the final scenes, where Al is leaving Bucky. The scene takes us in a panoramic view of Bucky's residence underscored by the emphatic guitar introduction to 'Blues before Sunrise.' We then are reminded that the place where Al has found himself, beauty, and friendship is a dilapidated mobile home, littered with what on first sight might appear as a junk pile--but in fact this place is truly something magical. The movie brilliantly reveals that a box of moonlight can be captured in the most unexpected places and circumstances and with the most unexpected people. Break down the walls of conditioning that tell you what is right and wrong, beautiful and ugly, and you too will capture a little moonlight in a box.

Director Tom DiCillo has all the attributes required for a top indie film maker. He displays a sharp humorous edge coupled with an all round smartness. But his advantage over his peers is that his works are permeated with a genuine and very winning romanticism (realized best in "Real Blonde").The premise of "Box of Moonlight" is indeed a romantic one. Two complete opposites who by all accounts would steer clear of each other are instinctively drawn together when destiny wills a chance encounter. They will learn important life lessons from each other and part the richer. It is in effect a delightful spin on the buddy movie.John Turturro and Sam Rockwell are the least likely buddies one could imagine. Turturro plays the rigid, time obsessive and orderly engineer against Rockwell's wild, irresponsible back to nature outcast. Turturro's Al Fountain senses much is not well in his life and subconsciously perceives that Rockwell's "The Kid" might just be what he is so much in need of; someone to release those parts of his personality which adulthood and its encumbering responsibilities has suffocated. "The Kid" indeed accomplishes this in a variety of ways including coaxing Al to reach his inner child in the wonderful tomato throwing scene and luring him into an touching adolescent one night stand with Floatie played beautifully by Catherine Keener, a DiCillo favorite. By the end of the movie Al will return home a far better husband and father.Just how Rockwell's "The Kid" will be effected is less clear. He is clearly a severely deluded character functioning more as a symbol rather than a credible person. In lesser hands it could have come off ludicrous, but Rockwell nails it perfectly in what would be his break through role. There's a palpable chemistry between the buddies which is so vital for making this story work."Box of Moonlight" is a modern day fable, a cautionary tale reminding us not to allow adulthood smother us. It's a tale told with tremendous charm and a movie to be cherished.