I love this movie so much

What a waste of my time!!!

One of the best films i have seen

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

His girlfriend murdered and he is supposed to be testifying to bring her to life in the courtroom. He looks at the guy who shot and killed her and says "what does he have to do with her? i don't even know him!" I watched that scene and sat there after literally with my mouth open. it was painful. This the worst piece of PC garbage I've seen in years. Cliché after cliché. Hoffman is beyond boring and Sarandon must have helped write the script. It is worth watching for two reasons, Ellen as "Bertie" is awesome as well as hot, and the other reason is the movie is so bad that the dialogue plays as a horrible comedy. Another cliché: Sarandon is supposed to be a writer that hasn't touched her typewriter since her daughters death (gee what a surprise) and after the trial gee what a surprise, she can write again! She decides to write about her dead daughters ugly truths and says "Fuck the perfume, give me the warts!" I wanted to barf. This film is crap from start to finish. I see why Hollywood writers are putting out such garbage, they obviously don't live in the real world so their made up one is full of wishful thinking.

MOONLIGHT MILE boasts one of the finest scripts written for a film. Written and directed by Brad Silberling ('10 Items or Less') this little film is so genuine and beautifully crafted and acted that it seems odd that it has not become a cult classic in the art film houses. The story melds tragedy with comic relief in such a successful way that it is truly a slice of life we all have or will encounter. And offering a tough situation as played out by four characters in the end gives us all a sense of balance: bad things happen and pass and what is important is that we each 'find our home', our stable survival place. The film opens in a small town somewhere in the early part of the 1970s, the Vietnam war still a cloud that casts shadows on everyone. Jojo and Ben Floss (Susan Sarandon and Dustin Hoffman) are preparing to wade through the uncomfortable aspects of their daughter Diana's funeral: Diana was accidentally killed in a café when an unknown man attempted to murder his wife over a family dispute. Diana was to be married to Joe Nast (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Joe is in town for the wedding preparations and to reluctantly begin as Ben's partner in selling commercial real estate. In what could be a morbid atmosphere Jojo vents her just under the surface aggressions about how two-faced people are about mourning and funerals and burials. Somehow Jojo, Ben and Joe survive the day and Joe seems to be providing the stabilizing force by standing by his would-have-been parents-in-law. The three of them meet with lawyer Mona (Holly Hunter) to prepare for the trial of the murderer, facing the fact that if convicted the murderer could face the death penalty and the judge would be asking the family for their input on that decision. Joe seeks distance from the situation, meets a pretty postal clerk Bertie (Ellen Pompeo) while attempting to prevent the wedding invitations to go out in the email: later Joe discovers the Bertie waits tables at Cal's Bar and Grill at night, a gesture of devotion to the owner/boyfriend Cal who has been missing for three years in Vietnam. The song 'Moonlight mile' connects the two needy people and they head toward a lighthearted but anxious mutual feeling of companionship. Meanwhile, Jojo has been unable to continue as a writer since Diana's death, Ben buries his emotions about losing his only child by concentrating on the new 'Floss & Son' realty company, and the couple argues about life in general and all but adopts Joe as their only compensation for the loss of their daughter. Joe holds a secret: he broke off his engagement with Diana before the wedding - a fact that has many permutations to the actual incident in the café and the manner in which he feels Ben and Jojo will react to him. How this revelation comes to light in the courtroom makes a unique impact on all concerned and Joe's steadfast truthfulness actually mends the lives of the Floss family and his own perception of his future. Silberling's script tackles many issues and does so with genuine pathos and compassion, creating wholly believable characters that are gratefully fleshed out by this extraordinary cast. Susan Sarandon once again proves why she is one of our finest actresses on the screen today, while Gyllenhaal and Hoffman and Pompeo and Hunter match her every move. The power of this film comes in the quiet moments, moments when we are reminded what makes relationships work, how we all need to find that special harbor we call home. An amazingly fine film! Grady Harp

People grieve in different ways. In the case of 'Moonlight Mile,' the way people don't grieve may even come into question. There is a crassness involved when people assume they would act different. How do you know unless you're in that exact situation? Brad Silberling writes and directs 'Moonlight Mile,' a film as touching and heartfelt as it is off the cuff and quirky. As in Silberling's other efforts, 'City of Angels' and 'Casper', he has created a film that perhaps overloads on the whim and fanciful but lands as an entirely engrossing experience.Jake Gyllenhaal stars as the fiancée of a woman who is murdered in a small town eatery. We meet him as well as the woman's parents, played by Susan Sarandon and Dustin Hoffman, at the funeral and we are surprised by the lack of emotion of any kind. But what does not surprise us is the undertones of pain. Sarandon's mother hides under a blanket of sarcasm and calloused annoyance of the clichéd behavior shown by family friends and well-wishers. Hoffman's father copes by staying busy. Busy with the funeral, busy with the business, busy with the sick dog, and ultimately busy with the murder trial.If there is a section of the film that can be pointed to as being not on par with the rest of the film it would be the preparation for the trial. Though it makes sense this would be included in this type of story, the tone does not ring true with the rest of the film. There is a strong performance by Holly Hunter as the prosecuting attorney, as she attempts to put the murderer behind bars, or worse.It should be said the film is based in part on the murder of Silberling's own fiancée, actress Rebecca Schaeffer. I feel that real life instance helped with the tone which is somber, yet whimsical. In fact there is a scene that involves a dog puking on the shoes of a hand-wringing relative at the funeral. So how depressing can it possibly be? The very best section of the film encompasses newcomer Ellen Pompeo who plays Bertie. She works at the post office and is enlisted by Gyllenhaal to retrieve the wedding invitations which were never halted. She also tends the local bar where she patiently awaits her boyfriend, who is MIA in Vietnam. She carries her scenes with a veracity that keeps her quirky lovability intertwined with a grievous glow of sadness just aching to get out. She is, of course, Gyllenhaal's moral dilemma. How can he care for his fiancée's family if he is suddenly in love with another girl? There is a subset of people who didn't like this film simply because it allowed it's characters to be human. Not all people grieve like your supposed to on TV. Maybe there isn't a lot of wallowing and screaming. Maybe the emotions are kept within and bubble to the top only momentarily. It is almost always more interesting what emotions an actor can hide rather than an over the top burst.It is also true there is no easy way to swallow 'Moonlight Mile.' There isn't a way in to it's core that is accessible without accepting these people for who they are. It can be hard to accept the whimsy or the humor when we are supposed to be sad that a person has died. It is hard to shift gears into a courtroom drama when we are also put in a position of watching a budding romance. But isn't that true of all of us? Can any of us be compartmentalized as sad or angry or distraught without having to also apply other labels of varying truth? In 'Moonlight Mile' we are not asked to rely on our own senses to complete the story, we need to rely on accepting someone else's. ***.5 out of ****

I worked at a Blockbuster so I had the opportunity to watch movies that I normally wouldn't watch due to not wanting to waste money. When I started watching Moonlight Mile I was already hooked on Jake Gyllenhaul and this movie just added to my admiration of his acting ability along with his amazing sex appeal. I am sure everyone knows about him now because of all the movies he has been in since. I just hope everyone takes the time to watch this one as well. One of my favorite romantic scenes ever(!) is when Jack and Ellen Pompeo are in the bar by the jukebox. OH MY GOSH! (Speaking of Ellen Pompeo, I will brag again to tell you that now most people know her from Gray's Anatomy but I was such a fan after watching this movie. Check it out!