The Man In The Moon

14 year-old Dani (Reese Witherspoon) is not a girl, and not yet a woman. She spends her lazy summer days swimming and helping out on her family’s farm. Life in a word was good. Then old family friends move into the farm next door including 17 year old Court, ((Jason London) and Dani finds her world and heart flipped up-side-down. It’s only when tragedy strikes, that she’ll learn what it truly means to have loved and lost.

ClearPlay in Action!

Since this is a coming of age movie, I’ll begin with the birds and the bee’s area! There are two scenes where you’ll see Dani’s older sister in her bra and underwear, some skinny-dipping scenes and a sex scene, both of which are shot from a far off distance so you can’t make out body parts, but still you know what is happening. Lastly there is one scene in particular where a boy is trying to force himself on Dani’s older sister. ClearPlay also does it’s part in cutting a very disturbing scene involving one of the main characters all cut up from a tractor accident. The Man In the Moon is a film that involves oodles of love-centered dialogue, and some death so I may seem prudish in my recommendation but I think this film would be suitable for ages 16+.

Will even Little Boy Blue enjoy The Man In The Moon?

I can’t say that I actually know what the Little Boy Blue’s movie preferences are but for him to enjoy this film he’ll have to like the innermost thoughts of the average pre-teen girl. It’s not twilight whiny, no worries there, but the character Dani really digs through some heavy emotional drama: first love, physical abuse, death, family drama, all in 90 minutes! It isn’t a fast moving movie either, just one that for me brings an onslaught of nostalgia as I used to watch this film at every slumber party I think I ever went to as a pre-teen. Interestingly though now that I’m a mom I wouldn’t let my pre-teens touch this film even with the highest filters because of the content! A movie that teenagers and Reese Witherspoon fans will adore, the rest of us might find a bit grueling.

Trisha - Two song references in my review, can anyone guess both?!!

Rated PG-13; 99 min; Directed by Robert Mulligan