Moonlight Mile

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Moonlight Mile ★★★ 2002 (PG-13)

Quirky look at dealing with grief in the aftermath of tragedy. Circa 1973, Joe Nast (Gyllenhaal) has attended the funeral of his fiancee Diana Floss at the home of her parents Ben (Hoffman) and JoJo (Sarandon). Literally at a loss, Joe moves in to the Floss home and forms an unusual bond with these virtual strangers. To fill his void, Ben tries to get Joe to go into the real estate development business with him. The strident JoJo guesses there's more to Joe's loss than meets the eye. Joe is aided in his grief when he meets attractive postal worker Bertie (Pompeo) who has experienced similar loss. Coleman gives an animated performance as the local rich guy who shatters Ben's dreams. Great performances all around, especially by newcomer Pompeo. Loosely based on director Silberling's experience as the boyfriend of murdered actress Rebecca Schaffer. 112m/C VHS, DVD . US Jake Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon, Holly Hunter, Ellen Pompeo, Richard T. Jones, Allan Corduner, Dabney Coleman, Akelsia Landeau, Roxanne Hart; D: Brad Silberling; W: Brad Silberling; C: Phedon Papamichael; M: Mark Isham.