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The Man in the Moon

The Man in the Moon

Drama · Romance · 1991

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.

Movie details

The Man in the Moon

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

1991 Drama · Romance 1h 39m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.4 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Man in the Moon?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Robert Mulligan

Written by

Jenny Wingfield

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon

Danielle "Dani" Trant

Jason London

Jason London

Court Foster

Emily Warfield

Emily Warfield

Maureen Trant

Sam Waterston

Sam Waterston

Matthew Trant

Tess Harper

Tess Harper

Abigail Trant

Gail Strickland

Gail Strickland

Marie Foster

Bentley Mitchum

Bentley Mitchum

Billy Sanders

Court is in session

Put The Man in the Moon on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.