A Walk on the Moon | Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen

A Walk on the Moon | Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen | This is a walk to remember...

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A Walk on the Moon

	A Walk on the Moon Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen Miramax, 1999 average customer review:based on 109 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Dustin Hoffman presents Diane Lane (MURDER AT 1600, JACK), Liev Schreiber (SPHERE, SCREAM I&II), and Viggo Mortensen (A PERFECT MURDER, THE LORD OF THE RINGS) in a provocative and sensual story about one woman's personal sexual revolution! It's the summer of 1969 and Pearl (Lane) is spending yet another vacation with her family when she realizes that the freedom of the times is passing her by. Following a chance meeting with a sexy, free-spirited young man (Mortensen), Pearl is soon doing the unthinkable: having a daring, passionate affair! Also starring Academy Award(R)-winner Anna Paquin (Best Supporting Actress, THE PIANO, 1993; SHE'S ALL THAT) in a powerful motion picture that's been called one of the year's best -- Pearl must ultimately decide between the love of her husband and children ... or the lure of her newfound desires!

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beleivable and involving

This is a well-made film on every level. It's great how they tie in the goings-on of 1969 to work with the story. And it does work incredibly well. One thing I liked about it is that the performances are realistic and it doesn't smack of Hollywood. It left me with more of a tragic feeling than a romantic one. You can only shake your head over the complexity of the human heart and society that it exists within. They should have included Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Find the Cost of Freedom" in there just for good measure, as this movie certainly explores that. OK, that song is not really about love affairs and their effect on families but about war.. Still, the effect of the affair on her family (the cost of freedom?) is obviously one of the themes in this movie and is in fact part of the price she (and her family) pays. For better or for worse.

I wanted to see this after catching Diane Lane in "Unfaithful", which was a rollarcoaster ride. "A Walk On The Moon" better fits the drama catagory, and doesn't have the edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting impact of "Unfaithful" though it does gently but surely pull you into its world. Thus we care about the characters and become quite interested in the story.

And yes, it was great to see the legend of Woodstock and the late 60s play into the personal life of one family. Neither over nor under-done, the final effect is a beleivable and involving movie that didn't exactly have me yearning for those times, but certainly gives a sense of appreciation and understanding for where people were. While styles and current events have changed, issues of the heart perhaps haven't changed all that much. The hippie revolution seemed to test those issues (among others), adding another interesting element as backdrop to this ancient dilemma.

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This is a walk to remember...

After I had seen and raved Lane's dynamic performance in `Unfaithful' I was told by many a friend to check out her riveting portrayal of, you guessed it, a cheating spouse in `A Walk on the Moon'. My friends all claimed that she is just as impressive and just as Oscar worthy here as well, but really, all they had to do was say Diane Lane and I was sold (I just love her). I don't know how this movie passed me by, but then again, 1999 was such a rich year for film that it is almost impossible to lay claim to seeing all of them. `A Walk on the Moon' may be a tad predictable (okay, a lot predictable) and it may be formulaic, but the rich performances and the nicely developed script help elevate this film higher than the subject necessarily calls for.

The film tells the story of Pearl Kantrowitz, a young mother of two who is taking the summer vacation with her family to the Catskills. Her husband Marty can only stay in segments for his profession is in high demand (he is a television repair man) beings that Armstrong is about to land on the moon and everyone and their mother wants to watch it on television. While Marty is away, Pearl finds herself falling for Parker, a hippie `blouse salesman' who is spellbound by Pearl's good looks and obvious charm. While Pearl struggles with her own desires she has to try and reel in her fourteen-year-old daughter Alison while avoiding the watchful eye of her mother-in-law Lillian.

`A Walk on the Moon' unfolds rather predictably, with Pearl engaging in an affair, her daughter testing the boundaries of rebellion and her poor husband uncovering the lines of deceit and falling to pieces over it all. The script does contain some inconsistencies and improbabilities (the whole Woodstock thing, while a nice touch, was a tad unbelievable) but the wonderfully fleshed out performances and the overall honesty of the films conclusion make this a very well done film.

Diane Lane is Oscar worthy as Pearl, such a warmly constructed performance that is almost as brilliant as her `Unfaithful' turn. In all honesty I can't for the life of me understand who she was Oscar snubbed for Meryl Streep's mediocre turning in `Music of the Heart' or Julianne Moore's overrated and boring turn in `The End of the Affair'. Lane towers over both of those performances by creating a real woman who is devastated and confused and liberated all at the same time. Live Schreiber, an actor for whom I am steadily becoming more and more impressed with, is amazing as Marty. As the film progresses and he uncovers the truth we can feel his emotions crush inward, and the way he goes from one extreme to the next is believable and heartbreaking. Anna Paquin is sensational as Alison, really matching Lane's ferocity, and Tovah Feldshuh is flawlessly moving as Marty's worrisome mother. Viggo Mortensen, who has turned himself into a fine actor, is less than engaging here. I've never seen the physical attraction there, so maybe that's why his character didn't sell me (in my opinion Schreiber is a much better looking man) but overall I found him underwhelming. He didn't charm me or fascinate me as he should have in order to sell his character.

As a whole I think that `A Walk on the Moon' works very well indeed. Sure, the script could have been tightened a bit, and Viggo could have been replaced, but almost every other element is right in line with where they should be. Lane is a revelation (why is she Oscarless?) and Schreiber is flawless. The honesty that `Unfaithful', the film, lacked (delving into the whole murder-thriller business was a big mistake) `A Walk on the Moon' has in spades.

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60's Awakening

A romantic coming of age movie where both mother and daughter grow up during the summer of love. Fantastic sound track.

A+ movie

"A Walk on the Moon" was one of the best movie I have seen in awhile. Since my purchase of this movie I have watched it 3 times, my husband has watched it with me also and enjoyed it. Normally this is not a type of movie he would watch.

The Blouse Man & the Unfulfilled Wife

Like some other reviewers here I felt that the title A Walk on the Moon wasn't really suited to the theme of this movie, but that's just my opinion. As for the movie itself, it takes on the theme of adultery, growing pains and family life set against the backdrop of Woodstock and man's landing on the moon.

Diane Lane plays Pearl Kantrowitz who married young [to her high school sweetheart] and her husband is played by Liev Schreiber, a T.V. repairman. They lead a typical middle-class life with their two children, 14-year-old daughter [Anna Paquin] and a young son. It is the summer of 69 and the Kantrowitz family, including grandma Bubbie[Tovah Feldshuh], head off to the Catskills where they join a bungalow colony of similar working class Jewish people and everything seems idyllic on the surface except for Pearl's dissatisfaction with her humdrum existence ["I haven't made a decision in ten years, except whether to shop at A&P or Waldbaum's"] and things are not helped by her husband's long working hours and absence.

Enter the "Blouse Man" aka Walker Jerome [played by pre-LOTR and Eastern Promises Viggo Mortensen] who stirs something primitive and dormant in Pearl and both engage in a summer of forbidden passion. When Pearl's husband eventually finds out, all hell breaks loose, and Pearl has some tough decisions to make.

I felt that the script itself needed some tweaking as it often felt like a melodrama that seemed to drag in parts. What lifted the movie above melodrama however was the fine cast - Diane Lane's Pearl is well-defined as the bored and jaded housewife seeking some form of self-actualization, even if it takes the form of adultery. Viggo Mortensen brings some depth to the character of the 'other' man, Liev Shreiber does a pretty decent job as the confused and hurt husband, and there are also some other strong supporting roles. Anna Paquin plays an angry adolescent who rages against her parents yet is quite vulnerable, and Tovah Feldshuh deserves special mention as the 'all-seeing' Bubbie who can spot a disaster from miles away.

All in all, this is a pretty decent drama that could have been great if it had a stronger script. The theme of adultery is inadequately dealt with, yet on the whole, it is entertaining and the scenes of Woodstock etc make for a fun watch.

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