Box of Moonlight
A quixotic and magical modern fable about discovering life, liberty and the pursuit of lawn ornaments.
Meet Al Fountain (JOHN TURTURRO), electrical engineer. Too punctual. Too precise. Too routine. But propelled by peculiar hallucinations and the discovery of his first gray hair, Al realizes that something's not quite right. Compelled to revisit the sight of a happy childhood memory, his journey leads him to an encounter with Kid (SAM ROCKWELL), a self-styled woodsman in a Davy Crockett outfit. Kid is everything Al is not. Free-spirited and eccentric. Like oil and water, Kid's loose-limbed way of life is completely at odds with Al's rigid sense of order.
Little by little, the endearing Kid strikes a cord with Al that resonates to the very base of his soul. Kid unknowingly teaches Al how to lift the lid off the box he's built around himself.
Member Reviews
I'd prefer the mid-life crisis - RobBC
Al Fountain is a mid-level manager for whom punctuality has become a fetish. With his life ruled by timetables and deadlines and a closet filled with the same white shirts and black pants he has forgotten how to simply have fun...a lesson he is unfortunately teaching his young son. But when an unexpected grey hair throws him into a mid-life crisis of unprecedented proportions Al vainly attempts to recapture the time he has lost by visiting a favourite campground from his youth only to discover it is now a polluted lake surrounded by garbage and haunted by a creepy minister and his wife. And then his life takes a turn for the surreal when he runs into "Kid", a long-haired man-child in a Davy Crockett outfit whose home consists of half a trailer and a forest full of Salvation Army furniture. It isn't long before Kid introduces Al to the wonders of naked skinny-dipping, eating cookies for breakfast and shooting up private property with a 12-guage; all of which lead Al to rethink his values and become a more well-rounded person. DiCillo's flowery metaphor doesn't just tell us to stop and smell the roses, he repeatedly shoves our faces into the damn bush. Loud, histrionic and overdone in every way, Kid's lunatic antics are more suggestive of mental illness than personal freedom giving the whole production a depressing sense of menace that crowds out Al's supposed life-altering revelation. Nice try, but I think I'll stick to my OCD.Box Of Moonlight - RoughRider
An outstanding film. Featuring the always great, John Turturro and the under appreciated Sam Rockwell. With a superb soundtrack and stunning visuals. This film takes you into Turturro's mid life crisis in a way that makes an overused scenario seem new. Rockwell as a renegade spirit in a dull time is excellent. And you don't want to see Turturro have to return to his regular life. From skinny dipping at the lake, to stealing tomatoes from a farmers field, this film reminds you of what we are missing in our box in the burbs.All Squared Away - July_Jones
It took 6 years to make this film and it almost didn't see the light of day - thankfully it did. This being said, the director's commentary is a must as DiCillio relays many great stories surrounding the struggle to get this film made. As usual John Turturro is brilliant. We still get the all quirks and idiosyncrasies that we have come to expect (and relish), but we also get to see a real man. You soon forget about the actor, and come to view Tuturro as an attractive leading man...with issues. A man who's life is at a crossroads. Enter Sam Rockwell's character (also giving an astonishing performance). DiCillio regulars including Catherine Keener and Dermot Mulroney make appearances with curious characters who draw out the personalities and humanity of the main roles. Eccentric, fun, thoughtful and heartbreakig. Definitely worth a look.
Member Reviews
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I'd prefer the mid-life crisis - RobBC
Al Fountain is a mid-level manager for whom punctuality has become a fetish. With his life ruled by timetables and deadlines and a closet filled with the same white shirts and black pants he has forgotten how to simply have fun...a lesson he is unfortunately ...Box Of Moonlight - RoughRider
An outstanding film. Featuring the always great, John Turturro and the under appreciated Sam Rockwell. With a superb soundtrack and stunning visuals. This film takes you into Turturro's mid life crisis in a way that makes an overused scenario seem new. Rockwell ...All Squared Away - July_Jones
It took 6 years to make this film and it almost didn't see the light of day - thankfully it did. This being said, the director's commentary is a must as DiCillio relays many great stories surrounding the struggle to get this film made. As usual John Turturro ...