"A Walk on the Moon" is a family values film, despite its marketing angle portraying a liberating 60's romance.
Set in the summer of 1969, this well-written, richly evocative film is nostalgic in its atmosphere and message. 80's sexpot Diane Lane (Streets of Fire, The Outsiders) delivers a complex, subtle
performance light-years away from her old image of a cold, emotionally distant beauty.
She plays faithful housewife Pearl Katrowitz, whose life is untouched by the social and political upheavals of the 60s. Pearl and her
husband Marty (Liev Schrieber)
are a normal working-class couple going through the routines of family life. Pearl's daughter Alison (Anna Paquin
, whose uncanny performance in "The Piano" earned her an Oscar) feels the pull of the counterculture…and so does Pearl. Studly hippie
Walker (Viggo Mortensen, from "The Portrait of a Lady") is
the new "blouse man" who rolls into the sheltered Catskills summer camp where Pearl's family vacations. He delivers tantalizing sexual sizzle and tie-dye fashions with his more conventional
wares. The immediate attraction between Pearl and Walker leads to a passionate affair.
The big question this movie poses is not, "Will she or won't she?" but rather, "What will she do
now?" Pearl's flirtation with hippie culture is paralleled by her daughter's teenage rebellion, both colliding at Woodstock in a searing scene that's probably every kid's nightmare. As if this
isn't bad enough, Pearl's secret life comes face-to-face with her family and she's forced to choose between adventure and stability. If this movie were
made in the 70s or even the 80s, we know which way the decision would tip. The fallout from decades of me-generation yuppie bad behavior and devastating divorces turns this movie into a peculiar
reflection of 1950s values.
"A Walk on the Moon" is a character study of one family and our country at a time when change was imminent. Lane brings a touching gawkiness to the naïve Pearl,
driven by desires she doesn't fully comprehend. First-time director Tony Goldwyn elicits a delicately eloquent performance from Lane, who communicates Pearl's sometimes halting, sometimes full-throttle
drive for a new experience she can't quite articulate.
Screenplay nicely pairs Pearl's experiences with daughter Alison's rites of teenage passage and makes Pearl's explorations as plausible as
her daughter's. Excellent acting from Paquin as the headstrong Alison, eagerly making her first forays into romance and Lane, just as headstrong and curious but shaded by an adult's doubt and
fears. Bathroom confrontation scene between Paquin's ferocity and Lane's restraint exploding into an unintended confession is very well handled and perhaps, the emotional linchpin of the film.
Except for Walker, all characters have the ring of truth about them, particularly Pearl and Alison. Marty could have been a stock "boring husband" but he's got lost dreams and passions of his
own. Mortensen does a good job portraying Walker as a courtly, decent hippie oozing sexuality and tenderness. Unfortunately, there's little to him except his physicality. Fortunately, we
get to see a lot of that physicality. All the actors make good use of physical movement and placement in their portrayals (Lane's flickering eyes and nervous jitters, Mortensen's feline moves,
Schreiber's stiffness, Paquin's clumsy energy).
"Moon" is especially good at showing the unexpected volatility of strong emotion: Alison spits out her secret in a rage, Marty's public clinch,
Pearl's sudden surrender. Well written with an eye for characterization, "Moon" is quite patchy after Pearl makes her decision. Walker's character drops out abruptly and the ending just doesn't
quite hang together, despite a valiant and heavy-handed effort involving Jimi Hendrix's music.
Very good production design, lovingly observed with sharp eye for period detail (Wonder bread, ice cream
sandwiches, stenciled drink glasses) and costumes (Alison's red white & blue pants, Pearl's hair curlers). Walker bears a strong resemblance to Peter Fonda's Captain American character in 60s cult
film "Easy Rider." First half of the film is quite funny, with the frequent camp announcements (the knish man is on the premises!) by Julia Kavner (the voice of Marge Simpson) adding to the period
detail.
Modest and probing, "A Walk on the Moon" looks back with fondness at the 60s and concludes free love sometimes isn't worth the price. Will translate well to the small screen. Best
for people who prefer character-driven films. |
