Box of Moonlight

I'd heard plenty of people tell me that I needed to see "Box of Moonlight" because it was filmed in Knoxville, TN (my hometown) and that it featured several signs and personalities familiar to Knoxvillians (the newscasters Gene Patterson and Kristin Hoke, the hot pink "Bambi's" bar/strip club, etc.), so I watched the movie almost entirely trying to pick up these things. I found myself enjoying a very subtle, lighthearted film about a man (John Turturro) struggling with a mid-life crisis, and eventually liberating himself from the normal stiff, "clockwork" persona he had become. Sam Rockwell gives a great performance as "Kid", and Catherine Keener is wonderful as the "simple southern girl" (a 180 degree turn from her role in "Being John Malkovich"). Turturro is excellent as Al, and you can feel the emotions he is having during his transformation. Everyone should be able to relate to his disappointment when he returns to the fictional Splatchee Lake, only to see that it is no longer what he remembers. You begin to understand how much he needs someone like Kid to break him free from the life that he so obviously loathes, but not until the final scene do you understand how much Kid needed him to stick around and be his friend (maybe Kid wasn't as slow-witted as we were made to believe?). The writing and acting in this film are wonderful, and I wish more filmmakers would make movies like this. It was a refreshing story, and one that is worth seeing.

Due of my obsession for Sam Rockwell i found this wonderful piece of film, knowing absolutely nothing about it, and...what can I say....it's well as we would say it in German: einfach wunderbar.....

Tom DiCillos Film describes in very brilliant scenes how a boring typical American father and husband discovers what life meant to be.... This film has several great scenes in it...the all-American-way of life is present throughout the whole story, showing for example this really fat boy jumping around the pool, or the incredible friendly woman of the car-renal-station....

John Turturro is brilliant as this empty man, who seems to never had any joy in his whole life, accept as a kid at this lake where he travels to, as the had some days off after work.... On his way he meets Buck alias The Kid, a young man who lives deep in the woods far away from every society..For seven days now these very different people get together...and it's so inspiring to see them become...well....some kind of friends.

Sam Rockwell is absolutely gorgeous as The Kid, i had this weird feeling - whenever he's in – i have to embrace this grown-up kid ever and ever again, never let him go.... His face in this scene when Turturro's Character wants to get back the key for his car.... indescribable...wow.... Well....surely i only want to intimate that this film is acting at it's purest.... In the end Turturro's Character as changed, in a little not so obvious way...an me to.

Sam Rockwell is an excellent actor. He also does not shy away from quirky roles that require liberal use of nudity. Just as in "Lawn Dogs," Sammy shows it all in "Box of Moonlight." The film is really an actor's showcase for John Tuturro too. He is perfect as the socially inept engineer who is "shown the (moon) light" by Rockwell. One can quibble about the choices the two characters make on their road to emotional "freedom," but the movie is charming none-the-less, and a nice companion film to "Lawn Dogs" in its depiction of life in south central America. This is an "Adult Fable," So suspend your need for action, and discover you have new needs: for character development, for dialog, for symbolism, for magic.

Tom diCillo's most succesful film is the also great 'Living In Oblivion', but 'Box Of Moonlight' is my favorite one. This movie is really excellent, among all the films that deserved success but didn't get it, this film is the one that deserved it the most, a real life experience. Probably John Torturro best part ever and of his best performances too. This is his best film since Miller's Crossing (91, by Coen Bros.). If you wanna see a real masterpiece, go check this one out and, I bet, you'll remember it for the rest of your life.

One of my favourite Films of all time. Top notch performances all round especially turturro and Sam rockwell.

Sad,funny,inspiring and always entertaining this is a film that stays in your mind forever and one to watch over and over again.

The Cinematography is sublime, while the screenplay is spot on.

For Film fans who like their films with a great story .

Not for the blockbuster merchants.

In short : A Classic.

Do yourself a favour and rent this movie out.

Tom dicillio at his best.