Moonlight Mile
The Players: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Holly Hunter, Susan Sarandon, Dabney Coleman, Ellen Pompeo; directed by Brad Silberling (City of Angels)
The Skinny: This story is very loosely based on Silberling‘s relationship with the parents of his actress girlfriend Rebecca Schaeffer, who was murdered by a stalker in 1989 at age 21. The main character (Gyllenhaal), who lives with his onetime in-laws-to-be (Hoffman and Sarandon), is the only connection they still have to their daughter. Even as they’re all still dealing with the loss, he begins to fall for a woman (Pompeo) whose boyfriend has disappeared. Mile is less a story about the murder as it is about coping with grief and working through it to a better place.
The Bottom Line:
This sounds mighty depressing. A young girl killed before her time, and two hours of talking about it? Then again, it’s this cast and this season, and if the marketing is right, it could mean Oscar, Oscar, Oscar. Look at Ordinary People.
Opens: Sept. 20
