[.ca] Shoot the Moon

From Amazon.com:
Albert Finney (George) and Diane Keaton (Faith) play well against each other in this rather bleak and (for director Alan Parker) subdued story about a middle-class California couple trying and failing to be "grown-up" about divorce. George is a successful writer who has found another woman. After he walks out, Faith takes up with the handsome working-class stud who is building their tennis court (played by Peter Weller). Her new relationship is just something to ease the pain; George's might be more, except that he is drawn back again and again to his own house, his own wife, and his three daughters--especially the eldest (Dana Hill), who angrily refuses to forgive his dereliction. Increasingly unbalanced, and finally violent, he tries to bully his way back into their lives while maintaining his new life. The movie is too slow, and the surprisingly clichéd emotional atmospherics (a lingering shot of Finney in a boat on a lake, clutching his head in grief) sometimes make you feel you have stumbled into a bad made-for-TV event. But the story's the thing--that and the two fine leading performances. --Richard Farr

under-rated gem:
In my humble opinion both Finney and Keaton deliver some of the finest acting of their careers in this movie. Add Peter Weller as Keaton's on-the-rebound boyfriend and you have a real gem of a film. Although one might think this to be a typical family drama, a powerful undercurrent cuts through all the acting performances, including the actress who plays the oldest daughter. Favorite scene: where Keaton and Weller are sitting in the dark listening to that slow Rolling Stones song before he kisses her.Don't know exactly why, but I just like it.

Honest, harrowing movie about divorce:
What's remarkable about this movie is that it depicts domestic issues with the intensity of a war movie or courtroom drama, and yet it's never forced or fake. The editorial review misses the mark; the "emotional atmoshperics" are pitch-perfect (for example, the shot of the boat that the reviewer mentions is a calm, almost meditative long-shot, whereas most movies would have ruined the moment by trying to over-dramatize it). When I first saw this movie, what struck me was the way it shows domestic violence. In a bad movie (like "Enough"), only evil people are violent. What's truly gripping about "Shoot the Moon" is that we get inside George (Finney's character) so deeply that we understand exactly how his eruptions occur, and part of their shock is that we understand how they destroy his chances of reconciling with his family. His family can survive his inability to control his temper-- it's his own life that he's ruining. I hope I haven't made this sound unrelentingly bleak; there are lots of lively, funny moments as well, and the performances are wonderful. But it shows a painful divorce with more honesty and emotion than any other Hollywood movie I can think of.

Breaking up is hard to do:
This is truly an insufferable movie to watch, as Finney and Keaton struggle desperately to salvage this abysmal movie. It never ceases to amaze me how Hollywood has such a difficult time portraying real-life relationships on the silver screen. Here we have the struggling writer who finally pens an award-winning novel. The only problem is that he no longer has any contact with reality. He is torn between an affair and his wife and four daughters. When called on his affair, he storms out of the house as though he were the one who had been wronged. But after his wife manages to put back the pieces and now seems to have a reasonably healthy relationship with a younger man, back comes the irate husband, not because he is unhappy in his new relationship but because he is damn mad his wife can be happy without him. Finny and Keaton fail to make this stormy relationship work. The scenes are implausible and by movie's end it is unbearable to watch, especially as the older daughter tries to make sense of her childish parents. She shouts a few explicitives for Hollywood sake. The F-word was quite popular at the time, but the outbursts ring hollow as does the whole movie. It is what someone imagines a divorce being, not what it actually is. The settings are too idyllic for a struggling writer. Here they are living in a huge Victorian house in a romantic town in Northern California, yet the daughters sleep two to a bed. He has a writer's cabin by the surf, where he is able to break away from the din of bringing up family, and ultimately pursue his affair. When it all comes crashing down, it does so in the most incredulous ways with the quintessential home wrecking, good old fashion fights, and the damn typewriter which he carts out around like some talisman that will magically restore his relationship with his older daughter. This movie fails on all counts.

An Unending Relationship:
This movie is about a man and woman who have lost intimacy and passion in their marriage. Infidelity leads one of them to leave after being found out. This in turn leads to a pending divorce and how many times a week they get to see their children. Sounds familiar but this movie has a certain flair to it. It has alot of creativity and underlying emotions that can be seen by exceptional acting. This movie shows how it might feel to go through a separation from someone you have known and loved for a long time. It isn't just an easy thing and this movie points that out. Each partner grieves and gets angry and bargains, just like when you are dealing with death. The cinematography is quite nice. The relationship the children have with their parents is original, and highly entertaining, especially how they interact with Keaton. The house they live in is so cozy and warm, I wish I lived in it. The ending really hits home and leaves you wondering if she will forgive him? I guess the viewer gets to answer the question. Not your typical run of the mill movie fare with a pat ending and everybody smiling when they walk out of the theater. It is not about happy times, this movie represents separation via divorce reality, the harsh reality! Lisa Nary

A Keaton Gem:
The disintegration of a marriage is usually red-flag matter when it's treated as an entertainment piece. But "Shoot the Moon" is, for some unknown reason, an underrated and under-appreciated (when it was released) showcase for the dynamic Diane Keaton and Albert Finney. Their marriage goes bust in this one, and in the anguish of both characters we feel likewise. The emotional fallout of the breakup of any marriage, even if its end is mutually sought, is acutely conveyed here, and Keaton and Finney manage to make us care about their characters, even if one is someone we might not otherwise want to care about. The film was one in a handful that Keaton did in her post-"Annie Hall" days but which helped catapault her to greater heights as a serious and accomplished dramatic actress ("Reds" quickly followed "Shoot the Moon" for Keaton, which garnered her a second Best Actress nomination). Why this film didn't generate more buzz when it was first released is inexplicable, but it's a hidden gem. When it's done, we have to appreciate its honesty: there's no "happily ever after" that neatly ties this one up.