The Man in the Moon (1991)

(In French, On TV, June 2021) As a big southern summertime coming-of-age melodrama, The Man in the Moon is made out of familiar parts, arranged in predictable order and going for viewers’ emotions in a predictable way. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does place a lot more emphasis on the film’s rather well-done atmosphere. By having a rote story, viewers can tune out and take in the sense of time and place of 1950s rural Louisiana, shot in glossy yellow light. The other standout element of the film is the debut screen performance from 14-year-old Reese Witherspoon, who retroactively became the film’s biggest name. Otherwise, there isn’t much to The Man in the Moon — considering how much the setting overpowers the narrative, it’s probably best when taken in as a tonal piece rather than a story.