"Shoot the Moon" is a strange film... one of those quaint (I mean that in a good way), early 80's period pieces that flopped at the box office and then disappeared almost entirely from public consciousness, never to reappear. Painful to watch at times... sometimes it feels true to reality, sometimes it doesn't.
The film is more a collection of scenes than a coherent whole, which isn't necessarily a bad thing... but as another reviewer stated, the target audience here is unclear. As an "anti-divorce" statement it makes its point (perhaps too strongly... the tennis court scene was unnecessary, I thought, given that there was no emotional buildup to it). The acting is also a mixed bag -- at times seeming perfectly natural and at other times forced and constrained by the script, as well as by the mixed talents of the child actors.
This film is little more than an interesting, dated period piece, yet it's very enjoyable (though not always pleasant) and never lost my attention for a minute. Makes a good companion film to "Table for Five," another film of a similar bent and genre -- these are good films to see on a quiet, rainy Sunday. 7/10
The film is more a collection of scenes than a coherent whole, which isn't necessarily a bad thing... but as another reviewer stated, the target audience here is unclear. As an "anti-divorce" statement it makes its point (perhaps too strongly... the tennis court scene was unnecessary, I thought, given that there was no emotional buildup to it). The acting is also a mixed bag -- at times seeming perfectly natural and at other times forced and constrained by the script, as well as by the mixed talents of the child actors.
This film is little more than an interesting, dated period piece, yet it's very enjoyable (though not always pleasant) and never lost my attention for a minute. Makes a good companion film to "Table for Five," another film of a similar bent and genre -- these are good films to see on a quiet, rainy Sunday. 7/10