The Man In The Moon

Newcomer Witherspoon manages to strike exactly the right note as the tomboy on the verge of womanhood while Waterston works on several levels at once.

The heart-warming tone steadily becomes overheated.

Gets an outstandingly natural performance out of Miss Witherspoon, who has no trouble carrying a lot of the film single-handedly. It falls to her to remind the audience that this story is at heart about a family, and she does.

"The Man in the Moon" is a wonderful movie, but it is more than that, it is a victory of tone and mood. It is like a poem.

"The Man in the Moon" is an intimate, sentimental coming-of-age drama, a sweet little puppy love movie crushed by the enormity of its tragic twists.

Mulligan uses a delicate touch in revealing the confusion in growing up and the loss in discovering that the world isn't as simple or perfect as children believe it to be.

Beautifully filmed, with Mulligan's special gifts for depicting country life and the South.

Tender and touching film about two sisters whose close relationship is tested by the joy of love and the pain of grief.

"The Man in the Moon" doesn't break anything, but it does know a thing or two about first love and friendship. A small gem.

"a drama that lingers on in the memory"

Self-contained in its own simplicity

This cast is a knock-out. As the parents, veterans Sam Waterston, Tess Harper and Gail Strickland lead these novice teen actors in setting standards that these young performers will spend the rest of their careers trying to emulate.