Moonlight and Valentino (1995)

A young widow still grieving over the death of her husband finds herself being comforted by a local housepainter.

Director:

David Anspaugh

Writers:

Ellen Simon (play), Ellen Simon (screenplay)

Stars:

Elizabeth Perkins, Whoopi Goldberg, Gwyneth Paltrow

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Perkins	...	Rebecca Trager Lott
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Sylvie Morrow
Shadia Simmons	...	Jenny Morrow
Erica Luttrell	...	Drew Morrow
Matthew Koller	...	Alex Morrow
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Lucy Trager
Kathleen Turner	...	Alberta Trager
Scott Wickware	...	Policeman
Kelli Fox	...	Nurse
Harrison Liu	...	Mr. Wong
Wayne Lam	...	Mr. Wong's Son
Ken Wong	...	Mr. Wong's Father
Carlton Watson	...	Henrik
Jack Jessop	...	Sid
Josef Sommer	...	Thomas Trager

Storyline

College poetry professor and poet Rebecca Trager Lott's husband Ben Lott has just died in a freak accident. Rebecca's support during this difficult time consists of her best friend Sylvie Morrow, her sister Lucy Trager, and her ex-stepmother Alberta Trager. Earth mother Sylvie is dealing with what she sees as the probable end of her own marriage to her husband Paul Morrow. Chain smoking Lucy is a directionless and insecure woman who is still mourning their mother's death fourteen years earlier from cancer. And Wall Street executive Alberta, who Lucy in particular doesn't like in her life (especially as Alberta and their father have since divorced) is a domineering but admittedly efficient woman who treats her personal life as an extension of her professional life. As time progresses and each woman deals with her own issues while trying to help Rebecca, a hunky house painter who they have nicknamed "Valentino" enters their collective lives. "Valentino" profoundly affects each of their ...

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Plot Keywords:

widow | grief | friendship between women | female protagonist | death of husband | 

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Taglines:

Virginity, sex, the big cry, and other salty topics.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brief strong language

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Moonlight et Valentino

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Gross:

$2,488,858 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer Ellen Simon is Neil Simon's daughter.

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Quotes

Sylvie Morrow: I'm thankful that woman is here. She's a pill but highly effective.

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Connections

Features The 10th Victim (1965)

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Soundtracks

"Strange Currencies"
Written and Performed by R.E.M.

User Reviews

Under-rated girl talk film about what makes women special.

"Moonlight..." is a slightly massaged and sanitized but insightful and warm look at a woman (Perkins) coping with grief with help from a distaff trio of family/friends. A beautifully crafted piece of work at all levels, this dialogue-intensive film spares us much of the usual mourning melodrama and gets right into the healing process with humor, charm, and sensitivity while exploring the principal's relationships and not lingering too long on the central grief issue. Overall, an entertaining piece which, IMHO, was scored too low by IMDB.com users because of the male side of the jury. Recommended for more mature audiences... and Ebert, wake up and smell the roses.