Box of Moon Light (1996)

Al Fountain, a middle-aged electrical engineer, is on the verge of a mid-life crisis, when he decides to take his time coming home from a business trip, rents a car, and heads out looking ... See full summary »

Director:

Tom DiCillo

Writer:

Tom DiCillo

Stars:

John Turturro, Sam Rockwell, Catherine Keener

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Turturro	...	Al Fountain
Sam Rockwell	...	The Kid
Catherine Keener	...	Floatie Dupre
Lisa Blount	...	Purlene Dupre
Annie Corley	...	Deb Fountain
Alexander Goodwin	...	Bobby Fountain
Dermot Mulroney	...	Wick
Mike Stanley	...	Doob
Rica Martens	...	Doris
Ray Aranha	...	Soapy
Robert Wightman	...	Dex
James Richardson	...	Taco
Stephen Dupree	...	Elwood
Eugene Wolf	...	Lyle
Reathel Bean	...	Luvven Coddle

Storyline

Al Fountain, a middle-aged electrical engineer, is on the verge of a mid-life crisis, when he decides to take his time coming home from a business trip, rents a car, and heads out looking for a lake he remembers from his childhood. But his wandering takes him into the life of Kid, a free-spirited young man who helps Al escape from the routine of everyday life and find freedom to enjoy himself.

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Plot Keywords:

engineer | moving backwards | friendship | woods | chicago illinois | 

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Taglines:

Discover something incredible...

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some nudity

Details

Country:

USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 July 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Caixa do Luar

Filming Locations:

Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$13,500 (USA) (25 July 1997)

Gross:

$720,717 (USA) (19 September 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lakeshore Entertainment, JVC Entertainment Networks, Largo Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The swimming hole is actually an abandoned 350 foot deep quarry. DiCillo told all who went in that it was only 25 feet deep max. An expert swimmer at a nearby quarry was bitten by a poisonous snake and drowned several days before filming began.

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Quotes

Luvven Coddle: I sense a - a yearning in you - a - a searching - almost - as if you're lost. You've been lost for a long, long time. Am I right?... You found Jesus, Al.
Al Fountain: Why? Is he missing?

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Connections

Referenced in Wann ist der Mond eigentlich rund? (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Lost Time Blues"
Written by Peter Aaron
Performed by The Chrome Cranks
Courtesy of PCP Entertainment

User Reviews

Extraordinary!

1996's "Box of Moonlight" is the very best motion picture I have ever seen in my life. It is a highly symbolic, extraordinary masterpiece of a film. Viewing it is a pure magical experience, and the unique thing is that for every viewing, I have found something I didn't find before. Always something great. (Maybe this is the reason it is so underrated, because there is so much to discover about this film that actually requires a second, or even third viewing). Tom Dicillo's follow up to "Living in Oblivion" has Turturro playing Al Fountain, a strict by the books engineer who, as one character says, "goes through life like a robot". He doesn't know how to enjoy life, and is lost in a world of clockwork. But everything is about to change when he meets a free-spirit named Bucky (AKA Kid) played by Sam Rockwell who gives the performance of his career. They learn from each other and discover, before, unseen elements of life. It succeeds on many levels, but most importantly has such a rich, multi-layered character study. This includes its characters': sprititual growth (maybe even without finding God yet as the film suggests)self discovery, and setting loose of life's boundaries and morals. There are excellent performances all around (notably Rockwell and Turturro, and Katherine Keener). Not to mention Dicillo's brilliant writing/direction, and outstanding cinematography and music.