A Walk on the Moon
Encyclopedia
A Walk On The Moon is a 1999 drama film
starring Diane Lane
, Viggo Mortensen
, Liev Schreiber
and Anna Paquin
. The movie, which was set against the backdrop of the Woodstock festival
of 1969 and the moon landing
of that year, was distributed by Miramax Films.
) and her husband Marty (Liev Schreiber
) are a lower middle class
Jewish couple in New York City
, where Marty is a television repairman. The movie begins with the couple and their family including their teenage daughter Alison (Anna Paquin
) and young son Danny (Bobby Boriello) and Marty's mother Lillian (Tovah Feldshuh
) going to their Jewish fish bowl camp, Dr. Folger's Bungalows, which they attend each summer.
Marty is forced to work away from home and hence, he only visits the family on weekends. This leaves Pearl feeling lonely and isolated. Pearl got pregnant at the age of 17 and she feels she missed enjoying her youth. With the absence of Marty, Pearl is attracted to the new "Blouse Man" Walker Jerome (Viggo Mortensen
). Meanwhile, Alison is neglected and she experiences her first kiss, her first date and her first periods
as she sleeps with a local boy, Ross.
Marty is unable to visit the family because he has to repair more TV sets than usual, due to the impending moon landing
. While the whole town celebrates the historic moonwalk, Pearl has sex with Walker. Marty's mother Lillian learns of the affair and tries to persuade Pearl to break it off. The affair continues and when Marty can't get up to visit on the weekend because of the traffic jam caused by the Woodstock festival
, which is within walking distance of the bungalow colony, Pearl goes to the festival, and unbeknownst to her, Alison goes as well with Ross and her friends. Alison observes Pearl carousing with the blouse man.
Marty learns of the affair and confronts Pearl while Alison confronts her mother in an emotional scene. Pearl is forced to deal with her love of her family and her conflicting yearning for marital freedom.
Pearl finally makes her decision to stay with Marty and tells Walker she cannot go away with him. Jerome says he understands. The final scene shows Pearl and Marty dancing together, first to Dean Martin
's "When You're Smiling" and then to Jimi Hendrix
's "Purple Haze", after Marty changes the station.
"The Name Game" -- Lincoln Chase
and Shirley Elliston
"Danke Schoen" -- Wayne Newton
"Wishin' & Hopin'" -- Dusty Springfield
"Ripple" -- The Grateful Dead
"For Your Love" -- The Yardbirds
"Sunlight" -- The Youngbloods
"Summertime" -- Janis Joplin
(Big Brother and the Holding Company)
"Sally Go Round the Roses" -- The Great Society
"Today" -- Jefferson Airplane
"Embryonic Journey" -- Jefferson Airplane
"Kiss of Fire" -- Georgia Gibbs
"Cactus Tree" -- Joni Mitchell
"Who Knows Where the Time Goes" -- Judy Collins
"Town Without Pity" -- Gene Pitney
& Mandy Barnett
"Uncle John's Band" -- The Grateful Dead
"Crimson & Clover" -- Tommy James
and the Shondells
"Freedom" -- Richie Havens
"The Fish Cheer" -- Country Joe McDonald
"I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag" -- Country Joe McDonald
"Subterranean Homesick Blues" --Bob Dylan
"White Bird" -- It's a Beautiful Day
"Israelites" -- Desmond Dekker
"When You're Smiling
(The Whole World Smiles with You)" -- Dean Martin
"Purple Haze
" -- Jimi Hendrix
"Follow" -- Richie Havens
"Helplessly Hoping" -- Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" -- Tommy James and the Shondells
Entertainment Weekly
ranked it #9 on their "50 Sexiest Movies Ever" poll, but the Washington Post found it 'a little too perfect and symbolically signposted for its own good'.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
starring Diane Lane
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
, Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
, Liev Schreiber
Liev Schreiber
Isaac Liev Schreiber , commonly known as Liev Schreiber, is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He became known during the late 1990s and early 2000s, having initially appeared in several independent films, and later mainstream Hollywood films, including the Scream trilogy of...
and Anna Paquin
Anna Paquin
Anna Helene Paquin is a Canadian-born New Zealand actress. Paquin's first critically successful film was The Piano, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1994 at the age of 11 – the second youngest winner in history...
. The movie, which was set against the backdrop of the Woodstock festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
of 1969 and the moon landing
Moon landing
A moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both manned and unmanned missions. The first human-made object to reach the surface of the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2 mission on 13 September 1959. The United States's Apollo 11 was the first manned...
of that year, was distributed by Miramax Films.
Plot summary
Pearl Kantrowitz (Diane LaneDiane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
) and her husband Marty (Liev Schreiber
Liev Schreiber
Isaac Liev Schreiber , commonly known as Liev Schreiber, is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He became known during the late 1990s and early 2000s, having initially appeared in several independent films, and later mainstream Hollywood films, including the Scream trilogy of...
) are a lower middle class
Lower middle class
In developed nations across the world, the lower middle class is a sub-division of the greater middle class. Universally the term refers to the group of middle class households or individuals who have not attained the status of the upper middle class associated with the higher realms of the middle...
Jewish couple in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where Marty is a television repairman. The movie begins with the couple and their family including their teenage daughter Alison (Anna Paquin
Anna Paquin
Anna Helene Paquin is a Canadian-born New Zealand actress. Paquin's first critically successful film was The Piano, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1994 at the age of 11 – the second youngest winner in history...
) and young son Danny (Bobby Boriello) and Marty's mother Lillian (Tovah Feldshuh
Tovah Feldshuh
Tovah Feldshuh is an American actress, singer and playwright.-Early life:Terri Sue Feldshuh was born to a Jewish family in New York City, the daughter of Lillian and Sidney Feldshuh, who was a lawyer. She was raised in Scarsdale, New York, an affluent community in Westchester County and graduated...
) going to their Jewish fish bowl camp, Dr. Folger's Bungalows, which they attend each summer.
Marty is forced to work away from home and hence, he only visits the family on weekends. This leaves Pearl feeling lonely and isolated. Pearl got pregnant at the age of 17 and she feels she missed enjoying her youth. With the absence of Marty, Pearl is attracted to the new "Blouse Man" Walker Jerome (Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
). Meanwhile, Alison is neglected and she experiences her first kiss, her first date and her first periods
Menstruation
Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining . It occurs on a regular basis in sexually reproductive-age females of certain mammal species. This article focuses on human menstruation.-Overview:...
as she sleeps with a local boy, Ross.
Marty is unable to visit the family because he has to repair more TV sets than usual, due to the impending moon landing
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
. While the whole town celebrates the historic moonwalk, Pearl has sex with Walker. Marty's mother Lillian learns of the affair and tries to persuade Pearl to break it off. The affair continues and when Marty can't get up to visit on the weekend because of the traffic jam caused by the Woodstock festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
, which is within walking distance of the bungalow colony, Pearl goes to the festival, and unbeknownst to her, Alison goes as well with Ross and her friends. Alison observes Pearl carousing with the blouse man.
Marty learns of the affair and confronts Pearl while Alison confronts her mother in an emotional scene. Pearl is forced to deal with her love of her family and her conflicting yearning for marital freedom.
Pearl finally makes her decision to stay with Marty and tells Walker she cannot go away with him. Jerome says he understands. The final scene shows Pearl and Marty dancing together, first to Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
's "When You're Smiling" and then to Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
's "Purple Haze", after Marty changes the station.
Music
"More ('Ti guardero nel cuore')" -- Bobby DarinBobby Darin
Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
"The Name Game" -- Lincoln Chase
Lincoln Chase
Lincoln R. Chase was an African-American songwriter and occasional recording artist. As a writer, his most notable songs were "Such a Night", "Jim Dandy", and several of Shirley Ellis' hits in the early 1960s including "The Name Game" and "The Clapping Song".-Career:He studied at the American...
and Shirley Elliston
"Danke Schoen" -- Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton is an American singer and entertainer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He performed over 30,000 solo shows in Las Vegas over a period of over 40 years, earning him the nicknames The Midnight Idol, Mr. Las Vegas and Mr. Entertainment...
"Wishin' & Hopin'" -- Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
"Ripple" -- The Grateful Dead
"For Your Love" -- The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
"Sunlight" -- The Youngbloods
The Youngbloods
The Youngbloods was an American folk rock band consisting of Jesse Colin Young , Jerry Corbitt , Lowell Levinger, nicknamed "Banana," , and Joe Bauer . Despite receiving critical acclaim, they never achieved widespread popularity. Their only U.S. Top 40 entry was "Get Together".-Background and...
"Summertime" -- Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
(Big Brother and the Holding Company)
"Sally Go Round the Roses" -- The Great Society
The Great Society
The Great Society were a 1960s San Francisco rock band that existed between 1965 and 1966, and were closely associated with the burgeoning Bay Area acid rock scene...
"Today" -- Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
"Embryonic Journey" -- Jefferson Airplane
"Kiss of Fire" -- Georgia Gibbs
Georgia Gibbs
Georgia Gibbs was an American popular singer and vocal entertainer rooted in jazz. Already singing publicly in her early teens, Gibbs first achieved acclaim in the mid-1950s interpreting songs originating with the black rhythm and blues community and later as a featured vocalist on a long list of...
"Cactus Tree" -- Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
"Who Knows Where the Time Goes" -- Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
"Town Without Pity" -- Gene Pitney
Gene Pitney
Eugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
& Mandy Barnett
"Uncle John's Band" -- The Grateful Dead
"Crimson & Clover" -- Tommy James
Tommy James
Tommy James is an American pop-rock musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as leader of the 1960s rock band Tommy James and the Shondells.-Early life and career:...
and the Shondells
"Freedom" -- Richie Havens
Richie Havens
Richard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
"The Fish Cheer" -- Country Joe McDonald
Country Joe McDonald
Country Joe McDonald is an American musician who was the lead singer of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish.-Personal life:...
"I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag" -- Country Joe McDonald
"Subterranean Homesick Blues" --Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
"White Bird" -- It's a Beautiful Day
It's a Beautiful Day
It's a Beautiful Day is a band formed in San Francisco, California in 1967, the brainchild of violinist David LaFlamme.LaFlamme, a former soloist with the Utah Symphony Orchestra, had previously been in the band Orkustra, and unusually, played a five-string violin...
"Israelites" -- Desmond Dekker
Desmond Dekker
Desmond Dekker was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group, The Aces , he had one of the first international Jamaican hits with "Israelites". Other hits include "007 " and "It Miek"...
"When You're Smiling
When You're Smiling
"When You're Smiling" is a song by Larry Shay, Mark Fisher, and Joe Goodwin , and made famous by Louis Armstrong, who recorded it at least three times, in 1929, 1932, and 1956...
(The Whole World Smiles with You)" -- Dean Martin
"Purple Haze
Purple Haze
"Purple Haze" is a song written in 1966 and recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and released as a single in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It appeared on their 1967 album Are You Experienced...
" -- Jimi Hendrix
"Follow" -- Richie Havens
Richie Havens
Richard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
"Helplessly Hoping" -- Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" -- Tommy James and the Shondells
Critical reception
The movie received a generally favorable reception among critics. The Rotten Tomatoes website found that 72% of critics gave the film a positive review.Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
ranked it #9 on their "50 Sexiest Movies Ever" poll, but the Washington Post found it 'a little too perfect and symbolically signposted for its own good'.