Review

The Man in the Moon

  • Review Date: July 26, 2008
  • PG-13
  • Genre: Drama
  • 1991

Common Sense Media says

Reese Witherspoon shines in coming-of-age tale.
Age
13
Quality
 
  • Positive messages3
    Adolescent behavior portrayed realistically and sensitively. Consequences of misbehavior are clear and consistent. 1950s parenting is shown to be strict, loving, and, in one instance, bordering on extreme, but true to the time and place. Human struggle between heart and mind, at any age, is examined truthfully. Role models exhibiting good values and admirable behavior are subtly drawn, but their impact is clear and heartfelt.
  • Violence3
    Horrific accident on farm involving a thresher is seen from various angles, none overly close-up, graphic, or exploitative. Teen girl is hit with belt by father.
  • Sex3
    Teen girl in bra and panties in several scenes. Young female teen shown jumping into a pond naked; it's a rear view, from a discreet distance. Naked boy swimming in pond. Older teens shown in gentle embrace, then necking passionately. Same couple is seen in soft-hued distance naked after sex.
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that while this movie will appeal to teens, particularly because of the popularity of its star Reese Witherspoon, it deals realistically and seriously with issues such as: trust, family bonds, adolescent sexuality, and loyalty, as well as the fragility and unpredictability of life. References and scenes that depict kissing, lovemaking, and partial nudity are designed to treat the characters, as well as the audience, with respect and dignity; nothing feels gratuitous for teens and up. There is a particularly shocking farm accident that has dire results.

This review of The Man in the Moon was written by
Age
13
Based on 4 parent & educator reviews:
  • 50% say there are positive messages
Read the reviews

Most useful reviews by all members

Educator and Parent of 11, 13, and 14 year old
January 28, 2011
13
Pause for kids & under
 
Good movie, but my 14 year old daughter was quite upset by the graphic death of a main character. I also had a hard time with the whipping by a belt of a 14 year old girl. It was much more upsetting than I'd anticipated. Pretty heavy stuff. But worth seeing. It depends upon how sensitive your child is.
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Helped me decide (12) | Had useful details (13) | Read my mind (12)
Adult
January 8, 2011
12
OK for kids & up
 
Worth seeing.
Reese show us a preview of the top-notch atress she will become.
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Helped me decide (12) | Had useful details (11) | Read my mind (8)
Adult
February 19, 2010
13
OK for kids & up
 
Not A Kids Movie But Good One For An Older Teen
What I liked About The Movie was how she was a tomboy and that she really didnt pay attention till her mom bestfriend came back to her hometown and she started to like her mom friend older son and he gave dani her first kiss and she falls in love with him after he gets killed on the tractor her and the sister are deeply hurt and go to each other for help. I really like this movie brought a tear to my eye
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Helped me decide (9) | Had useful details (10) | Read my mind (12)
Teen, 13 years old
July 27, 2010
13
OK for kids & up
 
Appropriate for young teens and up
The setting in the movie is beautiful, the movie's plot wasn't predictable, just a wonderful coming of age movie altogether. :)
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Teen, 13 years old
April 4, 2009
12
OK for kids & up
 
This movie is very good but also very sad. There is a horrific scene with a tractors blades and might be upsetting for some.
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Adult
November 9, 2012
12
Pause for kids & under
 
Loved it since a teen!
The man in the moon is the perfect adolescent romance movie! Starring the amazingly talented Reese Witherspoon as a tween! When a new older boy named Court moves in next door in a country setting, Dani (Witherspoon) accidentally meets him at the nearby pond and their first reactions aren't friendly. After bumping into eachother again, and later meeting up late at night to go swimming together, Dani's feelings change and she is convinced that she's in love. Especially after their first kiss together. Things change when Court meets Dani's beautiful older sister, Maureen. It's like love at first sight for the both of them which devistates Dani and causes her to hate her sister from there on. When Court gets into a tractor accident and loses his life, it eventually brings Dani and Maureen back together. The film is really about growing up in the country, finding out who you really are and where you belong. It has violence (whipping of a girl - you hear screaming and crying. A boy on the ground with blood. Maureen's boyfriend is rough with her after a dance. Some arguing.) Some kissing, swimming naked (nothing sensitive shown), a brief off-screen sex scene with a couple laying together. Language is really mild. Great for mature tweens 13++.
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Helped me decide (1) | Had useful details (1) | Read my mind (1)
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