"Remember when you couldn't wait for your life to begin... and then, one day, it did?"
A 1991 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Robert Mulligan.
In rural Louisiana in the summer of 1957, 14-year-old Danielle "Dani" Trant (Reese Witherspoon, in her film debut) burgeons into womanhood while growing up with her rigid, old-school father Matthew (Sam Waterston); her mom Abby (Tess Harper), who's pregnant for the fourth time; and her oldest sister Maureen (Emily Warfield), who's spending her last summer at home before leaving for college in the fall.
Dani's life changes when she meets 17-year-old Court Foster (Jason London), who just moved back along with his widowed mother Marie (Gail Strickland) and twin brothers, and falls in love with him. Soon her summer of first love turns tragic and her life changes.
Not to be confused with the trope of the same name, or with the film Man on the Moon.
This film provides examples of:
- All Love Is Unrequited: Dani falls in love with Court. While she does receive her first kiss from him, he doesn't love her back. This becomes even more pronounced when he falls in Love at First Sight with her older sister Maureen.
- Auto Erotica: Averted. When Maureen says that she wants to leave the dance early, Billy assumes that this was what she had in mind. Actually, she just wanted to get away from his creepy father.
- Bittersweet Ending: Court dies in a tragic tractor plowing accident, leaving Dani and Maureen heartbroken. Despite her grief, Dani learns to forgive Maureen and comforts her as she weeps on Court's fresh grave. The film ends with Dani and Maureen talking on the porch at night as the summer draws to a close, becoming close again as they promise that they will always have each other.
- Book Ends: In the movie's opening scene and at the end of the movie Maureen and Dani look up at the moon and talk on the porch.
- Coming of Age Story: Dani is in the early stages of adolescence and experiences first love, sibling rivalry, and heartbreak.
- Cool Big Sis: Maureen in most scenes, even teaching Dani to kiss.
- Cry into Chest: Dani does this to her father after she sees from his face that Court is dead, though it's played with as in she beats his chest with her tiny fists first.
- Disappeared Dad: Court's father's died in an oil rig explosion sometime before moving back.
- Don't Make Me Take My Belt Off!: Matt beats Dani with a belt when she comes home in the middle of the night after going swimming with Court, only to later apologize by saying he did so out of fear for Abby dying of childbirth complications.
- Deep South: Set in rural Louisiana.
- The '50s: The movie takes place in 1957.
- First Love: Dani develops a crush on Court, who replaces her love for Elvis. After becoming close, Court agrees to be Dani's first kiss. She later confesses she's in love with him, though it's not requited.
- Forgiveness: This becomes a major theme in the film when Dani initially doesn't want to forgive Maureen for being with Court. Matthew reasons with Dani that being angry won't bring Court back, and that Maureen will be Dani's sister for life.
- Hollywood Darkness: The scene in which Dani and Court go to the pond at night was obviously filmed in broad daylight.
- Jerkass: Billy Sanders, especially when he tries to take advantage of Maureen.
- Love Triangle: Dani is in love with Court but he and Maureen fall in love near instantly, leaving poor Dani feeling as the odd man out.
- Middle Child Syndrome: Dani is the daughter between older sis Maureen and younger sister Missy. With her mother expecting another child, Dani is sometimes lost in the shuffle, and she takes advantage of this by shirking her chores to swim at the creek.
- Naked First Impression: Happens when Court sees Dani swimming in his family's pond.
- Sex Signals Death: Court dies soon after Maureen and he lose their virginity to one another.
- Sibling Triangle: Dani and Maureen are both in love with Court up until his death.
- Skinny Dipping: Dani does this after church as a way of getting out of doing chores.
- Title Drop: In the opening scene when Maureen reminisces about their mom telling them what they should do if they have a problem:Maureen: Do you remember when we were little and Mama told us when things got mixed up, all you have to do is talk to the Man In The Moon?
- Tomboy: Dani is implied as this, even questioning why she's required to wear a dress. Reese Witherspoon, being a Girly Girl in real life, initially struggled to play the character, but it came to her after director Robert Mulligan told her to chew gum.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Maureen is the girly girl to Dani's tomboy.
- Too Dumb to Live: Court, while plowing the field on a tractor, daydreams about Maureen and stands up to reach for his hanging hat on a tree branch, which causes him to fall off and get run over by the tractor.
Dani: "You know, sometimes I think that nothing's ever gonna make sense again."
Maureen: "Maybe life's not supposed to make sense."
Dani: "Doesn't that scare you?"
Maureen: "Yes, it does."
Dani: "I wish I could still talk to the man in the moon. Don't you?"
Maureen: "It would be nice."
Dani: "Maureen?"
Maureen: "What?"
Dani: "Will we always talk to each other?"
Maureen: "Always."
