73
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe Man in the Moon is a wonderful movie, but it is more than that, it is a victory of tone and mood. It is like a poem.
- 88Chicago TribuneDave KehrChicago TribuneDave KehrA film of fragile and esoteric pleasures, The Man in the Moon is not a movie that can be recommended to the general public and should probably even be protected from it. But for those who can respond to its tiny formal beauties, it is something to treasure. [04 Oct 1991, p.C]
- 80Village VoiceNick PinkertonVillage VoiceNick PinkertonIn lesser hands, it would be young-adult fiction, but the coda-“Maybe life’s not supposed to make sense”-is anything but kid stuff.
- 80The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinUntil its final reel, when it strains badly to accommodate an almost biblical stroke of retribution, The Man in the Moon is a small, fond film that achieves a kind of quiet perfection.
- 75TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineA superb, timeless film which can and should become part of the treasured trove of minimalist art films that live on in memory and experience.
- 67Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenMulligan has an impeccable sense of where to place the camera in each scene, positions that disclose without interfering and reveal without unveiling. His sensibility guides this movie with just the right tone and understated emotion.
- 63Boston GlobeJay CarrBoston GlobeJay CarrThere's nothing seriously wrong with Man in the Moon. It's sincere, heartfelt and handsomely crafted - but within limits, and ultimately it's the limits you feel most strongly. [04 Oct 1991, p.43]
- 60Time OutTime OutFor this rites-of-passage drama, screenwriter Jenny Wingfield draws on personal recollections; but while she brings intelligence to the depiction of teen angst, her attempt to follow formula means that the heart-warming tone steadily becomes overheated.
- 60Washington PostRita KempleyWashington PostRita KempleyAn intimate, sentimental coming-of-age drama, a sweet little puppy love movie crushed by the enormity of its tragic twists.