Product Description

After fifteen years of marriage, an affluent couple divorce and take up with new partners.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19360 in DVD
• Brand: KEATON,DIANE
• Released on: 2007-11-06
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 124 minutes

Amazon.com
Two big-scaled performances fuel this bleak study of a marriage falling apart, a look at how two intelligent, civilized people can become children again when it comes to divorce. Albert Finney is a blustering writer who's found a younger woman (Karen Allen); Diane Keaton is the bewildered wife who falls into the arms of a younger man (Peter Weller), a contractor around the house. This might be comedy rather than tragedy were it not for the presence of the couple's three daughters, the oldest of whom (Dana Hill) holds a particular grudge against her father. This material was considered something of a change of pace for director Alan Parker, who'd worked in a slicker, noisier vein before (Midnight Express and Fame, for instance). Actually, Parker brings his usual over-determined approach, so the feel of the film is closer to a beautifully staged TV commercial than a searing Ingmar Bergman movie. Bo Goldman's script is heartfelt, but there doesn't seem to be much going on beneath the surface of this familiar saga. The performances by Finney and Keaton are expert, chivvying in whatever subtlety they can manage within Parker's overbearing world. The ending almost feels like a throwback to a certain strain of 1960s British cinema, and certainly doesn't let anybody--including the viewer--off the hook. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Powerful
One of the main reasons I rented and then bought this movie was because Diane Keaton was in it. Together, she and Albert Finney make this movie a truly devistating, powerful story of a couple who find that after fifteen years of marriage, it's over. Both performances were incredible, as was the performance of the oldest daughter, played by the late Dana Hill. She gave such a powerful performance, as a girl who didn't know whether to love or hate her father for leaving the family.

What made this a true gem was the relationship you see between Diane Keaton's character (Faith Dunlap) and her four children. You can automatically see how much she loves them and that she wants to protect them. At the same time, however, Albert Finney's character (George Dunlap) is taking the divorce in two separate directions: he's happy to not be living with his wife, but he misses her at the same time. You can immediately see that he loves the children as well and they love him.

The part that was very difficult to watch was when he (Finney) wanted to give Sherri (Dana Hill) her birthday present and she didn't want it. He got into the house anyway and locked Faith out and beat down his daughter's door and just let his rage out on her. It was so difficult to watch him to this, and the reaction of what he did, or realized what he did to his daughter brought tears to my eyes. Especially when Faith comforted her daughter and George saw that the two had a special relationship.

I would recommend this movie to people over the age of 18, since it is very powerful and has a lot of adult language and adult situations.

A Keaton Gem
The disintegration of a marriage is usually red-flag matter when it's treated as an entertainment piece. But "Shoot the Moon" is, for some unknown reason, an underrated and under-appreciated (when it was released) showcase for the dynamic Diane Keaton and Albert Finney. Their marriage goes bust in this one, and in the anguish of both characters we feel likewise. The emotional fallout of the breakup of any marriage, even if its end is mutually sought, is acutely conveyed here, and Keaton and Finney manage to make us care about their characters, even if one is someone we might not otherwise want to care about. The film was one in a handful that Keaton did in her post-"Annie Hall" days but which helped catapault her to greater heights as a serious and accomplished dramatic actress ("Reds" quickly followed "Shoot the Moon" for Keaton, which garnered her a second Best Actress nomination). Why this film didn't generate more buzz when it was first released is inexplicable, but it's a hidden gem. When it's done, we have to appreciate its honesty: there's no "happily ever after" that neatly ties this one up.

i can't believe my eyes!
i am nothing short of flabbergasted that they are finally releasing this movie on dvd. i repeatedly watched this movie back in the 80's when my family had HBO growing up. a poignant and heart-wrenching film about the dissolution of a married couple with four young girls. diane keaton, albert finney, karen allen and peter weller give amazing performances but the real star here is dana hill. her performance in this film is nothing short of visceral. she was a light that burned so intense but yet so brief. a huge loss to filmdom. don't miss this film. definitely worth a re-visit and definitely worth exposing to new generations that are unfamiliar with it. this release along with "rich and famous" with candace bergen and jacqueline bisset by warner home video truly signifies that they have recently hired some smart cookies at that company. nice to also see that both films are released in widescreen rather than full screen that that other film company called sony is so fond of doing. did i mention that i can't stand sony?