In a small Louisiana town during the 1950s, there are two sisters who don’t get along with each other. There’s 14-year-old Dani Trant, who dislikes her family’s ways, especially her mom’s. And there’s her 17-year-old sister, Maureen, who will be going to college soon.

Dani goes swimming in the local pond and meets Court Foster, who gets mad at her for trespassing on his property since the pond actually belongs to him. She angrily leaves.

Later that day the Foster family, which includes Court, his mom, and his unruly younger brothers, visit the Trants. Dani is also forced to go with Court to do some shopping. Regardless of their previous meeting, Dani develops strong feelings for him.

Meanwhile, Maureen is going out with a boy, Billy Sanders. Her dad places a lot of rules on her during the date and asks Billy to follow them too. Her mom is just as strict about them.

However, when Billy tries to kiss Maureen, she breaks up with him. He wants to take their relationship to the next level. But she is not comfortable with that.

Later Dani swims in the pond again. Court joins her and they have fun together. 

Unfortunately, when Dani goes swimming at night with him, he breaks up with her because he feels that she is too young for him. This leaves her heartbroken and she runs home.

Because she snuck out her house, her parents call out for her. Her mom even gets injured and has to go to the hospital. When Dani returns, her dad briefly disciplines her with his belt.

The next day, Dani’s dad asks her lots of questions to reflect on her actions from last night, and she has to answer them along with calling him, “Sir.”

Court also apologizes to Dani about upsetting her. He brings her food and offers to just be friends with her.

But he develops a romantic interest in Maureen instead of Dani, once again, disappointing Dani. And his new relationship becomes more serious.

There are a lot of aspects I admire about this movie. One is Reese Witherspoon. This was her first role in a movie when she was 14. Like Dani, she also grew up in Louisiana. It was interesting seeing her with a much younger face.

Dani, herself, is very likable and relatable by her rebellions, especially against her not-so-perfect mother (she hated going to church), her rivalry against her sister, her interest in boys, and her desires to be free-spirited. I think any young teen girl today can relate to her.

Since this movie is set in the 1950s, the culture here is very emphasized. Aside from Dani’s passion for Elvis’s music, the film portrays how strict parents were with their kids back then. One example is the set of guidelines for Maureen and Billy during their date. Another is how Dani was scolded for asking her mom why she had to wear a skirt for when the Fosters came over. She was told that if her mom asked her to do something, she just had to do it without asking for reasons.

Her dad disciplining her with a belt was also something not uncommon back then. But I did not like seeing that, although it was very brief and not much was shown. Even Dani forgave her dad for using that method because he was scared.

But I also found it strange that she had to call him, “Sir” at times. I don’t know if that’s historically accurate.

Regardless of their displeasing features, Dani’s parents still loved her. They’d even comfort her during certain upsetting moments. 

Although Dani is the main character, Maureen does get a lot of screen time too. This makes the plot more complex with lots of POV-switching and gives the beginning of the movie more setting up to do. But I don’t think it’s enough to make the viewer get lost.

Overall, I enjoyed The Man in the Moon. I think it would make a good watch for both adults and especially teenagers. The romanctic element would definitely contribute to that. 

Because the film is rated PG-13, it is not suitable for young children. But I would gladly recommend it to everyone 13 and up.

I give The Man in the Moon 4 out of 5 stars.