Moonlight Mile [DVD] [2002]

Director/screenwriter Brad Silberling brings his past grief to the big screen in Buena Vista Home Entertainment's Moonlight Mile, a touching, sometimes witty film about a fiancé who loses his bride-to-be in a shooting and then forms a strong bond with her parents. (Silberling's girlfriend, actress Rebecca Schaeffer, was murdered years ago by an obsessed fan.) The Moonlight Mile DVD and all its extras are just as inviting as the film, which didn't receive enough attention in theaters. Digitally mastered in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, the picture looks wonderfully warm, inviting, and crisp. Colors are bright, yet not overwhelming. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround really makes the dialog pop, even during the less-articulate scenes. The highlights of the disc are the two audio commentaries: one with just Silberling, the other with Silberling and stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Dustin Hoffman. The first is the most impressive, as Silberling lets viewers in on his motivation behind this movie, how he formed his own special bond with Schaeffer's parents, what themes surfaced in certain scenes, etc. The second commentary is filled with enlightening behind-the-scenes trivia and actors' opinions. Buena Vista also included a lengthy featurette, "Moonlight Mile: A Journey to Screen." This covers topics Silberling touched on in his commentary, but also adds plenty of the standard featurette fare: the "who, what, when, where, why" of the film, actors chatting away, behind-the-scenes footage, and movie snippets. Topping off the extras package are ten deleted scenes with optional commentary. In all, the heart-felt and honest commentary given by Silberling throughout the entire disc really lets viewers in on the creation of the film and Silberling's own motivations.