Shoot the Moon (1982)

Famed writer George Dunlap (Albert Finney) grows tired of his wife Faith (Diane Keaton). He leaves her and their four girls (Dana Hill, Viveka Davis, Tracey Gold, Tina Yothers) for his mistress Sandy (Karen Allen). Faith is depressed and then contractor Frank Henderson (Peter Weller) shows up at her door. He was hired before the split to build a tennis court. The family struggles with getting divorced and life after divorce.It's dark and it has some light. It has some over the top moments but it feels relatively real. There is a lot struggling going on. The drunken child beating is fine but the arguing in the restaurant is problematic. That scene is played for laughs but I kept wondering why they aren't getting kicked out. There has to be a better way to get them back in bed together. It felt too manufactured. As a side note, it's wonderful to see many of these future stars as little girls. I've been rewatching Family Ties recently. Dana Hill could be the central character but I also see the value of having two veterans at the center. The good far outweights the less good.

I watched this movie with my Mom during my parents divorce when I was 10 years old. After watching it again with my wife, I was brought back rather harshly to a time I would rather forget. I remember saying (when Finney goes crazy and gets his ass kicked at the end) the f word in front of my mother for the first time when I told her.."F#$@ this, I can't take this s%$#." Before that outburst, i had only heard my father use that type of language. The outburst wasn't a reflection of reality as my Dad was a 215 lb. golden gloves champ, but the raw emotion and broken souls that were portrayed was moving now and over a quarter century ago. Enough with my whining. Rent or Buy the movie if you can find it. I was able to watch because my morbid Mother (God love her) still kept a copy. Anyway, the movie was well cast, well written, and one of the most believable, heart wrenching performances (by all actors, especially Sherry) in modern cinema. However, one has to ask him/herself.."If I was Albert Finney, would I cheat on a 1982 version of Diane Keaton?". Then again, Hugh Grant cheated on Liz Hurley.

Why this movie is not on DVD is a mystery. It blows away Kramer Vs. Kramer, which came out a few years before, and is on par with Ordinary People. Anyone who's witnessed a family tearing itself apart because of infidelity, among other issues, will find this movie occasionally unbearable to watch. The ending is a bit too much--for the few who've seen it, the tennis court scene. And a few other scenes are just too over the top. But the acting is so natural (I believe it's the best acting Albert Finney and Diane Keaton have ever done) and their emotions so raw and powerful, that I cry every time I see it. Note to whichever company owns the early '80s MGM catalog--GET THIS ON DVD!

This movie pulls no punches as it shows the pain divorce causes all involved, not just the husband and wife. I was motivated to talk with my now adult child and step-children about my divorce and remarriage. Knowing from a Keaton biography that she had broke up with Warren Beatty just before starting this film adds to the pain of watching her suffering here. The argument in the restaurant might be over the top, but it was a relief to laugh.I guess Albert Finney did a great job because I wanted to strangle him throughout the film and cheered when Frank gave him what he deserved.