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Review

Actor Goldwyn (Ghost) makes a remarkably assured directorial debut with this lovely, evocative and moving nostalgic romantic drama set in the last days of the '60s. Recalling Dirty Dancing (but even more substantial than that film) with its dead-on re-creation of a Catskills vacation spot and familial relations, A Walk on the Moon uses the era's changing social attitudes as a backdrop for romantic exploration. Pearl (Lane) is a devoted wife and mother who feels defined only by those two jobs. Longing for more, she begins an affair with Walker, a hippie clothing salesman (the handsome Mortensen), while on vacation. Though her husband Marty (Schreiber) is kind but inattentive, Pearl finds in Walker an outlet for dormant yearnings she had been unable to express. The acting is uniformly outstanding, with both Lane and Schreiber at their most effective, while Paquin as their daughter and Feldshuh as the family matriarch offer great support. Pamela Gray's rich screenplay is humorous and intuitive; her full-blooded characters have been marvelously brought to life by a fine cast and sensitive direction. A small gem.