"Moonlight and Valentino" might not be everyone's cup of tea: men have very little to say here, literally - which would make this primarily a "chick flick". Labelling it as such would not only be offensive, but downright incorrect - yes, it's a women's world here, but it's also so much more.
It's a story of a close-knit pack of women, all incredibly smart and talented in their own ways, getting together to comfort one of them in the time of need - the beloved one's death. It's only terribly sad on paper, because Moonlight's writers do not shy away from an occasional joke, all subtle and well-placed, something they deserve a lot of credit for. The chemistry between the characters is incredible - Perkins, who is now the "W" word, is the hub that holds everything together. She's the mothership everyone satellites around: her sister (Paltrow), their mother in law (Turner) and the artistic best friend (Goldberg). It's fascinating to watch them collaborate between one another, to exchange words and gestures as if it was the most natural thing in the world. All surrounding the idea of Perkins "getting better" - that is the arc of the movie, the premise of the story, and it's really enjoyable to see what happens next, what turn it will take.
And yet one wonders if it could be just a little bit better. If the characters were not so terribly attached to their roles, it they could bleed outside of their borders, just a little bit. Particularly Turner and Paltrow - both incredible in their own ways - stick to their assignments perhaps too faithfully. Perkins takes a while to unfold, and it takes a while for us to figure her out, to the point of her character seemingly not caring about her husband's passing: the jokes, the laughter, the smiles. Those little things here and there are those annoying little sticks in the road that stand in the way of us enjoying the ride. It's not a bad ride, but it could have been better. Easily.
It's a story of a close-knit pack of women, all incredibly smart and talented in their own ways, getting together to comfort one of them in the time of need - the beloved one's death. It's only terribly sad on paper, because Moonlight's writers do not shy away from an occasional joke, all subtle and well-placed, something they deserve a lot of credit for. The chemistry between the characters is incredible - Perkins, who is now the "W" word, is the hub that holds everything together. She's the mothership everyone satellites around: her sister (Paltrow), their mother in law (Turner) and the artistic best friend (Goldberg). It's fascinating to watch them collaborate between one another, to exchange words and gestures as if it was the most natural thing in the world. All surrounding the idea of Perkins "getting better" - that is the arc of the movie, the premise of the story, and it's really enjoyable to see what happens next, what turn it will take.
And yet one wonders if it could be just a little bit better. If the characters were not so terribly attached to their roles, it they could bleed outside of their borders, just a little bit. Particularly Turner and Paltrow - both incredible in their own ways - stick to their assignments perhaps too faithfully. Perkins takes a while to unfold, and it takes a while for us to figure her out, to the point of her character seemingly not caring about her husband's passing: the jokes, the laughter, the smiles. Those little things here and there are those annoying little sticks in the road that stand in the way of us enjoying the ride. It's not a bad ride, but it could have been better. Easily.