THE MOON & BACK– 4 STARS

Goodness gracious, fathers sure do get their sizable share of honorable categorizations in this world. Greater society has embraced “dad bods” into paragon status, labeled a whole gamut of films as “dad movies,” and made “dad jokes” into competition material for comedy. If you’ve got a good one, dads are special and likely– thanks to those go-to movies, snacks, and jokes– comfortably predictable people to have in your life. Speaking of words bellowed by patriarchs, every father or father figure, including the one at the beginning of The Moon & Back, has their go-to list of sayings and catchphrases. 

LESSON #1: HOW DO FATHERS SAY “I LOVE YOU”-- Children, regardless of their gender or age, need to hear statements of positive support that boost caring and confidence. That includes the biggest one of all. Hopefully on that list of witty retorts, old chestnuts, and sarcastic outbursts dads also have an affectionate way to say “I love you.” If it’s not those straight three words, maybe it’s something more humorously coded. In The Moon & Back, the father of the movie, Peter Gilbert, played by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Nat Faxon, always said it with this film title’s extra miles of distance in a finishing prepositional phrase. 

Smooth one, Peter. Leave it to dads to gladly go beyond their reach and overdo a promise to impress their spouse and children. Why? Because dads are meant to be larger than life and therefore operate the same way. Well, “to the moon and back” sure worked on Peter Gilbert’s daughter Lydia (Isabel May of I Want You Back) every time it was shared. The Moon & Back confirms that claim with evidence captured with the framing and resolution of old VHS.

In the lovely opening reel of the movie, the casual family history of the Gilbert family is shown in a montage of tapped snippets collected through the camcorder generation of the late 1980s and 1990s. The exceedingly affable Peter was never without a camera of some kind to capture moments, from his wedding day to Diane (veteran comedy actress Missi Pyle) in 1985 to the milestones of their daughter Lydia. By the time the turn of the century arrived, Peter would pass away from cancer, leaving a very rudderless and very hurt high school senior (now played by Isabel May of I Want You Back). 

Down to one breadwinner, Diane has reached the point of selling the family home and the setting of all those taped memories, adding to Lydia’s crossness. In packing and going through Peter’s old Windows computer, Lydia discovers a secret screenplay her father wrote entitled Space Chronicles: An Epic Saga of Life, Love, and Loss in a Distant Galaxy. Reading it with nostalgic eyes, Lydia is instantly inspired by the zany blockbuster space opera at a time where she needs a media project for her upcoming college applications.

LESSON #2: HONORING UNFINISHED DREAMS– Armed with her father’s old JVC camcorder and little funds, Lydia becomes heartset to make Space Chronicles: The Movie to honor his memory and set her on a path to attend NYU and follow in her father’s footsteps. Possessing no filmmaking or editing skill, Lydia guilts and sequesters her long-time neighbor Simon (Miles Gutierrez-Riley of TV’s The Wilds), his fledgling school A/V club she previously rebuffed, the guidance counselor Mr. Martin (P.J. Byrne of Babylon and The Wolf of Wall Street), and the acting auditions from popular students Josh and Mariana (Taiv Lee and Molly Jackson, both in their feature debuts) to pull off this ambitious project. Along the way, she begins recording personal video testimonials on the camcorder pretending to speak to her dad and saying the things she won’t say to her mom or Mr. Martin.

LESSON #3: THE SPIRIT OF DO-IT-YOURSELF FILMMAKING– Naturally, there’s no way this scrappy little DIY project goes off without a hitch. Once the imagination gears go into motion, The Moon & Back presents a tribute to DIY filmmaking and its ups and downs. Various little episodes and montages show these previously unconnected and unmotivated kids scratching resources together, solving problems, and shooting guerilla footage. Best of all, they’re bonding and having fun conquering a common goal. 

LESSON #4: MISINTERPRETING WILLING HELP AS PITY– If there’s an enemy to all this nerdy fun, it’s Lydia herself. She started this whole endeavor sadfishing for the help she’s receiving, only to sometimes see those measures as acts of pity. In uglier moments when the bitter and sorrowful feelings percolate, Lydia pushes away the good graces of her willing volunteers. She doesn’t see that Space Chronicles: The Movie has become a shared inspiration for them too. The sooner she relents, the better the project will progress for all involved.

From an acting standpoint, The Moon & Back is a platform for burgeoning appeal of Isabel May and Miles Gutierrez-Riley. Isabel has turned heads on the Yellowstone franchise spinoffs 1883 and 1923 and has been labeled a promising talent to watch. The Moon & Back afforded her a lead opportunity to play something modern in attitude and approachable with emotion. She comports herself well in those two regards to support her rising status. Meanwhile, Miles might steal the whole show with his combination of pluck and heart. His bright effervescence lifts both Space Chronicles: The Movie and The Moon & Back as a whole. Every scene with him is a hopeful treasure amid the despair being healed.

Circling back to the affirming words that name and encapsulate the core of this film, writer-director Lean Bleich, in her feature debut shot in only nine astonishing days, has crafted a sweet little gem that stands to be a love letter to so many things for any number of audiences. The Moon & Back can be a receptive salve type to open wounds for those who have lost parents and loved ones in their lives. Equally so, the soulful courage brimming from this movie to create something messy, yet personal and still glorious for others, fulfills such a need. Keep movies like this coming and go ahead and get them from the moon if you have to.