Blue Moon (1999) starring Sharon Lawrence, Jeffrey Nordling, Kim Hunter, Richard Kiley, John Dossett, Lynne Deragon, Hallie Kate Eisenberg directed by Ron Lagomarsino Movie Review

Blue Moon (1999)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Sharon Lawrence as Cass Medieros in Blue Moon (1999)

Cass Wants a Safe Harbor

How do you like your movies, exciting action packed flicks with violence and lashings of special effects or do you prefer something more gentle, not necessarily romantic but easy going. Well if you prefer things to be more gentle an easy going "Blue Moon" could be exactly what you want as this is a sweet little drama about a family who live in a fishing community in Maine. And this drama sees a variety of issues from the danger of the men going away fishing to more family based drama as an over protective mother causes problems and on top of that we have issues over tradition and changing times. None of which is original, none of which isn't predictable but all of which is put together nicely to deliver some heart warming drama for those who just want something easy to watch and pleasantly acted.

In the fishing town of Mount Hope, Maine many years ago Eddie and Mary Keating set up a restaurant, their son and his wife took it over and expanded the restaurant to include a fish wholesale business and whilst still in charge their children Nora (Mimi Kuzyk) and Cass (Sharon Lawrence) and Cass's husband Billy (Jeffrey Nordling) are all involved with Billy being one of the boatmen who go out for weeks on end fishing. But times are changing and Cass faces a series of difficulties from being over protective to her young daughter Josie (Hallie Kate Eisenberg) who is deaf to Billy wanting to have his own boat and to add to the stress is John Barnard (John Dossett) who has always been sweet on her.

Jeffrey Nordling as Billy Medieros in Blue Moon (1999)

That brief synopsis of "Blue Moon" only mentions part of the story because what we have is a collection of issues which Cass faces which all combine to create this pleasant drama. As such we have issues over years of tradition under threat as her parents are considering selling up; there is children problems with her son T.J. being moody and marital problems as Billy thinks Cass is over protective of Josie. And of course we have drama at sea as a storm hits and loved ones are feared lost none of which to be honest is that original.

But the thing about "Blue Moon" is that whilst unoriginal and predictable it has a charm about it, a pleasantness which isn't just sugar coated. It makes it a movie that for all the drama is very easy to watch and to be honest is a perfect blend of sweet and drama for those wanting inoffensive but not overly corny.

Now whilst "Blue Moon" features a lot of enjoyable performances from Jeffrey Nordling as Billy through to Hallie Kate Eisenberg who plays his deaf daughter Josie this is a movie which centres on the character of Cass. Now Sharon Lawrence has the sexiness of a busy mum who in-between managing family and business has a fun side but she also delivers the emotional conflict as it is her world which is under threat. You get the protectiveness and self blame for Josie, you get the protectiveness of family tradition and you also get the conflict as whilst she loves Billy, rival skipper John is everything she wishes Billy was when it comes to coping with Josie's deafness.

What this all boils down to is that "Blue Moon" is an unremarkable, ordinary, predictable and basically obvious TV movie from the late 90s. But it is pleasant, charming, sweet without being corny and if all you want is something nice and inoffensive to watch then "Blue Moon" could be it.


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