Moonlight Mile

Writer-director Brad Silberling based this tale upon the aftermath of the murder of his own girlfriend (actress Rebecca Shaeffer). Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon play the parents of the murdered girl, and the ubiquitous Jake Gyllenhaal is the forlorn ex-fiancé, now virtually adopted by the bereaved parents. The picture carries some emotional weight (the premise practically guarantees it) but Silbering strives so mightily to underplay that he goes too far. As strong as you would expect the swirling emotions to be, sometimes the actors are so closed they are hard to read. Still, a laudable effort.