Escanaba in da Moonlight
6.6 /10 1 Votes
Initial DVD release October 15, 2002 Duration Country United States | 6.4/10 Genre Comedy, Fantasy Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Writer Jeff Daniels , Guy Sanville Release date January 26, 2001 Cast Jeff Daniels (Reuben Soady), (Albert Soady), Wayne David Parker (Jimmer Negamanee), Kimberly Norris-Guerrero (Wolf Moon Dance Soady), Joey Albright (Remnar Soady)Similar movies Jupiter Ascending , Pitch Perfect 2 , The Matrix , Frozen , Fifty Shades of Grey , Pulp Fiction |
Escanaba in da Moonlight is a 2001 movie starring Jeff Daniels. It is a comedy about hunting and hunting traditions and is set (and filmed) in the Escanaba, Michigan area. The movie is the film adaptation of the play of the same name, which premiered at Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, Michigan.
Contents

Plot

Reuben Soady (Daniels) goes to the hunting camp cottage, otherwise known as deer camp, with his father Albert (played by Harve Presnell), brother Remnar (Joey Albright) and Jimmy "the Jimmer" Negamanee from Menominee (Wayne David Parker). If Reuben, now 43, doesn't manage to shoot a buck by the end of the season, he will become the oldest Soady in recorded history not to have achieved this task, a taboo that leads people in the community to believe he is jinxed.
Reuben breaks with tradition, taking advice from his Native American wife Wolf Moon Dance (Kimberly Norris), who offers him spiritual remedies involving a drink made with moose testicles and scenting himself with porcupine urine to protect him from evil spirits and attract his prey to him. After various unexplainable phenomena, they meet a DNR officer, Tom T. Treado (Randall Godwin), who claims to have literally seen God on the ridge.

At various times, Reuben, Jimmer, and ranger Tom all get possessed by spirits. Eventually, Reuben runs out into the cold wearing only his long underwear and a hat, and finds himself face-to-face with his dead great-grandfather Alphonse, who guides him to shooting a buck sent for him by the spirits. Reuben returns triumphantly.
Cast
Yooper/Michigan Culture

A significant portion of the movie involves references to elements of "Yooper" (slang reference to residents of the U.P. or Upper Peninsula of Michigan) and broader Michigan culture. Some references are obscure to viewers unfamiliar with this culture and might be considered in-jokes.

Some examples include:

Escanaba in da moonlight grandpa

References
Escanaba in da Moonlight WikipediaEscanaba in da Moonlight IMDb Escanaba in da Moonlight themoviedb.org