Not since Tom Hanks in Cast Away almost 10 years ago have we seen a protagonist take up largely the entire movie and every single scene in it. While Cast Away eventually returned Chuck Noland to civilization years later and thus interact with other characters, Moon takes the sense of isolation one step further by keeping Sam Bell on the moon for the entirety of the story and he is alone, except for GERTY, the pleasant and eagerly helpful robot.
From a filmmaking perspective, this really puts a lot of pressure on casting the right person who the audience will be willing to patiently watch go through the story and remain engaged. Quite frankly Tom Hanks didn't do it for me in Cast Away, and while it was a great story and I am usually a Tom Hanks fan, there came a point where I just got tired of seeing him on screen. I needed a break.
In Moon, the casting of Sam Rockwell as the lead worked for me. I haven't seen him play a leading role, as he did in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Instead, I mostly recall him from his portrayal of off-beat characters such as Zaphod Beeblebrox in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy or Eric Knox in Charlie's Angels. So you can see how I may have categorized him as a notable character actor. Indeed, Sam Rockwell had the depth and diversity to be intense as well as laugh out loud funny -- really a pleasure to watch. Way to go, Sam. I hope this movie propels your career into the stratosphere.
Punchlines
What you fear, Sergio... I think what you fear is life. Take the fish, Sergio. The fish, without even thumbs! The fish fears not the water, but the sharks that are in the water. And what is worse than the shark is the thought of the shark... in the fish's mind.
Thank you. And that was Dan Rather with his weekly Just Think About It segment. Thanks again, Dan - inspiring stuff. Now, here's Suzy with sports...
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