Box of Moonlight

Box of Moonlight is a 1996 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tom DiCillo, and starring John Turturro, Sam Rockwell, Lisa Blount and Catherine Keener.

Plot summary
Al Fountain is a methodical and somewhat neurotic engineer. On the way home from work after leaving his construction site, he takes a side trip for nostalgia's sake in the woodland area. There he meets Buck "The Kid", an eccentric character who gives him a new perspective on his life. The two men bond with two women with similar personalities. The pair swap stories and ideas. The kid lives outside with many items and furniture in the woods. They rob a man's tomatoes from his garden and vandalize the factory that Al works at. The two part ways with Al having a different and more free outlook.

Production
Production was done mostly in autumn of 1995 in and around Knoxville, Tennessee on a thirty-five day shooting schedule and a budget of 3.5 million dollars.

The motel that Turturro's character stays at during his trip is a now closed but still there is a motel in Maryville, Tennessee, that is named the 411 Motel, on Hwy 411 in Maryville, TN(35.71464°N, -84.02017°W).

The strip club used was "Bambi's" on the Alcoa Highway which is now called Ball Gentlemen's Club in Knoxville, TN(35.90955°N, -83.95606°W).

Many of the scenes were shot in South Knoxville near Seymour, Strawberry Plains, Greenback, and Norris Lake and have been drastically changed since shooting due to mining, suburban development, and culture.

The wrestling scenes that Al and The Kid watch were filmed during an actual Smoky Mountain Wrestling event with Buddy Landell as the good guy and Headbanger Thrasher as "Saddam Insane" in 1995.

Most of the in-town driving scenes were filmed in East and North Knoxville, Maryville, and Alcoa. Many of the routes are not consistent.

Influence and reputation
Box of Moonlight has a cult following among Tom DiCillo and counterculture fans. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote in July 1997 that "the 1970s-style premise of Box of Moonlight is so dated and fanciful that this quixotic film winds up seeming amazingly fresh." On a July 26, 1997 episode of Siskel & Ebert, it received two thumbs up from Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.

DVD release
The 1998 Lions Gate release includes a "secret" commentary by Tom DiCillo that is not listed on the packaging.