Two Moon Junction (1988)

***A Southern belle has second thoughts about getting married after meeting a carnie hunk***

Freshly graduated from college, a sultry Alabama debutante (Sherilyn Fenn) is sidetracked from her semi-arranged marriage in a couple of weeks by a hunky carnival worker (Richard Tyson). Louise Fletcher plays the unbending matriarch, Kristy McNichol a street-smart trucker and Burl Ives a seasoned sheriff.

This is a drama/romance that would fit into Southern Gothic. Unlike most of these films, “Two Moon Junction” (1988) curiously throws in softcore nudity and sex. If that turns you off, I suggest staying away. I think it’s the main reason people look down on this flick and write it off as “sexploitation trash” and “a romance novel put to film.” I wouldn’t know because I’ve never read one, although my wife encouraged me to read one once (because it had fantasy elements) and I couldn’t get past the first chapter; too much kissy-kissy.

If you can get past that or roll with it, this is an entertaining Southern Gothic with a worthy script and the social mindfood thereof (I’m not getting where people say it comes off as if it were written by a 10 year-old, not at all). There’s a hypnotic quality to some of the proceedings, like the haunting “Poison Ivy” (1992), but without the melancholy.

Tyson as the roustabout looks like a more rugged version of Val Kilmer, albeit with darker, longer hair. Fenn is surely beautiful and shown tastefully (and unnecessarily) nude in the last act, but she’s actually outshined by McNichol in her physical prime. Seriously, Kristy is just stunning and worth the price of admission.

The script was well thought out and includes several gems, like the deep communication through the windows of the soul phenomenon and the dilapidated mansion that April (Fenn) and her friends used to hang out at when they were teens, calling it “our place.” Then there’s the sheriff, who’s in the pocket of the matriarch, and his respectful, but no-nonsense dealings with Perry (Tyson); and the latter’s love for his dog. Also, the commentary on the gulf between the Southern aristocracy and the “riffraff” is insightful. Should April mind that gulf and be well compensated or go with her heart? Either way, it’s a risk.

The film runs 1 hour, 44 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles County, California. The producers do a pretty good job of trying to make Southern Cal look like Alabama, but you can tell in a few scenes.

GRADE: B