Product Description

A dysfunctional family reunites during the Apollo XI moon landing in this drama starring real-life couple Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen. In 1969, eccentric teacher Washington Bellamy (Danson) turns the arrival of men on the moon into a science project for his son Andy (Ryan Todd). They drive across the country to Idaho's Spires of the Moon National Park, where the odometer of Washington's classic Pontiac Chief will read 238,857, the exact mileage traveled by Apollo XI. Left behind is wife and mother Katherine (Steenburgen), an agoraphobic who never recovered emotionally from a miscarriage seven years earlier. On the road, Washington and Andy encounter a Native American soldier (Eric Schweig), a flirty barfly (Cathy Moriarty) and Washington's long-lost brother (Max Gail). Back home, Katherine nervously ventures outside to follow her family. When Washington's car breaks down, he steals a new engine, bringing the authorities after him and leading to a rendezvous at the park between father, son, mother, and cops, as the astronauts simultaneously land on the moon. Pontiac Moon (1994) was a critical lemon for director Peter Medak, who enjoyed more success with his British crime dramas such as The Krays (1990) and Let Him Have It (1991).

From the Back Cover

Science teacher Washington Bellamy (Ted Danson) is fascinated by the mysteries of life. He lives with two of them--a wife (Mary Steenburgen) who hasn't left the house in seven years, and an 11-year-old son (Ryan Todd) who dreams of rockets but has never even taken a ride in a car.

In the summer of 1969, as a whole nation awaits the Apollo XI mission to the moon, Washington and his son undertake a fantastic journey of their own. Their goal: to match the mileage from the earth to the moon in Washington's 1949 Pontiac Chief, which has an odometer reading just 1,800 miles short of the distance. If Washington's calculations are correct, they will arrive at the Spires of the Moon National Park just as the astronauts land on the moon.

Father and son travel a road rich with adventure, wonder and delight. By Journey's end, they discover just what they've been looking for--the renewed love of a wife and mother, and a future that shines as bright as the moon.