Product Details

• Actors: Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Ryan Todd, Eric Schweig, Cathy Moriarty
• Directors: Peter Medak
• Writers: Finn Taylor, Jeffrey D. Brown
• Producers: Finn Taylor, Jeffrey D. Brown, Robert Benedetti, Robert Schaffel, Sharon Roesler
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 108 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303416578
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,471 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Item Name: Pontiac Moon; Studio: Paramount

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Underrated movie, January 24, 2001

By 

Steve Schienberg (Boston, Mass USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pontiac Moon [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This must be one of the most underrated movies of the nineties. Fabulous story!! I was out of town on business, and I stumbled into the ole Blockbuster, and I thought I would give this un-known movie a try, as Im a big Mary Steenburgen fan. I was so delighted by this funny, serious, and heart touching movie, that I couldn't understand, why I never heard of it? Did it come and go in the movies? Great acting all around, with a lot of unknown actors. My favorite was the car mechanic living out in the desert played by Arthur Senzy, who I saw again in (I also rented) "A Few Good Men".Ted Danson, the Kid, and Eric Schweig were great as was Mary Steenburgen. All in all, a great cast, and a very delightful movie for this weary traveler.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a movie treat watching a good story unfold, September 25, 2001

By 

John R. Bridell (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pontiac Moon [VHS] (VHS Tape)

PONTIAC MOON is a movie treat watching a simply good story unfold. I haven't had a movie catch my interest as much as this one for quite some time. It a film which relies on strong acting and strong script, with a few Greek-Navaho special effects tossed into the scenes now and then. It is a humorous quest with a story of Apollo moonwalk that is counterpoint genius on film; father and son in a 1949 Pontiac whose ignition starts a journey the moment America's Apollo first moon landing blasts off. From that point the counterpoint of Appollo and Pontiac continues until the quest is . . . well, I'll let you see the movie and find out if father and son reach their quest. To be a real quest, of course, the father and son must be detoured--in this case literally, then stranded under a desert starry sky, next stalled at a supper club which features an Americana singing contest--how I enjoyed hearing the vocal of "Kansas City"--then the Pontiac is off the trail for the father to borrow money from a family sheep-rancher relative, they are once more stalled by a cracked engine block, followed by more tense scenes of delay; all this action in a quest to reach the Spires of the Moon, Idaho before the moment of moonwalk touchdown. Together with the emphasis on the quest Danson's wife, Mary Steenburgen, has developed a phobia--she doesn't dare leave her home having holed up there for seven years. She is hyper-careful with an attitude that has put her family into mental recession. Mary has to decide whether she has the courage to follow Danson and son. Her decision leads to some interesting and amusing scenes. Will she seek her husband and arrive as an ex machina to save the day? This movie will teach you the two rules of getting along in life. To repeat, I haven't seen a movie managed as well as PONTIAC MOON for a long time. Ryan Todd, the son, together with Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson gave excellent off-beat performances.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this movie, September 19, 2005

By 

G. Morton (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pontiac Moon (DVD)

As a movie collector for decades who considers himself very critical & picky about films, I can't help myself, I love this movie. Yeah, it's maybe a little far-fetched or sentimental sometimes but there isn't a second of it that's not enjoyable - it's just too charming and well directed with exactly that effect in mind, and with a beautiful musical score, superb cinematography and a tight script. I think Ted Danson possibly gives his best performance ever as Washington Bellamy, an enraptured-with-knowledge elementary school teacher who also collects beautifully oddball classic cars. The story line described above about trying to match the distance the Apollo crew travels by simultaneously driving over a large part of the country to the Spires of the Moon National Park is already a remarkably charming idea. This will be his "one perfect act" as he brings his very cute young boy with him, leaving behind an quirky paranoid wife who is always afraid to leave the house. Mary Steenburgen plays this part with superb humor as she sets off after her husband and son. Of course, interesting adventures and troubles occur during the journeys but it's Washington's never failing enthusiasm for life and its wonders that really make the film's ideas all work. I've watched this film a number of times and will watch it again into old age and when I'm no longer able to enjoy it I'll be ready to die.