Movie Review: 'Moon Manor' is One of the Best of 2022 So Far

Moon Manor is one of the best movies of 2022. This lovely ode to a life well lived coming to an end features a main character unlike any I have seen in a very long time. James Carozzo is a man who was on the fringes of Hollywood for many years. He was a hippie who tried out for the musical Hair before moving to Hollywood where he found work in Cabarets, nightclubs and on cruise ships where he always delighted audiences.

That backstory, filled in with even more wonderful and inventive details, fuels the story of Moon Manor in which Carozzo plays Jimmy, a man throwing himself a funeral. Today is the last day of Jimmy’s life as he has decided to hire someone to guide him into death. Before he goes however, he’s gathering his family and friends, and a journalist, for an epic party so that he can say goodbye in typically Jimmy fashion.

The journalist is Andrew (Lou Taylor Pucci), a young writer who specializes in writing obituaries. Andrew is hopeful that Jimmy’s remarkable life might get him out of writing obituaries and into feature writing. He’s coming to Jimmy’s party to learn everything he can about Jimmy’s life and chronicle his 'FUN-eral' for what could be his big break as a writer. Along the way, Andrew will learn about Jimmy’s incredible life and perhaps learn something about himself and what it means to write about people dying.

That might sound trite in reading it but trust me when I tell you that Lou Taylor Pucci does a remarkable job of filling out Andrew as a character. Watching him slowly fall in love with Jimmy the way everyone seems to fall in love with Jimmy, platonically at least, is a true joy. Andrew could just be a typical insert character into a wild world and intended as an audience surrogate but Pucci gives Andrew a life of his own in his wonderfully expressive performance.

Stealing scenes along the way is the wildly underrated Debra Wilson as Fritti. The former Mad TV sketch performer Wilson is wonderful in the role of a so-called Death Doula. It’s Fritti’s job to help guide Jimmy peacefully into death and the care and compassion that she brings to the role is deeply moving. Even more impressive though is how Wilson effortlessly makes Fritti funny and fun to be around. She’s lively and playful with everyone in the cast and then is able to shift to a more serious tone with great ease. Wilson’s performance is one of my early favorites of 2022.

Rounding out this wonderful cast is character actor Richard Riehle as Gordon, a church activist trying to convince Jimmy not to die via assisted suicide. Gordon has a secret that I won’t reveal here but I will say that Riehle brings so much more to the table than just a minor twist in the narrative. His sadness is soul deep and Riehle’s expressive eyes and bushy mustache are a beautiful mask of emotions that give depth to a character who might exist as a punchline antagonist in a lesser film.

Moon Manor was co-written and co-directed by Machete Bang Bang and Erin Granat, filmmakers with a brilliant touch. Using James Carozzo’s real life as an outline, they fill out Moon Manor with wonderful characters, delightful incidents, insights and warmth. You can sense that they too fell in love with James Carozzo and the character of Jimmy, and that love permeates the screen. The intimacy they bring to the moments when it is only Jimmy on screen, a non-actor, are remarkably emotional. You can sense that perhaps there is even more truth to this fictional story than we are being told about and it only serves to deepen the experience.

Moon Manor is an absolute must-see. Both a crowd pleasing comedy and a movie that takes itself seriously, Moon Manor earns every laugh, every tear and every bit of joy it inspires. For a movie ostensibly about death, Moon Manor is more alive and exciting than movies without any pondering of life or death. Moon Manor is being released to On-Demand rental services on March 11th, 2022. It’s a must see movie.