From "Three-Cornered Mpon" to "Moonrise Kingdom" our lunar satellite has been an inspiration for filmmakers. While the word "moon" and its various incarnations is unlikely to ever displace the word "big" as the go-to descriptive phrase in the world of movie titling, it does seem to outshine the sun. Here's a look at some movie comedies with titles that took inspiration from the heavenly body looming large in the sky at night.
Paper Moon
"Paper Moon" is in black and white and it features one of the most authentic recreations of the Depression ever put on film, but this throwback to an earlier time was actually made at the height of the popularity of bell-bottom jeans and Johnny Carson. Ryan O'Neal stars with his daughter Tatum who would win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Everything is pitch perfect about this film that tells the story of small time con artists just trying to get by in the Great Depression by hustling newly widowed midwesterners into buying bogus bibles. The feel of the 1930s, the acting, the writing, the directing, the music. "Paper Moon" is not just a great comedy with the word "moon" in the title; it's one of the all-time great movie comedies.
The Mouse on the Moon
"The Mouse on the Moon" sounds like an animated movie, but it's not. The mouse in the title refers to a little country that roared against the U.S. in the original film to which "The Mouse on the Moon" is a sequel. This British comedy is a nifty little political satire about global politics and American stupidity that still has quite the resonance in the geopolitical climate of the 21st century.
Under the Cherry Moon
An urban legend goes that Prince did not originally set out to make a comedy with "Under the Cherry Moon." Apparently, there is some evidence to suggest that Prince intended for audiences to accept what happens in "Under the Cherry Moon" with the utmost seriousness. I don't buy it for a minute. If Prince didn't know he was making a comedy when he made "Under the Cherry Moon" you should question everything. Because nothing can be known for sure.
For more from Timothy Sexton, Yahoo!'s first Writer of the Year, check out:
The Luck and Rarity of a New Moon
Little Known Facts: The Soviets Reached the Moon before NASA
Why Nobody Should Ever Buy a Brand New Copy of "Goodnight Moon"
