''Escanaba in da Moonlight'' is a 2001 American comedy film written, directed, and starring Jeff Daniels. It is a comedy about hunting and hunting traditions and is set (and filmed) in the

Escanaba, Michigan Escanaba ( ), commonly shortened to Esky, is a port city in Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on Little Bay de Noc in the state's Upper Peninsula. The population was 12,616 at the 2010 census, making it the third-largest city ...

area. The film uses Upper Peninsula language and slang. The movie is the film adaptation of the play of the same name, which premiered at Daniels' Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, Michigan.

Plot

Reuben Soady (Daniels) goes to the hunting camp cottage, otherwise known as deer camp, with his father Albert (played by

Harve Presnell George Harvey Presnell (September 14, 1933 – June 30, 2009) was an American actor and singer. He began his career in the mid-1950s as a classical baritone, singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States. His career re ...

), brother Remnar (Joey Albright) and Jimmy "The Jimmer" Negamanee from

Menominee The Menominee (; mez, omǣqnomenēwak meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recog ...

(Wayne David Parker). If Reuben, now 43, doesn't manage to shoot a buck by the end of the season, he will become the oldest Soady in recorded history not to have achieved this task, a taboo that leads people in the community to believe he is

jinx A jinx (also jynx), in popular superstition and folklore, is a curse or the attribute of attracting bad or negative luck. The word ''"jynx"'' meaning the bird wryneck and sometimes a charm or spell has been in use in English since the seventeen ...

ed. Reuben breaks with tradition, taking advice from his Native American wife Wolf Moon Dance (

Kimberly Norris Guerrero Kimberly Norris Guerrero (née Norris; born 1967), is an American actress in film, TV, and stage; and a screenwriter. She has over two dozen screen appearances, generally playing roles of Indigenous women. Norris played Gen. Custer's Indian wif ...

), who offers him spiritual remedies involving a drink made with moose testicles and scenting himself with porcupine urine to protect him from evil spirits and attract his prey to him. After various unexplainable phenomena, they meet a DNR officer, Tom T. Treado (Randall Godwin), who claims to have literally seen God on the ridge. At various times, Reuben, Jimmer, and ranger Tom all get possessed by spirits. Eventually, Reuben runs out into the cold wearing only his long underwear and a hat, and finds himself face-to-face with the ghost of his dead great-grandfather Alphonse Soady, who guides him to shooting a buck sent for him by the spirits. Reuben returns triumphantly.

Cast

* Jeff Daniels as Reuben Soady *

as Albert Soady *

as Wolf Moon Dance Soady * Joey Albright as Remnar Soady/Porcelain Bus Dancer * Randall Godwin as Ranger Tom T. Treado * Wayne David Parker as Jimmer Negamanee * James Porterfield as Alphonse Soady * Guy Sanville as Alvin Soady

Yooper/Michigan culture

A significant portion of the movie involves references to elements of "Yooper" (slang reference to residents of the U.P. or Upper Peninsula of Michigan) and broader Michigan/Upper Midwest culture. Some references are obscure to viewers unfamiliar with this culture and might be considered in-jokes. Some examples include: *

Pasties Pasties (singular pasty or pastie) are patches that cover a person's nipples and areolae, typically self-adhesive or affixed with adhesive. They originated as part of burlesque shows, providing a commercial form of bare-breasted entertainment. T ...

—the traditional foodstuff at the Soady deer camp, and food commonly associated with Yooper culture * Leinenkugel's Beer—Remnar brings a case to deer camp, a reminder of Escanaba's proximity to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, where Leinenkugel's is produced *

Mackinac Bridge The Mackinac Bridge ( ) is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac, connecting the Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge (familiarly known as "Big Mac" and "Mighty Mac") is the worl ...

—simply referred to as "the Bridge" throughout the film, the bridge that connects Michigan's peninsulas * Mackinac Island Fudge—Albert refers to tourists from the

Lower Peninsula The Lower Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Lower Michigan – is the larger, southern and less elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; the other being the Upper Peninsula, which is separated by the S ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

as "those fudgesuckers," a reference to the fudge made on Mackinac Island, a considerable draw for tourism from within the state * The Superior State—used a few times to refer to the film's location; although a nickname for the state of Michigan as a whole, Superior is also the name of a once-proposed 51st state formed from the Upper Peninsula and, in some iterations, parts of Wisconsin *

US Highway 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, ...

—an old shield for this highway hangs on the wall in the Soady cabin; an important north–south highway in the western to central U.P. *

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. It extends for 42 miles (67 km) along the shore of Lake Superior and covers . The park has extensive views of the hilly sho ...

—natural formation along lake shore mentioned briefly *

Euchre Euchre or eucre () is a trick-taking card game commonly played in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, and the United States. It is played with a deck of 24, 28, or 32 standard playing cards. Normally there are four players, two o ...

—a card game popular in the Midwest, possibly introduced to the United States by the early German settlers of Michigan * M-35—a state highway starting at Menominee in the south, passing through Escanaba, and ending at US 41/M-28 between Marquette and Negaunee in the north

References

External links

* * * {{Mojo title, escanabaindamoonlight 2001 films 2001 comedy films 2001 independent films American comedy films American independent films 2000s English-language films American films based on plays Films directed by Jeff Daniels Films with screenplays by Jeff Daniels Films set in 1989 Films about hunters Films set in Michigan Films shot in Michigan Upper Peninsula of Michigan 2001 directorial debut films Magic realism films 2000s American films

Plot

Cast

Yooper/Michigan culture

See also

References

External links