MOONLIGHT MILE

In a sketchily depicted Vietnam era (the period soundtrack and references to an MIA soldier are about the only clues), Joe (Gyllenhaal) wakes to the reality that his fiancee has been killed and he’s been drafted into service as surrogate son to her grieving parents (Hoffman and a tart Susan Sarandon). What is clearly an attempt at an offbeat, edgy look at mourning (inspired by director Brad Silberling’s experience after the murder of his girlfriend, actress Rebecca Schaeffer) feels more like an after-school special for grown-ups — appealing, but a little too comfy for its own good.