To be buckless is shameful. The opening minutes of Escanaba in da Moonlight establish this with economy and wit when, after kissing his loving wife goodbye on his way to deer camp, Rueben sees people running away from his truck for fear of catching whatever it is that has kept him from having a successful hunt his entire life. For the opening 30 minutes, the film is one part comedy of manners about hunters and one part knowing family drama, concerning Ruben's relationship with his brother and father and how his buckless state affects them. Instead of keeping the events grounded in reality, however, a mystical force begins to affect every member of the camp. As mysterious bright lights flash outside the cabin, causing Rueben to become catatonic, the film loses its way. An extended sequence involving the camp members trying to shake Reuben out of his catatonic state hinges on a bodily function, and goes on much longer than it should. The uplifting ending, involving Reuben's wife's faith in him, seems out of place after the momentum-dragging hour that precedes it. Yoopers, hunters, and Michiganders may enjoy seeing themselves accurately and lovingly satirized, but if the filmmakers had trusted their characters and situation this might have been a touching character study instead of an intermittently funny romp.