Starting Out in the Evening (2007)

Five stars for the geniuses who collaborated on this film...

Wow. I just saw this (DVD). I was overwhelmed, touched, perplexed, and often near tears, though I found myself resenting the emotional upheaval the way the writer in the story resented the vivid, stubborn young student who invaded his narrow life. When you can't control your feelings before a work of art - or the artists involved - that's gotta be a good "review." August 21, 2008

Turns into big snoozer

Starts out decently with the cautious relationship between the aging
and becoming obscure writer and a young admirer doing her thesis about his work. However, the story bogs down and never delivers. The companion story, the touch-and-go relationship between his daughter and her boyfriend, is dull through-out. This movie is about as artistic as a slow cooked omelette. August 17, 2008

A Gem!

Fair warning- this is not a plot-driven movie much less an action/thriller/suspense/love story and those of you looking for such will be disappointed much like the one and two star reviewers. The basics of the story are nicely described by other reviewers. The essence is the differing life trajectories of the three main characters- Leonard (end of life) whose choices are mostly all made, Heather (early adulthood), the young graduate student who wants to "do" something with her life and Ariel (mid life), Leonard's daughter who is belatedly coming to realize that while there may be time left for some things in her life, her youth is gone and her childbearing opportunity fading. For those who didn't find the story believable, this is not a May-December romance story. Leonard and Heather exemplify not just an age difference or even stage of life difference but also a difference in eras -a different world outlook and a different set of peers. The coming together of two such disparate individuals is indeed unlikely and can only be transient at best.

This is a movie for those who enjoy complexity, subtlety, interior life and an exposition of major life issues such as the passing of possibility, the consequences of choice - especially compromising vs not compromising. I particularly liked the way the story was told much as real life is "told" i.e. from what is not said and not done as much as what is overtly expressed. Much like the literary maxim of "show don't tell", here one's actions rather than dialogue reveal their underlying motives and conflicts. A great deal transpires below the surface and the movie rewards a close and active watching just as good novels reward a close reading. Clearly, not everyone will like this type of movie.

The movie also has one of the best directors comments version. Often, I find that re-viewing the movie with the directors comments dubbed in ruins the experience as they dwell on the mechanics of making the movie and other trivia. In this case however the director provides additional insight and nuances regarding the characters and the story. I was just as riveted watching it the second time with the directors comments as I was with the first viewing.
August 16, 2008

Beneath The Surface

On the face of it, Starting Out In The Evening is about a graduate student wanting to write a thesis about an author who hasn't been published in years. The author, at first reluctant to give any piece of himself away, refuses to talk about his work. How they become friends as his daughter is pulling away from him; and the lies and betrayal of all the characters glued me to my seat. It shows that you don't need random acts of violence, car chases and mindless sex to create an atmosphere of "What will happen next?". I'm not a fan of Lauren Ambrose as such, but the four main actors were excellent in all their roles.
This is a film of subtlety, one to watch more than once, to see the spaces between what is shown and what is implied. The ending will truly surprise you.
It's a winner-something to watch and savour. August 14, 2008

Perfection

Langella. Langella. Langella. An extremely rare example of perfection. He has an almost imperceptible subtlety in his performance. Watching his eyes was how I understood the story. Think Henry Fonda in On Golden Pond. The film seems to have some editing issues. I had some questions about the characters and the plot. These are slight, though, and the story works well. But watching Frank Langella is an extreme joy. I watch this movie over and over. By the way, I bought the movie because I've got this huge crush on Lili Taylor. Lili's good, don't get me wrong. But this film is Langella's. Sorry, Lili. July 14, 2008

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