Film: Starting Out in the Evening
Frank Langella and Lauren Ambrose Star in a Movie About Regret
Frank Langella, Lauren Ambrose, and Lili Taylor star in a film about repeating lifes mistakes and fighting against father time. Andrew Wagner Directs.
Starting Out in the Evening is a film about history repeating itself amongst intelligent people who know better. It explores how people use each other for personal fulfillment and touches on how art stems from life experience. This is a well crafted movie with particularly strong writing and performances. Evening struggles only in creating a parallel storyline as effective as the primary one.
Leonard Schilling (Frank Langella) is an aging novelist whose books are out of print. Having lost his wife and suffered recently from a heart attack, Leonard wants only to finish his final novel before his ultimate demise. Young grad student Heather Wolfe (Lauren Ambrose) enters Leonard’s life wanting to interview him for her Master’s thesis. Heather shares a deep connection with Leonard’s texts and looks to him with awe, wanting a piece of his genius and hoping some will rub off on her.
Fallen Idols
As the film wears on Heather comes to realize that her idol, like all idols, is a flawed human being like everyone else. As the passion gradually fades from Heather’s eyes, Leonard develops a deeper interest in Heather, repeating a heartache he suffered long ago.
That Maternal Clock is Ticking
Meanwhile, Leonard’s daughter Ariel (Lili Taylor) struggles with relationship issues of her own. Reaching forty, she desperately wants a child, but finds herself drawn to a man unwilling to give one to her. Ariel has been crushed by this man before for the exact same reason, but inexplicably finds her passion for a self absorbed man overtaking her ability to reason.
Fred Parnes Writes a Strong Screenplay
Fred Parnes’ screenplay, adapted from the novel by Brian Morton, is wonderfully insightful and well written. Some viewers will connect with the master-pupil, May-December romance angle of the film, others will connect with the ticking clock aspect from three people at very different stages in their lives, and others will connect with the pain of repeat heartache despite knowing better. It is a well layered script with fully realized characters that drive the story through their natural progression. The only weakness of the script is with Ariel’s love interest Casey. There’s really nothing about him and his relationship with Ariel that helps the audience understand why she would be drawn to him, aside from an overall ideology that is greatly assisted by the main storyline. Greater development here could have added some needed dimension to that story.
The direction is surprisingly fluid and intimate. The film has a naturalistic aesthetic vibe and the digital print never distracts. The pacing is solid for a film that relies on character interaction rather than big events, and the tone of the film is consistent. The score is decent, but occasionally distracts as it sounds a bit like Madonna’s “Live to Tell”.
Frank Langella and Lauren Ambrose Delivers Excellent Performances
Where Starting Out in the Evening really shines is in the performances. Frank Langella delivers a career defining performance sadly overlooked by the academy this year. The majority of the performance is delivered with his eyes and slight movements, conveying an inner-regret and understanding that adds a rather powerful dimension to the film. Lauren Ambrose manages to hold her own next to Langella, playing a woman determined to succeed and be free, while coping with the realization that her idols aren’t as majestic in reality as they were in her mind. Her gradual development of the character as she grows from experience is particularly noteworthy. Lili Taylor is decent as Ariel, certainly conveying a frustration in her and others around her effectively. She is however, far superior at being angry and depressed than she is at being carefree and casual. It may have been a conscious choice for this character, but it didn’t entirely work in the film.
An Arthouse Movie That Won't Be For Everyone
Starting Out in the Evening won’t be for everyone. It is a slow, character driven movie where very little happens. Mainstream audiences likely will not find a connection with it. That said, it should please cinephiles and art house fans alike. This was one of the more emotionally involved and intelligent films to come out in 2007.
