Starting Out in the Evening
The last chapter was just the start.
Battling illness and unable to finish a novel that has taken him ten years to write, aging novelist Leonard Schiller is slipping into literary obscurity. Formerly a famous author, Schiller has been all but forgotten by the readers, colleagues and critics that once praised him. But when Heather Wolfe, an ambitious graduate student, convinces Schiller that her thesis could reintroduce his writing to the world, the reclusive writer is forced to confront his past regrets. Frank Langella delivers a career capping performance as a man who must redefine his work?and his perceptions?in the twilight of his life.
Member Reviews
Well acted but a bit predictable - rnhaas
The performances are pretty great, I must say. Either compelling or at least believable. I feel like this is a bit of a tired theme, on the other hand, and though some of the execution is interesting, too much of the movie felt preordained. Leonard and Heather had to had their blowout, and their had to be some kind of climatic event to bring on change. I haven't read the novel, so I don't know if it is handled better there.A Film Losing Its Way In The Evening - CharleyJames
Brian Morton's novel is hard to put down because of its simple, elegant prose and the way he lets us see into the character's thought processes. Neither of those elements translates into a visual medium so anyone adapting this novel was sure to face a challenge.
Unfortunately, director and co-writer Andrew Wagner compounds the difficulty by wallowing in the story's bleakness and settling for sentimental gestures from his actors.
Frank Langella is the single big exception, bringing subtlety and feeling to the role of a 70-year-old novelist facing physical decline, struggling to complete what he hopes will be his masterpiece. Langella gives us the portrait of a man of modest success in old age who looks back with disappointment on a life in which he almost made it but was never quite waved home from third base. Once in a circle of intellectual novelists, he spent his life dedicated to writing and the reward is a decent apartment and four out-of-print books.
Excitement enters his life in the form of Heather (Lauren Ambrose), a grad student writing her thesis on Langella’s work. A young, attractive woman from an impressive university, she knows how to schmooze and is determined to charm and cajole her way into the New York literary scene. She and the novelist meet once a week as she asks him questions about his life and work.
Ambrose is a problem. When she mentions Hemingway, Lawrence and Chekhov, it's hard to believe she ever read them. When she asks questions, she makes Heather seem brainless. At one point, Heather tells him about her first encounter with his work. As played by Ambrose, the moment is full of simpering, self-indulgent pauses and wistful smiles.
Even Lili Taylor is simpering, self-indulgent and wistful. Starting Out in the Evening has the feeling of a film in which the actors, left to direct themselves, played into their own self-indulgent instincts and the only one who resisted was the old pro who knew better.Erudite but Limited Appeal - Stitch
Unless you’re into very abbreviated fun and games between a young grad student and an older moribund repressed novelist who has seen better days, physically and intellectually. Then there’s his biologically ticking daughter and to round out political correctness, her good-hearted black lover who is kind to Dad.
Allegedly the screenplay is exploring the depths of something or other; unfortunately for this senior viewer it was too delicate for my interpretive skills. She challenges him to move on. From what? He is neither admirable nor interesting. But Frank Langella does infuse flavor into the character with enough verve to convince us to hang in, if only to find out if he really does manage sex with a woman young enough to be his granddaughter. Commendable performance (his acting, that is).
But this indie-acclaimed exercise is not about aging hormones; it’s all about regeneration of repressed literary inspiration. Curb your enthusiasm. But my bride blurted early on (unusual under our obligatory universal Code of Silence) that the dialogue is admirably intelligent (which I had been silently observing). So some literate viewers will find this element tantalizing; others may hang up after the first twenty minutes of chit chat.
The third plus (after Langella and the dialogue) is Lauren Ambrose, excellent as the ambitious grad student. She and the director cleverly retain a measure of her immaturity appropriate to the character’s age and context. We are never quite comfortable with the sincerity of her motives. May she soon be given an opportunity to strut her stuff in a stronger vehicle. The supporting cast is fine within the confines of their mostly aimless plot line. Some reviews have acclaimed the subtlety. OK, fine. Or possibly there isn’t substance here?
Will be of interest to literary types, writers and those who can settle for intelligence in lieu of entertainment. And for serious insomniacs, this may do the trick.
Member Reviews
Read All...
Well acted but a bit predictable - rnhaas
The performances are pretty great, I must say. Either compelling or at least believable. I feel like this is a bit of a tired theme, on the other hand, and though some of the execution is interesting, too much of the movie felt preordained. Leonard and ...A Film Losing Its Way In The Evening - CharleyJames
Brian Morton's novel is hard to put down because of its simple, elegant prose and the way he lets us see into the character's thought processes. Neither of those elements translates into a visual medium so anyone adapting this novel was sure to face a challenge. ...Erudite but Limited Appeal - Stitch
Unless you’re into very abbreviated fun and games between a young grad student and an older moribund repressed novelist who has seen better days, physically and intellectually. Then there’s his biologically ticking daughter and to round out political correctness, ...