Starting Out in the Evening (2007)

Director:

Andrew Wagner

Writers:

Fred Parnes (screenplay)
Andrew Wagner (screenplay)
(more)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

An ambitious graduate student convinces a writer that her thesis can resurrect his career.

Plot Keywords:

Student | Graduate Student | Writing | Interview | Literary Critic

Awards:

6 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Frank Langella	...	Leonard Schiller
Lauren Ambrose	...	Heather Wolfe
Patti Perkins	...	Dolores
Lili Taylor	...	Ariel Schiller
Adrian Lester	...	Casey Davis
Dennis Parlato	...	Author
Jeff McCarthy	...	Charles
Michael Cumpsty	...	Victor
Jessica Hecht	...	Sandra Bennett
Karl Bury	...	Frederick
Sean T. Krishnan	...	Cab Driver
Thomas Ryan	...	Nick
Anitha Gandhi	...	Chelsea
Joie Lee	...	Second Author
John C. Havens	...	Jeff the Doorman
Joel West	...	Waiter
Ali Reza	...	Doctor
Jerry Walsh	...	Bartender
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Auer	...	Audiance Member (uncredited)
Jackie Brown	...	Diner Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
Andrew Wagner

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Brian Morton		novel
Fred Parnes		screenplay
Andrew Wagner		screenplay

Produced by
Jake Abraham	....	producer
Douglas Harmon	....	executive producer
Nancy Israel	....	producer
Allen Meyerson	....	executive producer
Gregory Moyer	....	executive producer (as Greg Moyer)
Fred Parnes	....	producer
John Sloss	....	executive producer
Mandy Tagger	....	co-producer
Andrew Wagner	....	producer
Gary Winick	....	producer

Original Music by
Adam Gorgoni

Cinematography by
Harlan Bosmajian		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Gena Bleier

Casting by
Cindy Tolan

Production Design by
Carol Strober

Art Direction by
Dara Wishingrad

Costume Design by
Claudia Brown

Makeup Department
Michelle Kearns	....	additional hair stylist
Michelle Kearns	....	additional makeup artist
Stayc St. Onge	....	key makeup artist
Joanna Stewart	....	makeup department head

Production Management
Kathryn Dean	....	unit production manager
Sara Shaw	....	post-production supervisor
Luca Borghese	....	post-production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sheri Davani	....	first assistant director (as Shahrzad 'Sheri' Davani)
Alex Foster	....	second assistant director
R. Zachary Shildwachter	....	second second assistant director
Curtis Smith	....	additional first assistant director

Art Department
I. Javier Ameijeiras	....	art assistant (as Javier Ameijeiras)
Jeff Butcher	....	property master
Olenka Denysenko	....	property master
Daniel Ediger	....	art intern
Christopher Frierson	....	art intern (as Chris Frierson)
Laura Harper	....	art assistant
Eric Kagan	....	art assistant
Alex Lamas	....	art assistant
Betty Ann Murphy	....	art assistant
Maggie Ross	....	art intern
Ricardo Springer	....	art intern
Amy Dholakia-Jorand	....	graphic artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Willy Allen	....	dialogue editor
Antony Bayman	....	adr recordist: UK
Paul Berolzheimer	....	foley supervisor
Neil Danziger	....	additional boom operator
Michael Ferdie	....	dialogue editor
Robert Friedman	....	foley artist
Taiwo Heard	....	sound intern
Scott A. Jennings	....	sound re-recording mixer
Scott A. Jennings	....	supervising sound editor
Jan McLaughlin	....	sound mixer
Brett Pierce	....	sound effects editor
Brett Pierce	....	sound re-recording mixer
Joe Schiff	....	sound effects editor
B. Tennyson Sebastian III	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Tennyson Sebastian)
Michael Suarez	....	adr recordist: NYC
Andy Thompson	....	adr mixer: UK
Julie Wilde	....	boom operator (as Julie Stalker Wilde)
David Wright	....	adr assistant: NYC
Michael Ferdie	....	adr editor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Manuel Billeter	....	camera operator
Steve Briante	....	additional first assistant camera
Ian Burbage	....	additional grip
Michael Burke	....	additional photography
Steven Capitano Calitri	....	gaffer (as Steve Calitri)
Annabel Clark	....	special photography (as Annabel Clarke)
Matthew Clark	....	additional photography
Larhn Davitt	....	best boy grip (as Larhn Laurens-Davitt)
Keith Gordon	....	rigging grip (as Keith M. Gordon)
Linda Kallerus	....	first assistant camera (as Linda Slater)
Matthew Kerr	....	additional grip
Lou Massa	....	key grip
Paul C. McKenna	....	second assistant camera (as Paul McKenna)
Matthew Mendelson	....	additional grip
Meno Payne	....	additional grip
Randy Schwartz	....	second assistant camera
George Sheldon	....	electrician
Simon Shen	....	best boy electric
Malik A. Turner	....	rigging grip
David Woolner	....	additional electrician
Sergei Franklin	....	steadicam operator (uncredited)
Ray Richards	....	electrician (uncredited)
Ethan Wilhelm	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Adam Caldwell	....	casting assistant
Kari Gray	....	extras casting
Emily Reutlinger	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gracie Cox	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
David Frisk	....	editorial production assistant
Jimmy Fusil	....	digital intermediate producer: Technicolor
John Hirota	....	digital intermediate editor: Technicolor
John Persichetti	....	digital colorist: Technicolor
Michael E. Phillips	....	consultant: digital editing (as Michael Phillips)
Patrick J. Smith	....	assistant editor
Everette Webber	....	digital intermediate editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Ted Blaisdell	....	score mixer
Ted Blaisdell	....	score recordist
Brian Bulman	....	music editor
Linda Cohen	....	music supervisor
Adam Gorgoni	....	score producer

Other crew
Patrick Bevilacqua	....	set production assistant
Tom Blake	....	department intern
Paul Brennan	....	production legal: Sloss Law Office
Mara Hade Connolly	....	production accountant (as Mara Connolly)
Rachel Connors	....	script supervisor
Kristen Dubberstein	....	location manager
Ayla Ercin	....	production legal: Sloss Law Office
Sara Ferrence	....	production office intern
Jess Fogel	....	set production assistant
Emily Gardiner	....	production executive (as Emily Gardiner-Herzog)
Kari Gray	....	production office intern
Evan Gregg	....	assistant location manager
Alison Hunter	....	production legal: Sloss Law Office
Jo Kelly	....	coordinator: InDigEnt
Ashish Kothari	....	department intern
Valeria Maaud	....	set production assistant
Karen McGovern	....	department intern
Adam S. Miller	....	production secretary
Tasha Morris	....	production office intern
Kory O'Donnell	....	production coordinator
Tony Osso	....	additional script supervisor
Matthew Reedy	....	set production assistant (as Matt Reedy)
Sam Rosenberg	....	set production assistant
Patrick T. Rousseau	....	set production assistant
Alexis Soto	....	production office intern
Daniel Steinman	....	production legal: Sloss Law Office
Robert White	....	set production assistant
Zoe White	....	department intern
Jerrell Williams	....	department intern
Noah Workman	....	additional production assistant
Nikoo Yahyazadeh	....	production assistant
Steven Yap	....	set production assistant
Chad Yavarow	....	department intern
Drew Evans	....	additional production assistant (uncredited)
Scott Ferlisi	....	location consultant (uncredited)
Tyler Jackson	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Jeff Niggemeyer	....	cat handler (uncredited)

Thanks
Doug Bernheim	....	special thanks
Alicia Bleier	....	thanks
Frederick Elmes	....	special thanks
Kevin Kennedy	....	special thanks
Adam Lichtenstein	....	thanks
Bill Pullman	....	thanks
Rick Singer	....	very special thanks
Rick Sparr	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Cinetic Media
• InDigEnt (Independent Digital Entertainment)

Distributors

• Little Film Company (2007) (non-USA) (all media)
• Roadside Attractions (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2008) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)

Special Effects

• Pacific Title (visual effects)

Other Companies

• AON/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services  production insurance (as AON/Albert G. Ruben)
• Café Metro  catering
• Cinetic Media  distribution advisory services
• Entertainment Partners  payroll services
• Goldcrest Post Production London  adr facility: UK
• Goldcrest Post Production New York  adr facility: NYC
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Pacific Title  titles
• Post Production Services  sound edited and mixed at
• Sloss Law Office  production legal
• Technicolor  digital intermediate
• Technicolor  on-line services

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and brief nudity

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Canada:PG | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Cinetic Media

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ariel wears her t-shirt in close-up shots, her necklace switches back and forth between hanging outside the shirt and mostly hidden under the shirt.

Quotes:

Leonard Schiller:Freedom isn't the choice the world encourages. You have to wear a suit of armor to defend it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert: Episode dated 1 December 2007" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Close Call

Notes from 2007 TIFF

I saw this film at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.

Starting Out in the Evening is based on the novel by Brian Morton, and stars Frank Langella in an understated role as Leonard Schiller, a once great novelist and now-retired literary professor. His previous books now long out-of-print, Leonard is struggling to finish his latest novel, a decade and counting in the making. Further distracting him from his novel is his genial but occasionally strained relationship with his daughter Ariel (Lily Taylor), who is nearing 40 and wanting a baby, but stuck back in a relationship with her ex-boyfriend Casey (Adrian Lester), who is most decidedly against the idea.

Another complication comes in the form of a young grad student, Heather (Lauren Ambrose), who has made Leonard the subject of her master's thesis. Heather is determined to discover the overriding theme in Schiller's work, the early part of which inspired her to pursue her dreams in college. The conversations that Leonard and Heather have cover the gamut of literary criticism and the creative process, touching on issues such as whether an author's personal life should inform their work, and whether an author can be pigeonholed into a single thematic thread.

As Leonard becomes more invested in Heather, these themes end up leading all the characters reaching pivotal decisions in their lives, paralleling the thrust of Leonard's early work around personal freedom.

Langella gives a fine performance as Leonard, who sees his time running out, and wonders if he has enough time, energy, and creativity left to finish one last book. Lauren Ambrose leaves Six Feet Under behind her as Heather, a driven but self-centered woman who wants to fit Leonard's books into her own preconceived notions and feelings, dismissing as less important those that don't fit the mold.

Lily Taylor was great as Ariel, a woman wanting the closeness and depth of relationship that she can't get from her father, so much so that she is willing to subordinate her own wants and needs. Adrian Lester plays Casey as the exact opposite of Ariel, a man who enjoys his relationship with Ariel, but not at the expense of his own dreams. Ariel doesn't come across as a victim; there's a hint of strength under the surface. And Casey doesn't come across as a complete jerk; there's a genuine love there that he doesn't fully appreciate.

All-in-all, Starting Out in the Evening ends up the night as an enjoyable movie, with good performances all around.