Serious Moonlight (2009)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Cheryl Hines

Writer:

Adrienne Shelly (writer)

Release Date:

4 December 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

a love/hate comedy.

Plot:

A high-powered attorney duct tapes her adulterous husband to the toilet ... right before their home is invaded by burglars. |

Cast

Kristen Bell	...	Sara
Justin Long	...	Todd
Meg Ryan	...	Louise
Timothy Hutton
Kimberlee Peterson	...	Trashy
Derek Carter
Andy Ostroy	...	Police Officer
Bill Parks
Nathan Dean	...	Detective
Kylan James

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some threatening behavior.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44437)

Filming Locations:

GMT Studios - 5751 Buckingham Parkway, Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Night and Day Pictures

NOT the 'chick' flick you might think -- thankfully!

Based solely on its trailers this movie is already getting a bad rap online, with many lambasting it as some 'chick' flick revamp of 'French Kiss'. Don't believe that hooey. This is a dark comedy worthy of Hitchcock, and it's far, far removed from Meg Ryan's past 'sweetheart' roles.

'Serious Moonlight' is a simple, character-driven story of what happens when high-powered lawyer Louise (Meg Ryan) finds out her husband Ian (Timothy Hutton) plans to leave her for his younger mistress Sara (Kristen Bell). Louise holds Ian hostage, the better to make him explain what happened to their marriage. Eventually, an unexpected visit by Todd (Justin Long) forces husband, wife, and mistress to confront their situation in an unexpected manner.

As director Cheryl Hines suggested at the Austin Film Festival Q&A before and after the movie, the film's plot really centers on Ian's character development. I have to agree, and I also think Hines was right when she said that Timothy Hutton was perfect for this role.

And while some might take Louise's decision to tie her husband up as pathetically desperate, I found it entirely believable that such drastic action would be necessary to make a man talk about his real feelings – especially when he's doing something as unoriginally asinine as finding 'real love' with a younger woman. It's no accident that Sara looks conspicuously like young Louise, I think, and much of the movie's subtext is about the difference between early passion and long-term commitment.

This movie often feels like a play in the best sense, focusing on small moments and realistic conversation. Its short length stops it from feeling stage-y, however, and the actors all convey their lines with wonderful subtlety.

Hines also described the meticulous process of reading through the script with the actors to determine what was funny and what wasn't. I think this was nothing short of genius; so many non-traditional comedies lose the distinction so you're not sure what the intent of any given scene is. Perhaps because of her strong background in comedy, Hines wisely avoids this pitfall, making the movie's laughs razor-sharp, but balancing them with genuinely tense moments.

I won't tell you how the movie ends, because there's a bit of a twist. But I will be very curious to see what happens when it's released. I suspect that there will be some controversy about the how the film treats the battle of the sexes, and I fear some men might cower in the face of Louise's character -- Ian certainly does, at least at first. But that's almost the point, and I'm glad to see a woman-authored, woman-directed view of male infidelity for once.

This darkly comic movie is definitely worth seeing, in my opinion, and given how seriously funnylady Hines takes her job as director, I sincerely hope to see more of her work soon.