Moonlight Serenade (2009 Video) User Reviews

great music

[bderoes · 6/10 · 30 December 2009]

As a fan of old movies (primarily 1930's through 1950's), and especially musicals, I can recommend this movie. The music is wonderful, and includes standards by Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Warren and Gordon, and Sammy Fain to name a few. (Hopefully the Soundtrack Listing will be updated soon.) These songs are well executed in a jazzy style, and apparently sung by the actors Amy Adams and Alec Newman. I'm particularly impressed by Amy Adams' voice and style.

The plot is no worse than any other musical, and I welcomed the "happy" ending, also no worse than a standard Hollywood musical contrivance. (I guess characterizing the ending as "happy" could be construed as a "spoiler.") I'm glad to see a modern movie that lacks nudity and action (don't remember any foul language either), but embraces music, especially old standards arranged with a modern flair.

My rating of 6/10 is based primarily on the music; the production was not luxurious, nor was the plot enthralling. To give you a comparison, I'd rate 'De-Lovely' (2004) as 7 or 7.5 (because of it's EXCELLENT use of Cole Porter's songs), and 'Night and Day' (1946) as a 6 because of its tepid and slow storyline.

First time got disappointed by an Amy Adams' movie

[dgg321982 · 5/10 · 30 December 2009]

Since then, all the movies featuring Amy Adams were nice, from Enchanted to her two Streep's films (doubt and Julia). And no doubt that she is an attractive actress, quite sweet and above all, healthy. Also, her singing is outstanding. She ought to be successful among the other stars in Hollywood.

However, no matter how magnificent she can be, as long as she appears in a movie, she needs a script to interpret. A script with a plot. Sadly, this Moonlight serenade seems to fail without one.

Adams' role Chloe is a mysterious girl, sharing some elements with Maeterlinck's Mélisande: from an unknown somewhere, bouncing forth and back between her two lovers, coming and going without any reasons. And Nate, acting at whim. Besides, the plot is pale. I couldn't help myself from being distracted now and then. So many unnecessary people were just moving around to attract my attention. Even the singing part wasn't exciting either, failing to rival the songs in Adams' Enchanted.

Hope Amy's will have something more to show in the future.

Not good enough

[Samiam3 · 5/10 · 18 May 2010]

Amy Adams' exceptional singing voice is just about the only thing that Moonlight Serenade has to sell. I would never expect greatness from a 90 minute, indie flick that did not get commercial release, but this one left me disappointed. Amy Adams is not exactly a cheap b-movie star. If I had managed to cast her, I would make sure I gave her a script that was worth her time. I would not be so lazy as to resort to a recycled formula, which this is. The story is also sappy, superficial and it feels over rushed. Even the music numbers are too short. If Enchanted was too sappy for you, I hate to say it, but you won't get any luckier here.

This is a small scale romance between two musicians who lead different lives. The two are not so much victims of circumstance but rather of coincidence (and not the good kind). The story doesn't even attempt to go into depth with them, preferring to offer a couple of lame time-lapse montage from which we are meant to assume that they are making progress in their relationship. But as a lawyer will tell ya, nothing is true without the facts, and we cannot believe it till we see it. There are also a few show stopping numbers, which take place outside the context of the story. Seeing as this is not a musical nor a fairy tale, it feels equally lame (As if people break out into song in real life).

All that Moonlight Serenade has to offer are a few segments of Jazz tunes (and maybe one complete tune), scattered throughout a feeble love story, which has been done before (and I have a feeling it will be done again for years to come)

Wonderful songs, poor acting.

[mcsnygg · 22 December 2009]

I love Amy Adams, I love to hear her sing. Scott Anderson also has a good voice...but...OMG, he can't act. I just didn't believe anything about his character. He was as stiff as a board, even when he was singing. He needs to take a clue from great actors, and show some emotion on his face.

I did enjoy the supporting actress; she's been in a lot of other movies, but I never knew she could sing. A really nice song and the director put in some very nice cut-aways during her song.

I just don't think Amy Adams can do a bad movie. I just love watching her in everything she does.

Painful to watch

[classx893 · 3/10 · 13 December 2009]

I watched this film because I thought it would be a classic Amy Adams movie. Wow, this movie is so bad on so many levels it staggers the imagination. It is poorly constructed for one, also the script and the acting is just awful. But hey even Johnny Depp has a slew of bad films under his belt. The upside of this movie would be Amy singing, and even on that score I believe better songs could have been chosen. Amy is of course beautiful to see and if you are a die-hard fan of hers you will probably watch this title no matter what, just don't expect too much. I wish I could have found more to like but it was just painful to watch. I recommend Sunshine Cleaning or Doubt.

If you like Amy Adams then don't watch this movie

[julieburke944 · 1/10 · 1 March 2010]

Having endured this film last night, I turned off the DVD player with a sense of deserving a medal for having the stamina to see it through to the end. Throughout the film I felt that I was watching the storyline fillers that you get in a high budget porn movie. the acting was stiff and taut, camera work appalling, and the locations and sets were so poor it felt like they had borrowed them from the local High School "Amateur Dramatic's Society".

The only saving grace for this movie was that it had Amy Adams and Harriet Sansom Harris in its credits, other than that it was pure dribble.

Small jazz musical

[bole79 · 5/10 · 10 December 2009]

I think this film deserves a positive response. It's a small romantic jazz musical, fairly low-produced, I guess shot in HD and in short time, with slow rhythm, editing not always smooth and seamless, but with solid performances and altogether a rewarding story.

Amy Adams is of course the big name here and she is lovely and interesting as usual, but the main actor is Scott G. Anderson. Sort of a momentous Matt Damon with a face not at all unlike Willem Dafoe, especially when laughing. You know, that kind of a devilish laugh with lips high into the cheeks.

I enjoyed the music and the story morale. Nothing grand, an okay treat nevertheless.

Slow and poorly acted

[cjhutch · 4/10 · 11 December 2009]

I am a huge Amy Adams fan and have been for many years. I am also a big fan of musicals. With that said this is not a good movie on any level. It is quite dull and the acting overall is very very poor. Amy Adams is awkward to watch act with Scott G. Anderson due to the fact that she is in another league when it comes to acting. All the performances come off as very amateur. The music performances are pleasant, but nothing special.

Scott G. Anderson is just an bad actor! I assumed he was put in this movie because he has a great voice, but it's just not the case. He has an average voice and sings on key, but that's about it.

I guess I can see why Amy Adams did this movie with the singing element I just wish she had not. I could rant about other poor elements of this movie, but I'll leave it at that.

Play something on me

[torrentstorm · 5/10 · 10 December 2009]

Chloe (in bed with Nate for the first time): Play something on me. Nate (in a raspy, dry, even irritated voice): Like what?

If you have just taken the girl you love, or at least, are falling in love with, to bed for the first time, how unbelievably unpredictable can you be? And so, that's the thing with this movie: everything you think is predictable, is not. And everything you thought unpredictable, suddenly is.

Like the cheesy way the movie begins. Nate is in a board meeting discussing some heavy stock investments. Sudden change of scene: he goes to this bar which happens to belong to a friend of his, listens to some singing, pays no attention to Chloe working as a cloak girl, then arrives home, and immediately sits to play the piano and sing. Chloe walks under his window, hears the singing, follows suit, and disappears. Nate runs downstairs to see who it is, sees nothing, but next day he spots a small gem stone which had fallen on the ground. Next day, bingo!, yahtzee!, he 'magically' traces the stone to Chloe in the bar.

Oh! so now it happens she sings, he plays! Well, a match made in heaven! She is in love with someone else, but they still practice and sing together each night at Nate's place. Each time she's verbally bashing on him about his cold, black and white opinions and statements, he argues back, a night or two later (whapididooo!) they're kissing. At one point I got the impression the Director was trying to hurry the plot along, the next, I'm wondering where this is all going. This is neither a musical, nor a romantic flick. It does poorly in both.

Amy Adams and Harriet Sansom Harris, IMHO, saved this movie. Both ladies deliver well. Harriet did very well as Vince's friend and assistant - I loved her upbeat style that makes you feel a winner. Vince looked like he was cut out more for a gangster/mobster role. He wasn't believable either as a musician or a stock broker. He may be the son of acting legacies, but he's got some serious work to do. I felt, sadly, that the poor acting in general did not help Amy's part, but opaqued it, rather.

Not worth more than 5, and even that is generous.

There is an error on the cast list: Anderson is Nate, not Vince.

Plot in general: A jazz musician performs alongside a coat check girl with a beautiful voice in this musical drama from director Giancarlo Tallarico. By day Nate earns his living as a financial manager, but when night falls, he helps the girl with her singing career at the jazz club, where she performs one night a week. In time, though from different worlds, both realize they share something special other than their passion for singing.

You'll Love Anyway!

[pagoda62 · 7/10 · 30 December 2009]

I confess I found this film irresistible. It's primarily a vehicle for a terrific score, consisting almost entirely of the superb performances and arrangements of Joey DeFrancesco (Frank D). What a pleasant showcase for classics from sorely missed show tunes and jazz of the 40's and 50's, all capably rendered by Amy Adams and Scott G. Anderson. DeFrancesco, incidentally, not only plays the Hammond B, but also piano and trumpet in the movie score (though his Frank D is seen performing only on the Hammond B in the film itself). The film seems to have been somewhat inspired by Steve Koves' Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), though it's not up to the outstanding production values of that film, or the first-rate performances of Jeff and Beau Bridges and (especially) Michelle Pfeiffer, who received an Academy Award nomination. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed Moonlight Serenade for ALL the reasons that others who posted here have already pointed out. It was great to hear these wonderful, time-tested classical popular and jazz compositions again. I own the film and would love to find the sound track, but no luck so far.

It's shot like a made-for-TV movie

[dncr24 · 4/10 · 28 December 2009]

I would say this is a background movie. Play it the background as your tending to busy work (laundry, checking email, etc). I thought this was a film that was done before Amy Adams became successful after Enchanted. Wrong! It was done in 2009! The screenplay/script is pretty awful. I love musicals but the singing is just average and doesn't move the plot along. Ughh. It almost seems like it's a made for TV movie based on the cinematography. Am I watching a TV show?

Even the secretary breaks out into song. What the f@#$ is going on?! Actually she seemed to have the best voice. Amy Adams was so great in Enchanted. Lead actor is average. Disappointed for sure. This movie would have been good for lifetime, but that's about it. :(

Really underrated Gem!

[joelburman · 8/10 · 26 May 2010]

Since being a big fan of Amy Adams I just watched this one without knowing anything about it and was pleasantly surprised. I normally don't like movies with this kind of musical theme. I like that they keep the script simple and realistic and most characters felt genuinely real.

A different approach was also the use of the songs in the film. They weren't set up like individual numbers like in most musicals, instead they came on and of without warning and in a somewhat repetitive way but it really gave another depth to the mood of the film.

The only thing seem a little lowbudget was the camera-work (mostly tripod shots) and the office sets who were very studio looking in a bad way.

Finally Amy Adams shines like always and really show how versatile she is as an actress being able to play both drama and comedy.

Once In Love With Amy

[writers_reign · 6/10 · 20 October 2012]

This seems to have gone straight to video and I'm surprised it got made at all in this day and age. The writer director has nothing else on his CV and according to the DVD this was made seven years ago albeit only released in 2009. The idea of several standards in one film appealed strongly to me but I was disappointed by the weird phrasing which occurred at least once in every number with both principals being at fault. They also have trouble getting through an entire number and one of the most truncated is the very first, Irving Berlin's 'They Say That Falling In Love Is Wonderful', one of the ballads from 'Annie Get Your Gun'. The male lead sings the first stanza (the song is in A,A,B,A) skips the second 'A' section and the Release and segues straight into the last 'A' section. Maybe it was a budget problem but given that he was in his own apartment and it was just voice and piano and especially given that the lyric points up what is to follow - he is going to meet and fall for Amy Adams - you'd think they would have stretched to thirty-two bars. 'You Go To My Head' is also truncated; this is performed as a duet and they miss the first 'A' section completely and begin with the second. Amy Adams does get to sing 'In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning' all through but veers badly from the melody. On the plus side we get a great soundtrack, performers who are clean, well- dressed and free from tattoos or body piercings; there are no drugs, no swearing, no sex; on the minus side the great songs are thrown away.

Was everyone Tone Deaf?

[wittachick · 1/10 · 5 January 2011]

I truly like Amy Adams, I think she is a dynamic and versatile actress - but I'm not so sure who told her she could sing! In Enchanted her singing was tolerable because her character needed to have a child like innocence to her voice - so letting go of a note here & there was totally fitting.

However she is no where near talented enough as a vocalist to pull off a character who is supposed to be believed as a legitimate Jazz singer! Who ever the casting director - and producers were must have all been tone deaf! The story and use of the music in the movie was unique - however the casting was so pour, that even the fact that it was low budget would have been OK if better actors had of been cast!

Small, pleasant musical movie about turning your negatives into positives.

[TxMike · 6 November 2010]

We saw this on Netflix streaming video.

Amy Adams is Chloe, coat-check girl in a small New York nightspot but she aspires to be a professional singer.

Brit Alec Newman is Nate Holden, hot-shot New York financial professional who makes his fame and fortune looking for bad things, companies that are about to experience problems and betting against them in the market.

Nate grew up musically, has a piano at home and sings and plays every evening as a way to unwind from the pressures of the financial world. One evening, while playing and singing with his second story window open, he hears a beautiful voice from the sidewalk below, singing along with him. He rushes out, only to find her gone. In a Cinderella moment, he finds a lost charm on the sidewalk, and this eventually leads him back to Chloe.

But Chloe has complications, her addicted boyfriend who had disappeared for several weeks shows up and she needs to help him get well.

Meanwhile Nate gets disenchanted with the negative side of the investment business and switches focus, to establishing solid growth company portfolios for major clients. This gets him fired but is the catalyst for his overcoming some personal issues.

A good, small story about turning your negatives into positives. Amy Adams is always fun to watch, and she is a pretty good singer also.

Worst Movie Ever Made

[stevenmorgan94 · 1/10 · 4 January 2010]

I rented this movie because it supposedly takes place in a jazz club -- you know, those hip, cool places you might stumble upon late on a Saturday night. Well, there's not one ounce of "cool" in this ridiculous movie. The score is goofy, the original songs are awful, both lead actors' singing is continually off-key (to be kind) and unprofessional at best, the plot is no more complex than "boy meets girl," the acting is laughable, and the only decent cinematic moments are the stock footage scenes. The jazz club scenes feature sophomoric dialog smothered by overly-busy organ music. This Joey de Francesco should keep his day job (unless his day job is helping with movie scores). Is it possible to not only get my four dollars back, but have my therapy sessions paid for as well? This movie, interestingly enough, is so bad, you might want to watch it. Sort of like driving by a bad accident -- you just have to look at least once. Just get the ear plugs ready!

In the wee small hours...

[jotix100 · 5/10 · 12 December 2010]

"Moonlight Serenade" seems to be a vanity project that probably started with a promise, but if fizzled out and it was released directly as a DVD, although we cannot be sure. The main interest in watching the film was Amy Adams, since we did not know the others in the cast. The best thing the film has going for itself are those glorious songs that have become standards.

The story line does not make much sense. The story of an aspiring young singer was interesting, however, the screenplay, as written by Jonathan Abrahams and based on a story by the director, Giancarlo Tallarico, is weak. The basic idea of two people from such different backgrounds, does not work out. Not only that, the creators threw at us a situation that we had no idea about, when Chloe resigns her happiness in order to care for a man fighting a drug addiction, of whom we never knew a thing.

Amy Adams shows a fine singing song, something we had no idea she had. Ms. Adams deserves much better. We suspect her participation in the film might have been a favor to the people in charge of the production. The only redeeming point is the music heard in the movie.

Just an OK movie, but still disappointed

[Hey-Jude22 · 4/10 · 20 December 2013]

After recently watching the Disney movie Enchanted, I wanted to hear Amy Adams sing again in a different film, so when I stumbled upon this movie, I was excited to watch it. I read the reviews and was sad to see that the movie wasn't as great as others had hoped. I decided to watch the movie online, and judge it for myself. Well, I was really disappointed, and it wasn't even a movie that I think Amy Adams fans would like to see because it was boring and a waste of my time. A part of the way through I started skipping the office scenes, and just searching for the singing parts, or at least something happening with the plot or character development. Alec Newman's acting was very awkward, whether he was alone or interacting with others, and sadly, Amy's acting was the same way. I know every actor/actress has at least one bad movie in their repertoire, and this is definitely one of them for the main two actors. Just after finishing the movie, I was instantly thinking of ways that it could have been better. The story could have had so much more depth to it, and the writers could have explored more of the main character's background to give us some sympathy and feelings for them. I've read cheap romance novels that are better than this story simply because it has an interesting plot, more action, or just better writing. I love the songs that they chose for the movie, and Amy and Alec did a decent job with singing them, but they really could have used a singing coach, so they could have that unique voice that people hear when they listen to jazz. I thought the best singer was the club singer in the beginning of the movie. She had the appropriate voice for singing jazz music. I understand that this wasn't a largely funded movie, and how it was completed in 2005, but became a DVD in 2009, and there weren't really any popular actors in it (I don't think Amy Adams had become famous yet), but there was so much that could have been better, by doing something as simple as adding more interesting dialogue, and fixing the plot to spice it up. I think I'll stick to watching Enchanted and forget all about this movie, and how it was a big disappointment.

Moonlight Serenade

[studioAT · 2/10 · 18 June 2022]

Not a film I imagine Amy Adams puts too highly on her CV (it's probably right next to 'Serving Sara', but she is the best thing about this low budget and rather cheap looking film.

All her natural charm and warmth comes through, but she's let down by a fairly ploddy and 'seen it all before' script.

A shame.

Disappointing.

[chrislivings · 5/10 · 24 September 2021]

Looks like the whole thing was filmed on a mobile phone with its skewed images making most scenes look like they're filmed in a broom cupboard.

The budget does look very low the acting is 50/50 as is the songs.

The whole thing has not a Saturday night feel more a Tuesday afternoon dullness.

not all wrong and not all right

[cekadah · 7/10 · 24 August 2013]

I can't not not like this movie! The story is old Hollywood love story musical told in a 21st century setting.

This flick has a unique 'look' and 'style' which I personally enjoyed watching. And the plot/story is straight out of the studio days of Hollywood in the 1930's. In my opinion the director pulled it all together and created a highly individualized movie.

Yes it is slow at times but the charm keeps your attention and interest. And at the end you feel entertained and that you have seen something that is not your usual mass audience movie.

I gave 7 stars because some scenes are just too involved and lengthy - example - when Nate becomes depressed and self destructive - it's a bit overdone.

Clunky

[cherokeesou · 4/10 · 6 June 2014]

Interesting as a modern day musical – which scores by Benny Goodman et al. Amy and Alec have good chemistry and their voices harmonize well. Characters walk down the street singing which is something one doesn't often see.. While the acting and character portrayal is solid, the script, editing and directing lack polish. It feels decidedly amateurish and I cringe for Amy and Alec. Surprisingly good performance by little known Harriet Harris. This was definitely a low budget production as even the sets seem cheesy. I would opt to see Mrs.. Pettigrew instead – Amy plays a similar character and the film is well produced.

Small miracle of a movie

[guil12 · 8/10 · 17 December 2009]

With all the violence, sex and murder films plus the giant screen spectacles, it is refreshing to find this small miracle of a film. I guess I must be the only one to like this, reading the other critics. I found this by accident and am glad I did. I became involved with the characters and their lives. Okay, they seemed small according to turmoils in today's films, but how nice to see a happy ending. And to hear pleasant music without the rock sounds. A very sophisticated movie with fine acting by all. Superb directing from Giancarlo Tallarico who also wrote the book of which Jonathan Abrahams brilliantly turned into a screenplay.

Amy Adams was perfectly cast as the pretty young girl in search of a singing career. Scott G. Anderson was the perfect match for her as a young financial adviser with his own torments. Togehter they brought genuine emotions to the screen. Adams said more with her eyes than any words could express and Anderson's breakdown scene at his mother's piano was honest and heartbreaking. Bravo to each of them. JB Blanc brought the tension as the boss of the finance company and Harriet Sansom Harris was thoroughly delightful in the role of Anderson's assistant who brought some fine acting moments as well as a fine singing voice to the fold.

This was an excellent film and I commend the producers, director and writers as well as all the cast for treating us to this delightful little valentine of a movie. Thank you.

I liked this movie.

[jetur2-1 · 7/10 · 11 June 2011]

Golly gee, I enjoyed this movie for what it was: a light romantic movie full of songs from the great American songbook, sung completely and pretty good by the actual actors, with the greatest jazz music around. I liked the cast and thought they were all excellent (guess that shows how much I know about acting). And, I would not be nervous in watching the movie with my children!!! Oh how wonderful to hear great American classic songs again! Harriet Sansom Harris was a delight---the screen lighted up with her. Oh, yeah, I thought Alec Newman did an exceptional job. And then, there was Amy Adams---what do you say other than, "Oh, my aching heart!!" I bought her as an aspiring jazz singer. Not last or least, the great Joey DeFrancesco!!!!

Endurance Test

[JKMerengue · 1/10 · 24 March 2012]

Okay, I stayed with it until the end, hoping that it might get better. I usually like Amy Adams, that's why I spent my four dollars on this in the first place. But my willpower was wasted...MAN, what a terrible film! Amy did the best that she could with a very weak, unsupported plot and scripting, but even her singing, which in Enchanted and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day were quite charming, was just above pedestrian in this sad little film.

And I couldn't even sit through Alec Newman's attempts after that first number. I got quicker and quicker with the fast forward button as the movie progressed. I use that phrase loosely. Not much progression here.

Jazz standards, which I love, require a richness and clarity of voice that from their showing here, neither of these performers have, sorry to say. And no one, short of Harriet Sansom Harris as Nate's assistant, could save their portion of the tired script. Though I will say that Mr. Newman's dramatic chops gave a better showing of themselves after his character lost his job and his girl and finally dealt with the loss of his mother. Just, please, Alec, don't let them put you in a musical, ever again, for all our sakes!