December 2, 2009
Review: Serious Moonlight
Seriously Funny
Based on the presence of Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton, some might assume that this is a relaunch of French Kiss. It's really not, and while Meg Ryan's character might look like a sweetheart at first... well, let's just say you'll be surprised. I can't tell you more than that. I can tell you that, working from a script by the late Adrienne Shelley, director Cheryl Hines has given us what can only be described as a romantic comedy worthy of Hitchcock.
An unusual method of working through things...
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 unusual manner.
As Hines suggested at the Q&A after the movie's Austin premiere, the 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 a younger 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 too stage-y, however, the lets the actors convey their lines with wonderful subtlety.
At the Austin Film Festival Hines 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 pure genius; so many non-traditional comedies lose the distinction and 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 funny lady Hines takes directing, I sincerely hope to see more of her work soon.
