The big-budget “event” pictures and the big-buzz Oscar-bait releases of the holiday period are starting to dominate the box office. Meanwhile, “Starting Out in the Evening” finishes with a quiet thoughtfulness.
Directed and co-written by Andrew Wagner, adapted from the Brian Morton novel, this low-key character piece concerns a topic not exactly a natural allure to the general moviegoing public: It examines the idiosyncrasies, ambition, irrepressibility and loneliness of artists on a very small scale. And it does that in the context of a discomfiting May-December crush between a physically and professionally decrepit writer of literary fiction on New York City’s Upper West Side and the pushy young graduate student crafting a critical thesis on him. So if you were looking for a popcorn movie to attend this weekend — say, something about flesh-eating zombies — boy, have you entered the wrong door at the multiplex. (See the review of “I Am Legend” on Page 35.)
For more sophisticated cinematic tastes, I recommend today’s sometimes slow but consistently intriguing acting showcase. “Starting Out in the Evening” stars three “actors’ actors” who are among the best yet most publicly underappreciated representatives of three generations of film thespians.
With a heartbreaking dignity, Frank Langella (most recently known for his tour de force in Broadway’s “Nixon/Frost”) plays the elderly novelist Leonard Schiller as a sad former giant resisting the vulnerability of his age and the irrelevance of his intellectual oeuvre. “Six Feet Under’s” Lauren Ambrose is his 20-something contrast, all high-energy and juicy sensuality in her pursuit of his company and her career advancement. Right between them both in age and in terms of her life progression, the expressive and fearless Lili Taylor plays Leonard’s caretaker daughter Ariel. She’s an over-the-hill dancer, about to turn 40, in desperate desire for motherhood or some satisfying creative outlet.
All three are emotionally constipated, unable to truly love and connect on a deep level. But as events unfold, the three main characters are forced open in believably incremental ways. And as they do, this “Evening” offers small pleasures on an early winter’s night.
‘Starting Out in the Evening’
****
Starring: Frank Langella, Lili Taylor, Lauren Ambrose
Director: Andrew Wagner
Rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and brief nudity
Running time: 111 minutes
