Watch the trailer: http://movies.aol.com/movie/starting-out-in-the-evening/25084/main
We saw this movie today and were very impressed & moved by the story & the performers about a forgotten writer pursued by a pushy admiring student who wants to interview him for her thesis and ingratiates herself into his private life. Since my wife and I hold M.A. degrees in English, we know something about writers, the writing process, and writing theses, so this movie rang true for us. In '79 we saw Langella on Broadway as Dracula, which he repeated in the film version, and a few years later as Sherlock Holmes, and have seen most of his movies. He was thinner then but he has aged gracefully filling into character roles. He is one of our greatest actors and his talent elevates any project. And what a marvelous voice! Check out his bellowing Skeletor in Masters of the Universe, unhindered by his heavy mask & costume.
Starting Out In The Evening has one of his best performances earning great reviews and is not to be missed. Here he holds back as he cautiously conceals his past to the student but when he releases his reticence for an emotional outburst, he does it in a restrained but powerful manner that still moves you. Lauren Ambrose as the insistent student and Lily Taylor as his daughter occasionally at odds with him hold their own as actors in balancing the drama that never becomes maudlin.
I fully agree with the NY Times reviewer's perceptive comments below except for his remark about the movie score being 'vulgar and obvious.' We thought it was complimentary and never overpowering to distract us. We were so absorbed in this quiet drama that I hardly noticed it. This is an understated movie that packs a punch when it's over. http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/11/23/movies/23even.html
And yes the movie is based on another novel I haven't read....
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