An Aging Author Finds Solace in a Morning-Evening Romance

Moviegoers could easily make quick judgements that would dissuade them from seeing Starting Out in the Evening, a new film adaptation of Brian Morton’s intricately rendered novel. Chief among the complaints would be its diminutive budget and its lack of a pressing conflict, all placed on an over-digitalized frame. Although the armchair critic will no doubt notice all of these faults in the film’s trailer, to miss this film is to miss some of the strongest performances of the year, not to mention a highly intelligent plot that resonates with its emotional force.

As an out-of-print author struggling with the realities of age and his daughter’s unhappiness, Frank Langella delivers a startlingly honest portrayal of Leonard Schiller, a lost man who allows a young woman to further complicate his life. He struggles to complete one last novel in a world that has long forgotten him and moved on to the next marketable novelist. The young woman, Heather Wolfe (Lauren Ambrose), enters Schiller’s life as an admiring graduate student interested in devoting her thesis to his work, as well as investing herself in single-handedly revamping his career. But she proves to be more influential on his personal life, which is already fraught with difficulty.

Inevitably, their working relationship crosses over into the realm of romance, but without the necessary chemistry, the transition is never quite convincing—especially in regards to their physical, albeit tame, intimacy. Unfortunately, the brilliance of Langella only further illuminates some of his costar’s weaker acting decisions, whose lack of on-screen charisma leaves the audience confounded as to why he is supposedly fascinated with her. Schiller is a lovable yet cankerous member of the intelligentsia, so it’s disappointing to see him fall for such an utterly uncharming woman. One well delivered emotional outburst proves to be an unrepeated glimmer of hope. Casting Ambrose was clearly a poor choice.

Redemption is found through a dynamic performance by Lili Taylor as Schiller’s dysfunctional daughter Ariel. Ariel is on the brink of middle age and desperately wants a child, despite her dead-end relationship with an on-again, off-again boyfriend Casey (Adrian Lester). As Ariel’s biological clock ticks, echoed by reminders from her father, she finds herself going to increasingly rash measures to ensure that she will be a mother. Complicating the situation is Casey, who is staunchly against having children. When he rekindles their affair, he both takes Ariel away from a man better suited for her and places her second to his work. Lester’s role is only marginal, but his ease and naturalism add to the subtle, realistic, world carefully orchestrated by director Andrew Wagner.

Because Wagner is dealing with complexities of plot, instead of the grandiose concepts and conflicts usually found in contemporary cinema, it is especially irritating when melodrama occasionally seeps in. These miscues, particularly toward the end, decrease the film’s overall effect, but the numerous superb performances and intriguing plot overshadow any shortcomings.