Review of Starting Out in the Evening (2007) by Ashley H — 15 Jul 2008
In this film, a young graduate student, Heather Wolfe, decides to write her M.A. thesis on an author named Leonard Schiller, who has been forgotten over the years. She hopes her thesis will resurrect his work and requires interviews with him to complete it.
These interviews become the precursor to a more intimate connection similar to the one on display in Venus (2006). This is the heart of the story. The film is fundamentally about relationships, which becomes more evident as details are revealed about Schiller's marriage and his daughter'Â?Â?s renewed relationship with an old flame develops.
It is interesting to speculate about Wolfe's intentions and motivations. That, along with Frank Langella's performance, which becomes more remarkable as the film develops, are the only two aspects of the film that are memorable.
Anyone familiar with Six Feet Under knows how little range Lauren Ambrose and Lili Taylor are displaying in this film. While this is not necessarily a terrible thing, had they been two of the more interesting characters in the series, I may have enjoyed the film more.
This review of Starting Out in the Evening (2007) was written by Ashley H on 15 Jul 2008.
Starting Out in the Evening has generally received positive reviews.
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