Every once in a while, a bold producer and film distribution company actually comes up with the financing for a film that top-lines a distinguished older actor. Such is the case with the acclaimed 2007 art house film Starting Out in the Evening which gives Frank Langella his highest profile role in years. Langella is Leonard Schiller, a staid, withdrawn author who had once written a few highly regarded novels before entering a decades-long period of writer's block, caused in part by the death of his wife and his subsequent responsibility to raise their young daughter on his own. In recent years, he putters about his Manhattan apartment attempting to finish his comeback novel, without much success. His life takes on a radical change with the unexpected arrival of a graduate student, Heather Wolfe (Lauren Ambrose) who is obsessed with his early work and who has based her master's thesis on his life and career. Schiller initially refuses her adultation, but eventually he forms a close friendship with the brilliant young woman and he grants a series of highly introspective interviews. Ultimatley, it becomes clear the pair have become smitten by each other, much to the annoyance of Schiller's daughter Ariel (Lili Taylor), who finds herself at age 40 trying to cope with an on-again, off-again relationship with her boyfriend Casey (Adrian Lester of the hit TV series Hustle). The script traces the interactions between these disparate characters but manages to avoid virtually every cliche you think is about to materialize. The greatest joy is the literate script by Fred Parnes and Andrew Wagner (who also directed). It's rare to find a full length movie that celebrates the printed word, but Starting Out in the Evening is an ode to the art of writing. The character of Heather treats Schiller as though he was a rock star, and their conversations and debates are a delight to eavesdrop on. The script takes some surprising turns when Heather and Schiller discover truths about each other that diminishes their relationship to some degree. Equally mesmerizing is the love affair between Ariel and Casey, two good people who can't overcome the age-old conflict disagreement about whether to have children. (She's racing against her biological clock while he has no interest in starting a family). The film avoids a pat, predictable ending which makes the experience all the more rewarding. The acting is uniformly excellent, but it's clearly Langella's show with a great late-career performance that should have received an Oscar nomination. Start out you evening with Starting Out in the Evening, a low-key but excellent drama that is consistently engrossing.- Lee Pfeiffer
EXTRAS: The DVD from Lionsgate features director's commentary, TV spots and trailer
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