Starting Out In The Evening

I didn't know what I would think of the movies I intended to see on New Year's Day as I trekked out of my friend's apartment and down several blocks in the deepening cold of a January Chicago evening. I just knew I was in Chicago, I was going to take advantage of its status as a real city and therefore its ability to get smaller release films and that I thought I'd picked films that wouldn't disappoint for my first film of 2008. Still walking in the blistering cold and walking home just after midnight in the sub-zero temperatures was still better than my idiotic walk through a snowstorm to see dead on arrival National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

Starting Out In The Evening is based on a novel by Brian Morton, which of course I haven't read so I can say nothing about its adaptation but I'm guessing based on the content of this film was really well done. Our protagonist is Leonard Schiller (Frank Langella) an aging writer who wrote four books in his career and in his declining years is attempting to finish one more book. He is a meticulous man who dresses in suit and tie even while typing at his typewriter. He attends literary readings, and other artistic endeavors and seems completely part of the intellectual circle.

Into his life comes Heather Wolfe (Lauren Ambrose) a graduate student who was greatly influenced by Schiller's work and is in the process of writing a thesis on his literary contributions. She wants to interview him about his works and life in an attempt to get a better feel for her own work and also is hopeful that her work can inspire a resurgence in the popularity of Schiller's work. Initially, Schiller is standoffish and resistant to the idea but slowly allows Heather into his life.

Of almost equal interest to the story is the relationship of Schiller's daughter Ariel (Lili Taylor) and her lover Casey (Adrian Lester). Schiller sees their relationship as unhealthy and wants his daughter to be with someone who will treat her right and not take advantage of her. Ariel desires her love over any sort of rational accounting of it. And so the film revolves around these three basic relationships: Leonard and Heather, Leonard and Ariel, and Ariel and Casey.

And all three are handled with amazing grace. There is not a moment I didn't buy into all of these relationships. Leonard and Ariel have the beautifully complex relationship of a father and daughter who had a more problematic relationship in earlier times but have now found a new more healthy one. Ariel with Casey is a welcome addition to the dynamic especially with Leonard not caring for Casey. And finally Heather as the young grad student coming into the life of old and feeling old Schiller is done with amazing deftness. There are hints of a May-December romance that never quite gets off the ground but that results in stronger story telling.

And yet beyond a very well formulated story there are two other rather admirable things about this film. The first is obviously the acting. Taylor and Ambrose are in top form as their respective characters with all their toughness and vulnerability. Adrian Lester is great as Casey (see if nothing else his scenes with Langella when Taylor is off screen and they subtly needle each other over their respective selfishness). But hands down the film belongs to Langella.

There is not a scene he does not play with absolute class and agility. He can be passionate and rational as when he discusses his disapproval of his daughter's actions or harmful as when he dismisses Heather quite powerfully by movie's end. He is at his most affecting when he is discussing his art of writing. The idea of where character or story come from. There are two instantly memorable scenes in which he forcefully shows his opinion and that nothing can alter it.

The first takes place at a party of academics where a discussion of the union of commercialism and academic writing that has occurred in many literary review magazines. After stating his rather firm opinion, an equally compelling counter argument is merely dismissed by Langella with a polite nod of the head and an excuse to go elsewhere. The second involves a scene with Ambrose in which she questions his originality and the influence of his personal life on his books. Langella's response (part of which can be viewed in the trailer) is powerful and compelling.

The second admirable thing is that this movie is intelligent and academic and it isn't afraid to be so. Many of the really memorable scenes are discussions about academic writing, reading, writing and intellectual pursuit. And it was incredibly refreshing and delightful to witness. And the viewpoints expressed are at times contradictory and yet never does the film choose one viewpoint over the other. It merely gives both sides and lets you think about it as well.

Ambrose's Heather is absolutely in love with Schiller's first two books but thought his later work weaker. But by film's end we get an opinion about Schiller's last book by Casey which offers up the opposite opinion. The later book is the truly brilliant one. It was genuinely great to see two different characters who are well developed offer different opinions and all you can do is think that totally makes sense based on what I've seen about both.

But the intelligence is not limited to literary pursuit or debate. There are several conversations between Schiller and Ariel and Ariel and Casey that discuss more routine aspects of life such as love and family and the importance of being yourself. And the opinions in these scenes are no less well articulated and intelligent and again with no judgment as to which is right or wrong.

And it is all three of these things (story, acting and intelligence) that make this movie resound with me. And here is hoping that this first movie that I saw of 2008 (although technically a 2007 release) is evidence for a great year at the movies.