IMDb > Starting Out in the Evening (2007)
Starting Out in the Evening
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Starting Out in the Evening (2007) More at IMDbPro »

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Starting Out in the Evening (2007) -- This is the U.S. trailer for Starting Out in the Evening, directed by Andrew Wagner.
Starting Out in the Evening (2007) -- An ambitious graduate student convinces a writer that her thesis can resurrect his career.
Starting Out in the Evening (2007) -- AZ Movies - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   1,810 votes
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Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Brian Morton (novel)
Fred Parnes (screenplay)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Starting Out in the Evening on IMDbPro.
Genre:
Plot:
An ambitious graduate student convinces a writer that her thesis can resurrect his career. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
2 wins & 6 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Leonard Maltin's Top Hidden Gems of the Past Decade
 (From ReelzChannel. 21 December 2009, 11:09 AM, PST)

David Thomson on Frank Langella
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 19 November 2009, 3:55 PM, PST)

User Reviews:
The Film May Be Gloomy, But It's Not Depressing more (38 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and brief nudity.
Runtime:
111 min
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Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
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Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Boom mic visible: In the scene where Leonard goes back to apartment after stroke, as he sits in the chair there's a boom mic shadow visible on the back wall. The scene then shifts to Lili Taylor, and when it returns the shadow has gone. more
Quotes:
Heather Wolfe: Men my age are like chewing gum; ten minutes of flavor, and then just bland repetition. more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Only You more

FAQ

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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful.
The Film May Be Gloomy, But It's Not Depressing, 28 May 2008
8/10
Author: brocksilvey from United States

Movies about literary people too often sound like books rather than movies. The way characters talk doesn't jive with the way people actually sound in real life. Dialogue sounds scripted, phrases and speeches are too well put together.

This is a trap "Starting Out in the Evening" doesn't avoid, but it's easy to overlook that minor flaw, as the rest of the film is intelligent and thoughtful. The main reason to watch is Frank Langella, playing Leonard Schiller, an aging novelist who the world has forgotten and who is tempted to hope that his name might be revived by an idolatrous grad student who wants to do her thesis on his work. The grad student (Lauren Ambrose) is pushy and rather unlikable, but it makes sense that Leonard would take to her, as only someone as pushy as she could break through his reclusive facade. The relationship these two embark upon is complicated to say the least, and both actors navigate the tricky terrain well.

A subplot involves Leonard's daughter (played by Lili Taylor, who it was a pleasure to see again) and her rekindled relationship with a man of whom Leonard does not approve (Adrian Lester).

"Starting Out in the Evening" is one of those ultra-sombre movies that takes place in the dead of winter, when everything is cold and dead, and in which the predominant color scheme is brown and gray. But the cast brings enough vitality to the film, and the screenplay is unpredictable enough, that the end product is engaging rather than depressing.

Grade: A-

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