Serious Moonlight

First Hit: A somewhat well intentioned comedic/dramatic story which mostly fizzles because of the director and actors failed to find the heart of the story.

Timothy Hutton plays Ian who returns to his summer retreat home from a business trip with plans to tell his wife Louise (played by Meg Ryan) that he is finished with their relationship and wants a divorce. He has invited his new lover over to the house for a quick tryst because he believes Louise won’t be arriving until the following day. However, Louise is already there and when Ian sees her he’s surprised and also decides to tell her about his decision. Louise hits him on the head knocking him out and when he awakes he’s tied, with duct tape, to a chair. She explains that what will happen is that Ian will change his mind and decide to not divorce her and when this happens she’ll untie him. However, he breaks loose but she knocks him out again and again ties him with duct tape, but to the toilet. While he is contimplating his fate, Louise goes out and returns only to find a thief in their home. The thief ties her up as well. Now they are both in the bathroom tied up. But somewhere between the moments the thief ties up Louise and Ian’s new girlfriend Sara (played by Kristen Bell) arrives for the second time, the audience figures out the plot and the problem with the film. The ending is now telegraphed. My sense is that the writing was good but the interpretation is where this film falls apart. The director didn't see the hole that was being dug and the actors fell into the hole as well. There just was't enough clarity as to when to expose more of the story and when to give it some grist.

I generally like Ryan and she has done some good dramatic stuff (In the Cut) and light hearted stuff (You’ve Got Mail). Here she seems lost as to what direction to take the character. Hutton has had an extensive career but, for me, has never stood out as a powerful actor. It is the same in this film. Cheryl Hines, the director, was a friend of the late Adrienne Shelly (writer of this film) and certainly didn’t have enough experience to bring the best out of this story.

Overall: It is a reasonable video rental type film.

The Women

First Hit: It was good to see a film that was only about and performed by women but it languished in its execution.

This is a remake of a 1939 film of the same name.

Back then society’s morals, perceptions, and roles of men and women were different. Mary (played by Meg Ryan) is working as a dress designer for her father and is married to big time financier. She discovers, almost at the same time, that her father is firing her when she thought he was ready to give her the business and that her husband Stephen is having an affair.

Her best friend Sylvie (played Annette Bening) overhears this latter bit of information from a manicurist. Sylvie and Edie (played by Debra Messing) talk about what they should do with this information on their way to Mary’s house for a party.

The scene in the car begins to set up the choices and the boundaries of their friendships. Added to this core circle of friends is Alex Fisher (played by Jada Pinkett Smith) a strong lesbian character and, together, this represents “The Women.”

There is lots of advice given to Mary about what to do from her mother (played by Candice Bergen) and her friends. This advice includes fighting Stephen for everything he’s got to let it go and he’ll come back.

Meg Ryan had both strong and brilliant moments as well as flashes of weak and inconsistent characterizations. Although I generally like and think Meg is a wonderful actress, this isn’t one of her better acting jobs. As well, I thought Annette Bening play Sylvie a bit too wooden. Candice Bergen was one of the better performances and was effective as Mary’s mother. I also enjoyed seeing Cloris Leachman as Mary’s house keeper.

Overall: It wasn’t a bad film but it wasn’t a great woman’s film either which is unfortunate in that there are very few films made for, by and star just women.