Starting Out in the Evening

Starting Out in the Evening

Directed by Andrew Wagner (PG-13)

A young grad student reminds an elderly novelist that life is worth living.

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Starting Out in the Evening upsets every cliché about May-December romances and master-pupil relationships in the book, said Ella Taylor in The Village Voice. Director Andrew Wagner’s sophomore film, faithfully adapted from Brian Morton’s novel, is a wise, observant chamber drama that teaches both characters and audience of the hazards of the “unexamined life.” Leonard Schiller (Frank Langella) is a long-widowed author of the “Bellow-Roth-Howe generation,” whose fifth novel has been sitting in his typewriter for nearly a decade. The film explores his relationship with two women. His protective daughter, Ariel (Lili Taylor), is concerned about growing old without a child or an independent identity. Heather (Lauren Ambrose), a grad student, has made Schiller the subject of her thesis in hopes of reintroducing his work to the world. Wagner creates three believably astute characters, “all of whom feel the breath of Father Time at their necks,” said Scott Foundas in Variety. Their stories are delicately balanced, and Wagner displays “an unusual maturity and confidence” for a relatively inexperienced filmmaker. Any director should feel confident after casting Langella, who is better than perfect in this role, said David Edelstein in New York. Nearly 70, he embodies “what great screen acting is about.” Langella’s performance, powerful yet subtle, is what makes Starting Out for the Evening stellar.