Starting Out in the Evening At first glance, Starting Out in the Evening is a typical film about a quintessentially nontypical relationship: the May-December romance. Lauren Ambrose plays a young…
DVD Review

Starting Out in the Evening

Reviewed by Gilbert Cruz | Apr 18, 2008
Frank Langella, Starting Out in the Evening | GOOD EVENING Frank Langella gives a performance for the ages as a veteran novelist who opens a new chapter with a young fan (Lauren Ambrose)…
GOOD EVENING Frank Langella gives a performance for the ages as a veteran novelist who opens a new chapter with a young fan (Lauren Ambrose) in Starting Out
EW's GRADE
B

Details Movie Rated: PG-13; Genre: Drama; With: Lauren Ambrose and Frank Langella; Distributor: Roadside Attractions

At first glance, Starting Out in the Evening is a typical film about a quintessentially nontypical relationship: the May-December romance. Lauren Ambrose plays a young litterateur looking to revive the reputation of a once-famous novelist (Frank Langella). But while the sight of the two tiptoeing around their romantic tension causes discomfort, Langella manages to convey tenderly the indignities of old age, when everything — mind, talent, and body — threatens to desert you. EXTRAS An exhausting commentary in which director Andrew Wagner dissects each character's every motivation. B

Originally posted Apr 18, 2008 Published in issue #988-989 Apr 25, 2008 Order article reprints