Serious Moonlight
User Score
4.7 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 6
  3. Negative: 2 out of 6

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  1. hoops2448
    Oct 26, 2011
    6
    Serious Moonlight is not what I expected at all, in both a good and a bad way. The title itself is still a mystery to me but the rest of the film is a little bit simplistic. The story is one of Louise (Meg Ryan) and Ian (Timothy Hutton), an unhappily married couple who have sort of an odd weekend. It starts with Louise surprising Ian for the weekend at their summer house while he is writing a letter about how he is about to leave her. Ian plucks up the courage to tell her and she responds by knocking him out and tying him to a chair with ducktape. The story continues from there in a play like fashion with there being grand sweeping statements, outlandish actions that can only be pulled off on the stage. Ryan and Hutton are joined from time to time by Ian's mistress Sara (Kristen Bell) and a gardener named Todd (Justin Long) who manage to infuse some comedy into the incredibly depressing proceedings of the first half. In fact the best part of Moonlight is that it turns itself on its head halfway and becomes much more enjoyable with a much more agreeable tone. The tone of the first half is going for black comedy but the comedy is stale and the idea that yelling (which Hutton does for most of the first half) can be found funny is beyond me. The second half however is lively, clever (in places), fun and most of all, its funny. Ryan even manages to fit in some physical comedy despite the obvious restrictions in both the script and the setting. Overall its a film that needed a more skilled hand then a first time director (Cheryl Hines) and the script felt more like a draft than a finished product despite the fact it had some brilliantly funny moments towards the end. The acting is good, if not great at times with Ryan and Hutton having great chemistry and some nice comic timing (despite all the yelling.) its just a shame about the first half.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
36 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 16
  3. Negative: 5 out of 16
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Doris Toumarkine
    70
    Overall, "Moonlight" is a nuttily engaging tale of betrayal and, perhaps, redemption.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    40
    A less-than-frothy domestic showdown starring Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton, it owes as much to Edward Albee as to Nora Ephron, with an occasional nod to "A Clockwork Orange."
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  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Melissa Anderson
    40
    Serious Moonlight has a backstory much more intriguingly dramatic than what's onscreen.
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