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Serious Moonlight

Name: Serious Moonlight
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Crime
Released: December 4, 2009
Duration: 84 min
Rating: 36
Cast: Kristen Bell, Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton

2009

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 16 Critics

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 7 Ratings

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4.6

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4.6	Your Score
4.6	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 7 Ratings

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SERIOUS MOONLIGHT

Movie Details & Credits

Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: December 4, 2009 | R

Starring: Kristen Bell, Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton

Summary: After she arrives at her country home for a romantic weekend getaway, things don't go exactly as planned for high-powered Manhattan lawyer Louise. First, her husband of 13 years, Ian, tells her that he's leaving her for a younger woman. Then, one thing leads to another, and pretty soon Ian finds himself held captive by an oddly cool LouiseAfter she arrives at her country home for a romantic weekend getaway, things don't go exactly as planned for high-powered Manhattan lawyer Louise. First, her husband of 13 years, Ian, tells her that he's leaving her for a younger woman. Then, one thing leads to another, and pretty soon Ian finds himself held captive by an oddly cool Louise who explains that she won't release him until he professes his love for her and commits to working on their marriage. And that's when things REALLY start to go wrong. The unexpected arrival of an opportunistic young gardener and Ian's impatient mistress only serve to complicate the crisis even further, while somehow forcing Louise and Ian to reckon with their past and realistically deal with their future. (Magnolia Pictures)… Expand

Director: Cheryl Hines

Genre(s): Comedy, Romance, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 84 min

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Critic Reviews

Doris Toumarkine

Overall, "Moonlight" is a nuttily engaging tale of betrayal and, perhaps, redemption. Read full review

Joe Williams

It's a pleasure to watch Ryan resurrect her trademark persona, a mix of perkiness and pique, as she flounces around the room. But it's shaded with a middle-age desperation that's half real and half chick-flick shtick. Read full review

Peter Rainer

What may have started out as a comedy devolves into quasi-Stephen King territory. Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

If you want to see a good comedy about a couple’s marital problems getting worked out through the course of a home invasion, check out "The Ref." Read full review

Melissa Anderson

Serious Moonlight has a backstory much more intriguingly dramatic than what's onscreen. Read full review

Stephen Holden

A very shallow comedy. For the real thing, rent “The Ref,” in which Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis, with a boost from Glynis Johns, set the house on fire. Read full review

Joe Neumaier

It's also suffocatingly stagy, especially when the husband's new love (Kristen Bell) and a violent thief (Justin Long) show up. Read full review

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User Reviews

hoops2448

Oct 26, 2011

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 oddSerious 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

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