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Plot: The solitary life of a writer is shaken when a smart, ambitious graduate student convinces him that her thesis will bring him back into the literary spotlight.
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:July 15, 2008a gem of a movie. quiet but not simple...a natural progression and expression of life...a true celebration.
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MCT:July 1, 2008Like "Away from Her" and "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man", this film suffers from Lionsgate's amateurish production style. Like those movies, this plays like a made for TV movie on the Lifetime channel at times. Other times it feels like an episode of the "Larry Sanders Show" or "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Moreover, supporting cast is comprised of members of the cast of "Six Feet Under", adding to the HBO flavour. Once I lowered my cinematic standards and stopped focusing on the overlit sets, I could finally delve into what is a somewhat interesting character study, albeit the themes are not necessarily resounding here. Bottom line, this film does not live up to the rave reviews it undeservingly received.
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MCT:June 23, 2008Despite a more than adequate performance from Frank Langella, it is Lili Taylor that stole the show for me. OTOH, Lauren Ambrose almost ruined it.
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MCT:June 11, 2008
This movie is full of strong performances and there is a lot of stuff going on for the characters. And the characters are the only thing going on in this movie.
I really don't know what else to say. If you like your movies to be plot driven, skip this one. The ambitious grad student writing a thesis on the writer is nothing more then an excuse to give a peek into the life of the writer and the people around him. -
MCT:June 6, 2008
Acted with precision, but somewhat lacking in shape; it all depends on how much you can stand the company of the characters.
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MCT:March 14, 2008
click for review
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MCT:February 29, 2008
A has-been, aging writer is trying to finish his last novel while his daughter is having relationship issues.
Very low-key film, that takes its time and where nothing happens at all except character development. Every character from large to very small is fully realised. It feels so real and only rarely does it misstep. The sniping between Langella and Taylor's boyfriends is a joy to watch. Never have i seen a writer's world realised so authentically. The performances are outstanding, with Langella the standout, creating a unique, fully flawed person. -
MCT:February 28, 2008It has received lots of critical acclaim (including a nomination for the Grand Jury prize at Sundance), and stars two of my most favorite actors (Lauren Ambrose and Lili Taylor, both of whom were in Six Feet Under). I'm sure I'll love it if I ever get to see the darned thing.
Update = DVD released April 22 2008!
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MCT:February 6, 2008
one of my favorite films of the year. inspirational yet incredibly heartbreaking. most importantly genuine. if Langella doesn't get at least an oscar nomination the system is not only broken, its rusty.
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MCT:December 21, 2007
Langella's performance looks like the stuff legends are made of. I expect to hear plenty about it come Oscar time.
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MCT:December 14, 2007
Probably could have been a truly great film if the writing hadn't been so inconsistent and safe. The direction isn't there either, so really, it's just Langella happy hour.
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MCT:December 12, 2007This movie has everything that I love in a movie: an air-tight, engaging and excellently-written script; cream-of-the crop actors (talent-wise, not tabloid-wise) who really grip you with their intensity and utter devotion to the characters they are playing; and a director who really knows what the film they're making is all about and what it should mean to the people who are watching it.
Lauren Amborse (one of my favorites--of Six Feet Under fame) is a true revelation as an ambitious grad-student who is completely enamored with the world of literature and its escapist qualities. She is so in love with words that she is also in love with the man responsible for writing some of her favorite "works of art."
This man would be Anthony Langella's character (and out-of-touch; hiding in the darkness, forgotten writer who is working on his latest (and presumably his last) great novel. Still, something is keeping him from completing his work of art (10 years in the making) and he's not sure why he's unable to just hammer it out and finish it. This is when Ambrose's character comes in and "shakes things up" for an old writer who has little chance at ever being published again and therefore, being forgotten for all time with no legacy to leave behind.
Lili Taylor is outstanding as the writer's daughter. Her subplot storyline of feeling neglected by the men in her life (her father included) is heart-breaking and tender as well. It really shows you that this film is really a character showcase and it allows its actors to really sink their teeth and completely embody the characters they portray.
There is so much hurt and joy and learning that words can cause and there is a way of using words to shield ourselves from the things we want protection from. But ultimately, the truth about the way we work and why we do the things we do comes to light and slaps some sense into us.
We need words to slap us into believing in ourselves again. We need words to know how we truly feel about one another. We need words to live. We needs words to survive in a world where words are not spoken in order to spare someone's feelings or to strip someone from feeling anything altogether. Words give us our dignity--and when, for example, a writer runs out of words, sometims what's needed is somone to give that person the will (no matter how late in life; no matter how late in the evening of your existence) to speak words once more. -
MCT:December 10, 2007
The last I saw Lili Taylor and Lauren Ambrose together, was in an episode of the HBO series, "6 Feet Under." I never expected to see these strong female actresses together again, so I was grateful and unduly surprised to experience them in tandem on the screen.
Frank Langella, known for his role as Dracula in the late 1970's, has had a full life of starring in cinema. Now in his late 60's, he plays an elderly New York City novelist whose first two works were acclaimed for their passion while his last 2 are fading into oblivion.
When Heather Wolf, a graduate student from Brown University meets him in a coffee shop, she proposes a series of interviews for her thesis on this former great writer. Her face is lit, she is suppressing the giddiness of pure joy and idolic homage. But professor Schiller refuses, stating that he cannot be taken away from his work, that he must finish his novel, that he can't be distracted. In fact, he has been working on his book for 10 years, waiting for his characters to take him where they are supposed to go, showing him the way. It's not working.
Heather is not only smitten with the great author, but her brightness and sparkling youth, further accentuating the probable 50 year age difference, have given her a palpable bravery. She finds a way to wheedle her way into his life and hang on. Though she is supposed to see the professor for interviews weekly, she manages to appear at the door and to break all boundaries.
Meanwhile, daughter Ariel has the opportunity to marry Victor, the lawyer, but walks; there is no emotional connection, and although she wants to beat the biological clock and have a child, she would prefer to have his child than to marry him. But then, who returns to her life but her love, Casey, for whom she does have love and passion, but he didn't want children. My, life is complicated; I can hear the Rolling Stones song playing in the background of my mind, "You Can't Always Get What You Want." The professor father is dismayed by Casey and does not want his daughter to be with him. His blackness looks like the obvious reason, but it in fact has nothing to do with it. He is a nice guy, he just doesn't want to give his daughter what she wants. A child.
Heather has been deeply in love with Schiller's work, and by extension, with Schiller; it almost looks like there is going to be a huge romance. The juxtaposition between Schiller and the 2 women further accentuate the elderly man's waning health and potency; actually a reflection of his last two works.
Heather's digging and clawing into Schiller's life has enabled her to find facts with which to challenge him, to give him back his potency. In a sense, Langella is a Dracula figure again, feeding off the blood of youth and passion. Heather has led him to a place in himself where he can come to terms with his own life and renew his characters. It is the evening of his life, he has not time to waste.
Casey is redeemed by his ability to come forward and show his strength in time of crisis. Ariel is shown her own strength and bravery in the face of her father's illness and begins to face her own needs. Heather completes her thesis and has finished her catalystic role of renewing the great American author's verve.
We don't know what will happen; we have witnessed a few poignant moments in several people's lives, but we end at the beginning: professor Schiller is typing.
This is a beautifully done piece with excellent ensemble acting is realistically staged in New York City.
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Comments
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madmac17posted 117 days ago
