February 11, 2010

I had never heard of Serious Moonlight but when it came around for review on Blu-ray I couldn’t see the harm in adding another chick flick to my growing Blu-ray library. Who knows? A chick might actually visit my fortress of bachelor solitude someday, and I do like Meg Ryan and I love Kristen Bell. The movie is based on a script found in a stack of un-submitted, and likely unfinished scripts written by Adrienne Shelly before she was murdered in 2006.

We are quickly introduced to Ian (Timothy Hutton) and his wife Louise (Meg Ryan) as they discuss their plans to rendezvous at their vacation home the following day. Little do either of them know, Louise is getting there a day early to surprise Ian, and Ian is getting there a day early for a romantic encounter with his mistress, Sara (Kristen Bell) before he leaves his wife and goes to Paris with Sara. They both arrive at the house early and Louise catches Ian in the middle of writing a farewell note, but she is unwilling to sacrifice their marriage. In a fit of rage she knocks out Ian and duct-tapes him to a chair to hold him prisoner until she can talk him out of a divorce.

There is a heavy mix of comedy, drama, and even some uncomfortable violence later in the film. Ian eventually gets duct-taped to the toilet and while Louise goes into town to shop the kid (Justin Long) cutting the grass discovers Ian’s helpless situation and proceeds to rob him. When Louise comes home, she too is bound and cast into the upstairs bathroom where she and Ian start to reminisce and reconcile. But before everything can get resolved Sara shows up looking for Ian and also gets bound and tossed into the bathroom while the thief and his friends party downstairs then drive away with most of their valuables.

Serious Moonlight is funny at times, awkward at others, and downright nasty in others. You’d be laughing one minute then squirming uncomfortably another. But when the big plot twist reveals itself during the final seconds of the film, all those moments of discomfort are partially redeemed.

Filmmaking: 6
Shot in 15 days on a minimal budget, actress and comedienne Cheryl Hines steps behind the camera to direct this little drama that plays more like an indie movie, certainly designed to delight those at Sundance or those seeking content for the Lifetime channel. Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton share an interesting chemistry and Kristen Bell exudes just enough innocent charm to play the clueless “other woman”.

Visuals: 6
The 1080p presentation of Serious Moonlight is quite pleasing at times, especially in the opening drive to the summer home and the gorgeous interior of the home with revealing details of furniture and décor and loads of color in the dozens of flowers Ian is spreading around the house. But when the movie confines us to a singular room for most of the film the quality takes a dip with noticeable grain and even some obvious pops and artifacts that I would expect from a film years old rather than months. Details are okay and colors and flesh tones are realistic, and the contrast is nice and sharp, but there is nothing here that demands you watch on Blu-ray.

Sound: 5
Much like the video, the technical specs are all here but they are completely wasted. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix is all but lost when the movie takes place in a small bathroom with no opportunity for directional audio. The only time my rear channels even trembled was when the Justin Long character was trashing the downstairs, and there was nothing going to my subwoofer. This is a movie that is entirely focused on dialogue and conversation with nearly the entire presentation coming from the front and center channels.

Value: 4
Serious Moonlight is seriously lacking in extras. We get a director commentary with Cheryl Hines, who, for a comedienne, is rather dull and boring when it comes to talking about her movie. She is joined by Andy Ostroy and Michael Roiff, two producers who add nothing to the conversation. There is a 12-minute Making of Serious Moonlight feature that talks about the cast and filming in only two weeks and getting this movie actually made. It’s even more boring than the commentary. And finally you have about a 5-minute HDNet commercial for the movie.

Overall: 5.9
If you like drama and lots of dialogue then Serious Moonlight might be for you. Since 95% of the movie takes place in a rather small bathroom don’t expect much action or epic scenery. While the performances were quite good, both emotionally and in believability, I simply don’t enjoy the stress of listening to people argue and fight, not for a few minutes and certainly not for an hour. Serious Moonlight might appeal to some but it slips to the bottom of my chick flick database and is probably best left as a date night rental.