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Starting Out in the Evening

Play trailer Poster for Starting Out in the Evening PG-13 2007 1h 50m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 95 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
A complex relationship develops between Leonard (Frank Langella), an academic novelist of advancing years, and Heather (Lauren Ambrose), a determined, fresh-faced graduate student doing her master's thesis on Leonard's career. Leonard keeps everyone at an emotional distance, including his devoted daughter, Ariel (Lili Taylor), and her unsettled boyfriend, Casey (Adrian Lester). Heather's attention, although motivated by selfish interests, forces Leonard to reexamine his life.
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Starting Out in the Evening

Starting Out in the Evening

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Critics Consensus

Starting Out in the Evening features sharp dialogue and moving performances from the talented Frank Langella and Lili Taylor.

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Critics Reviews

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Jonathan F. Richards Film.com Feb 24, 2008
Starting Out in the Evening is thrilling in a way that a movie larded with car chases and explosions can seldom be, because of the way it deals with that basic building block of civilization, the creative process. Go to Full Review
Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle Feb 8, 2008
3/5
Wagner's film is an elegy of sorts for that once-mighty beast known as the New York Writer, a creature that now finds itself increasingly marginalized in a world in which readers are getting scarcer and shelf space for serious fiction is dwindling daily. Go to Full Review
Bill Goodykoontz Arizona Republic Feb 7, 2008
3.5/5
It's Langella's performance that anchors the film. Go to Full Review
Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens Nov 15, 2019
Grace. Sophistication. Intelligence. Heart. We should all be so fortunate to be Starting Out In The Evening of our own lives. Go to Full Review
Dorothy Woodend The Tyee (British Columbia) Aug 22, 2017
For all its sturm and drang, there is an elegiac quality about the film, maybe because fewer and fewer people apparently care very much about writing or writers. Go to Full Review
Wesley Lovell Cinema Sight Sep 30, 2008
2.5/4
A bravura performance from Frank Langella blended into a lackluster story. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Alain E @AlainE Jan 11, 2026 A very good movie about becoming a senior citizen. An old forgotten author is visited by an enthusiastic much younger, attractive female graduate student who wants to collect elements for her thesis. In the process she develops even a sexual attraction. Another reviewer asks why he ends up slapping her in the face. Because she is treating him like a child, when she tells him that after his health episode, he will now write his best book ever. There is a secondary plot regarding his daughter and her desire to have a child. Overall, the issues are addressed with respect. See more
Sep 18, 2018 Why did Leonard smack Heather? See more
Jul 17, 2017 A sensitive performance by Frank Langella gives this slow-moving drama some punch. See more
Dec 18, 2016 Kannatti katsoa!! (Suom. Elämä kuin romaani) See more
Sep 10, 2014 This is the type of movie I generally love, but there's still something missing from it. Langella is very good, as is Ambrose, though I don't think her character as written really comes off the page. Lily Taylor; man, there's just something about her, she has a natural aura of beauty/grace/whatever that the camera is unexpectedly able to pick up, and has been apparent since I first saw her in a film (probably Say Anything). The 2nd half feels like it falls a bit off for some reason. See more
Jun 25, 2014 Langella's performance is the only reason to watch this movie. His performance was amazing, but the whole story was rather unimpressive. See more
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Starting Out in the Evening

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Cast & Crew

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Andrew Wagner

Director

Frank Langella

Leonard Schiller

Lauren Ambrose

Heather Wolfe

Lili Taylor

Ariel Schiller

Adrian Lester

Casey Davis

Jessica Hecht

Sandra Bennett

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Starting Out in the Evening

Starting Out in the Evening (2007) A scene from the film "Starting Out in the Evening." A scene from the film "Starting Out in the Evening." A scene from the film "Starting Out in the Evening." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A complex relationship develops between Leonard (Frank Langella), an academic novelist of advancing years, and Heather (Lauren Ambrose), a determined, fresh-faced graduate student doing her master's thesis on Leonard's career. Leonard keeps everyone at an emotional distance, including his devoted daughter, Ariel (Lili Taylor), and her unsettled boyfriend, Casey (Adrian Lester). Heather's attention, although motivated by selfish interests, forces Leonard to reexamine his life.
Director
Andrew Wagner
Producer
Nancy Israel, Fred Parnes, Andrew Wagner, Gary Winick, Jake Abraham
Screenwriter
Fred Parnes, Andrew Wagner
Distributor
Roadside Attractions
Production Co
InDiGent Entertainment
Rating
PG-13 (Sexual Content|Language|Brief Nudity)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 23, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$902.1K
Runtime
1h 50m
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