Evening

Evening ***1/2

Directed by Lajos Koltai
Written by Susan Minot and Michael Cunningham, based on the novel by Minot.

Starring:
Claire Danes as Ann Grant
Toni Collette as Nina Lord
Vanessa Redgrave as Ann Grant Lord
Patrick Wilson as Harris Arden
Hugh Dancy as Buddy Wittenborn
Natasha Richardson as Constance Lord
Mamie Gummer as Young Lila Wittenborn
Eileen Atkins as The Night Nurse
Meryl Streep as Lila Wittenborn
Glenn Close as Mrs. Wittenborn

113 Minutes(Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements, sexual material, a brief accident scene and language. )
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Boasting perhaps one of the most impressive casts in recent memory-almost to the point where it appears like they are showing off-there is no surprise that "Evening" is emotionally satisfying. With a screenplay by Michael Cunningham-"The Hours"-you could probably guess what type of film you are in for, but for every second of sadness that "Evening" has, there is a small glimmer of hope, an award worthy performance, and a beautiful shot of some kind of lake or forest. I was somewhat surprised the effect that it had on me, and it is a welcome relief-a nice and simple quiet drama from the big summer days of heat, CGI special effects, and load action sequences. And while they are mind-numbing and entertaining, this is a reminder that great films are not only saved for the fall. "Evening" opens on June 29th, but I was lucky enough to see a special screening at Lincoln Center, joined by Michael Cunningham and novel author Susan Minot, who offered an interesting hour long discussion on the screenwriting process. This is an early review, but try not to forget about it in the next two weeks.

There are two stories happening in "Evening." The first takes place in the present day, as sisters Nina and Constance Lord (Toni Collette and Natasha Richardson) are waiting by the deathbed of their mother Ann(Vanessa Redgrave) as she slowly mutters strange words-"Harris was my only love. . . .Mine and Buddy's. . . .Harris and I killed Buddy. . . ." While Nina wonders who this mysterious Harris and Buddy are, Constance thinks that there are more important things to worry about, while the Night Nurse (Eileen Atkins) says that they may be real people and they might not be. They might just be figments of a dying mind. But they are real people, and Ann can't seem to forget them in her last days on Earth. She thinks back to the weekend of her best friend Lila's (Mamie Gummer, daughter of Meryl Streep and looking pretty much exactly like her) wedding, where she was reunited with an old college friend, and Lila's brother, Buddy (Hugh Dancy), who is madly in love with her. Buddy introduces Ann (who in the past is played by Claire Danes) to Harris (Patrick Wilson, who is not as good here as he was in "Little Children" or "Purple Violets" but I am fond of him nonetheless), the son of their old servant. Buddy thinks of Harris as a brother, and is convinced that he should be marrying Lila and not the old cad who is. What passes over the next twenty four hours changes everything for Ann, as she finds both love and tragedy during what is supposed to be a happy occasion. She and Harris form an unlikely romance while Buddy tries to declare his love, which Ann believes to be a simple drunken ramble. Meanwhile, back in the present, Nina tries to grapple through her own love story as she finds out that she is having a baby, although she doesn't really know if she is with the right man for her.

With such a stellar cast, you can expect to have some mind blowing scenes, and the climatic scene where Vanessa Redgrave and Meryl Streep finally share a stage its almost like a female version of the infamous scene in "Heat." Younger actresses Toni Collette and Claire Danes are extremely transcendent, and clearly show that perhaps one day the two of them could share a scene like the one Redgrave and Streep have and be as effective. "Evening" manages to always avoid the "sappy, made for TV" mode, and ends up becoming two love stories with realistic and compassionate characters. It becomes a film about lifelong regrets and lifelong "mistakes" that could really just be blessings in disguise. Lajos Koltai, whose last film "Fateless" was a look inside he Holocaust, has crafted and beautiful shot and intelligent romance piece that avoids the obvious cliches and tells a lovely tale. Half the audience I was with was reduced to tears by the end, and even I had some kind of wetness coming from up there.

Taking a look at the conversation with the writers after the screening, I learned a little bit about the way it was filmed. The present portions were filmed prior to the memory portions. This bit of information somewhat troubled me, as it made Danes and Gummer look to their respective characters played by Redgrave and Steep for the mannerisms and tics and little details that they created. Considering Danes and Gummer take the bulk of the film, as considering that in a realistic sense they came first, I think it would have been better for them to set the stage for their characters performance through life, and have Streep and Redgrave turn to them for the little details in Ann and Lila. Sure Streep and Redgrave are great actresses, but Danes and Gummer make what the characters become, and it only would have been right for the memory portions to be shot first. "Evening" perhaps does have a limited audience-while the females will easily love it, I can see the eyelids of males to be slowly getting heavier and heavier. This probably isn't a film for the men, unless they are serious film fans or just fans of all genres alike. Yes this will probably premiere on Lifetime one day, but it is not a Lifetime movie. This is a quiet and serious and beautiful romance like last years "The Painted Veil" and I was happy to see an ensemble piece and an ensemble where everyone plays their part with such beauty and to such perfection.

The only part that seemed a bit forced, and my only real quip with the film, was the character Harris played by Patrick Wilson. I do find Wilson to be a very good actor-but his romance with Danes seemed a bit too easy and convenient, and Wilson at times seems to be coasting through his role. If it is any constellation, his character does allow a real heart in Buddy, played beautifully by Hugh Dancy. Buddy is the real heart and soul of the story, which is ironic as Cunningham discussed that in the novel, Buddy was quite insignificant and very background. This must change the entire story of the novel, as in the film Buddy may be the most important one here. Cunningham claimed that he saw something in Buddy that he wanted to explore more, which could explain why he sidetracks and makes little of characters like Harris. He found Buddy to be interesting, and sadly not scoped out in the novel more. I have yet to read the book, but I can tell that he was right. Dancy provides the most compassion and tenderness of all the characters, and holds up on his own even with the amazing females surrounding him. And yet he never appears in any of their shadows. "Evening" is a light reminder that there are good romances out there, and they do not all have to be Hollywood-ized and cliched. With some of the strongest performances of the year, "Evening" should have the legs to get through the Oscar season, and could possibly garner a couple of nominations. We'll just have to see.