Somewhere during his four decade career, Frank Langella got a bad rap. It probably happened around 1979 with his memorable turn as everyone's favorite bloodsucker in "Dracula". After that, the actor - like Christopher Lee before him - became a kind of de facto bad guy (case in point, his turn as Skeletor in 1987's Dolph Lundgren spectacle "Masters of the Universe"). But Mr. Langella always brought a certain dignity to even the most mustache-twirling villain, and in "Starting Out in the Evening" - a modest, awkwardly-titled indie about an aging writer and the grad student researching him - he is able to create a character of such quiet grace and charm that it makes you wonder why we don't see more of this wonderfully commanding actor.
As Leonard Schiller, a novelist of some merit living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Mr. Langella is a member of a dying breed (he uses terms like "decorum" and "gentleman friend"). Having lost his beloved wife years ago, Leonard has spent the better part of a decade toiling away on his latest novel in between sporadic visits from his doting daughter (Lili Taylor). One day, Leonard is approached by a grad student from Brown University (Lauren Ambrose) looking to do her thesis on Leonard's work. Naturally, Leonard's first reaction is negative, but as he slowly lets Heather in, a tender relationship forms that's more complex and, yes, sensual than you might expect.
Mr. Langella is, of course, superb as Leonard - a self-deprecating recluse, who hears the tick of the clock louder and louder with each passing day. Ms. Ambrose also does some fine work as Heather, embracing the presumptuousness of privileged youth. Ms. Taylor gets her own meaty story arc as Leonard's struggling yoga-teacher daughter. Like her father, Ms. Taylor's Ariel feels a milestone approaching - in her case it's her fortieth birthday. Intent on having a child, she's torn between a proposal from a devoted but passionless man, and rekindling the fire with her ex (Adrian Lester), who has made it clear that he does not want children.
On the surface, "Evening", which is based on a novel by Brian Morton, may sound like movie-of-the-week material - or better yet Frank Langella's "Venus". But there's more going on in the nuanced screenplay by Fred Parnes and Andrew Wagner (who also directed) than you might expect. These characters breathe and behave like real human beings. When Heather and Leonard lay next to each other one night, they do just that. This is the type of film Woody Allen used to make before he left New York for Scarlett Johansson. As usual, Manhattan proves to be endlessly photogenic. And Mr. Langella proves that he's been overlooked for long enough.
