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Serious Moonlight won Best Film at the Orlando Film Festival. To be brutally honest, I think winning had much more to do with leads Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton, along with director Cheryl Hines, being far and away the most well-known participants, than it did with the quality (or relative lack thereof) of the film itself. Obviously, SERIOUS was adapted from or inspired by a play. Set in a house, in 5 brief acts; nearly half of the on-screen time is spent in the bathroom, of all places! The basic premise seems like a sure-fire winner: Not-so-successful, burned out husband decides to leave much more successful lawyer wife before she gets home from vacation, for his ditsy, twenty-something secretary. Returning home a day early, wife (Meg Ryan) catches hubby(Timothy Hutton) sneaking out in Stealth Mode. This apparently transports wife into the Twilight Zone, because, from that moment on, she exhibits the most un-attorney-like comportment imaginable! Totally losing touch with reality, she decides to "kidnap" husband until he has "retuned to his senses" and abandons the idea of abandoning her. Despite some genuinely funny moments, SERIOUS fumbles the execution. Novice Director Cheryl Hines (WAITRESS) introduced the film. She seems like a sweet, wonderful person; a more than competent actor; and a totally unimaginative, inexperienced and lackluster director. One sequence, halfway into the film, is particularly annoying: Husband and wife, tied up in the bathroom, enter into a prolonged argument. For what seems like an endless loop, the only shots/edits we get are ping-pong talking heads. That's it! Ms. Hines, should you somehow get another shot at directing, and the result is not noticeably superior...I suggest you permanently hang-up your director's cap! Timothy Hutton and a rejuvenated Meg Ryan both turn in commendable, but somewhat strained performances (The result of over-direction?) 2 things saved SERIOUS: A fair share of laugh-provoking moments, and acts 3+4.(Far superior to rest of film)

It's been a full two decades since Meg Ryan emerged from a series of background girlfriend roles to become America's Sweetheart in 1989's "When Harry Met Sally…", but in this strangely conceived 2009 comedy, she still has that undeniable twinkle in spite of all the age-defying cosmetic alterations to her face. The screenplay is the last work of the late actress Adrienne Shelly, who wrote, directed, and co-starred in 2007's agreeably idiosyncratic "Waitress", and what they have in common is her supple dexterity in balancing the off-kilter elements of her stories into something deeper. This time, she takes a darker, less whimsical path in exposing the insidious nature of a marriage that has dissipated from a lack of communication. Her "Waitress" co-star Cheryl Hines ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") takes the helm in her directorial debut, and her lack of experience may attribute to the fact that it feels more like a filmed stage play despite Nancy Schreiber's expert cinematography.

The brief story focuses on married couple, Louise and Ian, on a day when they unexpectedly cross paths at their bucolic vacation home. A high-powered fortyish attorney, she comes home to find her house showered romantically with rose petals and Ian writing a Dear Jane letter to her. He has decided after thirteen years of marriage that he wants a divorce, so he can rendezvous with his 24-year-old girlfriend Sarah in Paris. Unwilling to accept that her marriage has gone kaput, Louise inadvertently knocks him out with a flower pot and takes advantage of his unconsciousness in order to duct tape him to a chair until he relents. This is the beginning of a roundelay in which they spar about the merits of their marriage. Ian spends most of the 84-minute running time stuck on the toilet as he faces one humiliation after another. Even though Louise exhibits vaguely sociopathic behavior, she does not represent the only threat to Ian.

There is a nasty twist to the story in the form of an interloper that turns their vituperative cat-and-mouse game into a game of survival. The open ending doesn't quite satisfy, although the implications that it raises lends texture to what has gone on before. Ryan acquits herself well as Louise, and although it's not remarkable work, it shows that the actress could thrive into middle-age with her fizzy spirit intact. She manages to give heart to the tenacious hold her character has on her flailing marriage. In a welcome big-screen return as Ian, Timothy Hutton does what he can under a lot of duct tape in a mostly passive role with moments of vented exasperation, while Kristin Bell ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall") shows surprising grit as Sarah, especially toward the end when the women grapple on the bathroom floor. Justin Long provides a menacing edge to the smallish role of the lawn-mowing low-life. More than Hines' workmanlike direction, Shelly's somewhat uneven screenplay offers enough dark elements to make the contrived set-up worth accepting for the sake of the unfolding story she wanted to tell.

I feel that 'Serious Moonlight' is a misunderstood movie. People seem to be under the impression that it's just another 'French Kiss' (mostly because of the misleading trailer). The similarities are minimal. The references (perhaps unintentional) are quite amusing but it must be said that 'Serious Moonlight' is no romantic comedy. It's more of a black comedy about a couple going through a stale marriage that is on the brink of breaking point. When the husband announces that he's leaving his wife for a twinkie, in a final desperate attempt the wife tries to win him back. However, she doesn't follow him all the way to Paris (which is what happened in 'French Kiss'). She ties him up, with duct tape, in their farm house.

Unlike the kind of humour that's often used in a romantic comedies 'Serious Moonlight' is a lot more tongue in cheek and even dark at times. Cheryl Hines, who's already known for her comedic talents, proves to be a competent director and with the late Adrienne Shelly's funny and yet thought-provoking screenplay, she has made something entertaining. I found most of the dialogues laugh-out-loud funny.

Timothy Hutton finally gets a part that's just right for him as he does full justice to Ian. Meg Ryan looks great and she's superb as the almost insane Louise. Justin Long and Kristen Bell provide hilarious support.

The twist in the end was cleverly done and works as a good conclusion with a funny touch.

Looking at the cast of the movie, you'd think you have a nice comedy at hand. Well it's anything but nice. And this is exactly where it lost (with me). Having two lead characters that are so despicable as the two at hand here, never really connected me with them. That it is borderline insane (the set-up, which gets even more ridiculous by an ending that is pretty clear, but gets "explained" here on IMDb, if you happened to miss that) and tries to "hammer" in things (quite literally at times), does not make this any better than other movies. It just makes it very different than them.

It wasn't my cup of tea and if the actors were worse, I would have rated this lower. But while other movies try to establish an alternate reality or world, this grounds itself into reality and therefor is prone to be judged by that. Of course, since tastes are different, you might actually like it (because of all the things I've listed, not despite) ...

If you enjoy films like "War of the Roses", you should like this one.

Basically this is a love-triangle story about a man (Tim Hutton) whose planning on leaving his wife (Meg Ryan) of 14 years for a much younger woman (Kristin Bell). The wife doesn't respond well and much inappropriate behavior follows.

Not much depth is written into these people but Ryan and Hutton do a rather spectacular job with their roles anyway. Special notice should be given to Justin Long's cameo as a thug. He seems to relish his small 'against type-cast' role. Unfortunately, Kristin Bell bores us with her very two-dimensional performance.

The plot tidies itself up rather too quickly from this twisted story, but at least we're not left with an overly long film. And the first hour is one of the darkest hours of film I've ever seen--in a good way.

If you've seen Adrienne Shelly's (the writer) other film, "Waitress", you'll be familiar with the style of this film. "Waitress" is a more complete movie with much more depth. However, Cheryl Hines--who took over for Shelly after her untimely death--does a commendable job.

I'm saddened to realize this will be the last work we see from the mind of Adrienne Shelly. As it stands, it's not a bad way to be remembered. A writer/director who had a flair for gracefully exploring people's darkest emotions and desires.

And no, I'm not just saying this because I'm strapped to a toilet!

P.S. This film is not a date flick;)

This movie is listed as comedy, crime, and romance ... there isn't one minute of any believable comedy, crime, or romance. Honestly I do not see how this flick got beyond the editing room.

It's like my title ... that one shoe you see along the side of a road ... how did it get there? How did this movie get made? It's half a movie! It just has people saying their lines, then it ends.

Maybe the producers blew the budget on rehearsal and just went with what they had .... which is nothing but a bore. I kept expecting the entire robbery to have been a setup for a twist in the plot at the end .. no that doesn't happen.

An awful half a movie!

"Serious Moonlight" deserves to be seen for a number of reasons.

First, it is written by the late Adrienne Shelly (best known for "Waitress" (2007)). After her death, her husband set up the Adrienne Shelly Foundation to help women pursue their film-making dreams. Money earned from her films goes towards this foundation.

Second, there are a lot of elements in this film that are pretty original which seems to be a hard feat to accomplish for most films today.

Third, the interesting casting choices, which give us the pleasure of seeing Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton in mature, grown up roles but acting childishly-stupid with glimmers of maturity and wisdom. After seeing this movie, I believe they are the only actors who could pull it off so beautifully. Add to this, Justin Long in a funny and very surprising role, and then the adorable Kristin Bell who for once is actually playing a character less-accomplished than the average woman her age.

"Serious Moonlight" is a romantic comedy of sorts where we have a husband divorcing his wife so he can be with his younger mistress. Include a couple criminal activities and all plans get thrown out the window. Every turn in this movie is funny, original, thoughtful, and romantic - in its own weird way.

I recommend spending your money on "Serious Moonlight". Rest in Peace, Adrienne.

This is just to let anyone seriously considering to watch this movie know that it is a complete waste of time. It isn't funny, entertaining or exciting, it's just bad. It's badly written, the characters do not make sense, there is no payoff whatsoever. I just watched until the end to find out whether it was really that bad, or if it had anything to offer in its ending. It has not. The only good thing about it is that it's short. Still, it feels veeeery long.

I think Hutton is a good and likable actor, and he tries hard in this one, but it does not help much. Ryan is way over the top (as her role requires her to be) and that means I could barely stand any scenes with her (which amount to 85% of the movie). So please, go watch something else. Almost anything will be more rewarding than this...

This is one of the better movies I have seen this past month or so.

Meg Ryan puts on a marvelous performance as the slightly crazy wife doing whatever she can to make her husband love her.

This is a comedy unlike most other comedies out there. It had really good dialogue and some nice scenes. You just curl your toes at the extremes Meg Ryan's character goes to for making her husband stay with her. Now, it is not a comedy that will make you roll over laughing with tears streaming down your cheeks, but it is funny and have a very believable feel to it. You really get to feel for the characters of the movie.

I like Meg Ryan as an actress, and this is one of the better roles I have seen her portray in awhile. A good step away from the usual romantic comedies that she have been making.

Without giving away too much of the story, I found the plot to be very predictable. Very easy to figure out what happens early on and also easy to figure out how it will end - it is a Hollywood movie after all. And I am not just saying that because I am taped to a toilet!

Any review of this movie higher than a 3 is a plant by the studio. This movie is a nightmare with the cringiest performances ever.

Graphically telling your wife you've been sleeping with a 23yo in your marital bed - all while calling her ugly, a robber threatening to bash a man's skull in with a toilet top, after molesting a victim of a concussion, all set in the middle of a violent, sadistic kidnap plot gone awry - OBVIOUSLY a romantic-comedy, right?

And no, anyone going "this is a dark comedy" has no idea what those words mean.

1994's The Ref was a dark comedy kidnap plot.

In Bruges is a dark comedy.

Serious Moonlight is an unbalanced fever-dream told in the voice of a stalker who fantasizes about their forced abduction plot going exactly the way they hope it does.

Based solely on its trailers this movie is already getting a bad rap online, with many lambasting it as some 'chick' flick revamp of 'French Kiss'. Don't believe that hooey. This is a dark comedy worthy of Hitchcock, and it's far, far removed from Meg Ryan's past 'sweetheart' roles.

'Serious Moonlight' is a simple, character-driven story of what happens when high-powered lawyer Louise (Meg Ryan) finds out her husband Ian (Timothy Hutton) plans to leave her for his younger mistress Sara (Kristen Bell). Louise holds Ian hostage, the better to make him explain what happened to their marriage. Eventually, an unexpected visit by Todd (Justin Long) forces husband, wife, and mistress to confront their situation in an unexpected manner.

As director Cheryl Hines suggested at the Austin Film Festival Q&A before and after the movie, the film's plot really centers on Ian's character development. I have to agree, and I also think Hines was right when she said that Timothy Hutton was perfect for this role.

And while some might take Louise's decision to tie her husband up as pathetically desperate, I found it entirely believable that such drastic action would be necessary to make a man talk about his real feelings – especially when he's doing something as unoriginally asinine as finding 'real love' with a younger woman. It's no accident that Sara looks conspicuously like young Louise, I think, and much of the movie's subtext is about the difference between early passion and long-term commitment.

This movie often feels like a play in the best sense, focusing on small moments and realistic conversation. Its short length stops it from feeling stage-y, however, and the actors all convey their lines with wonderful subtlety.

Hines also described the meticulous process of reading through the script with the actors to determine what was funny and what wasn't. I think this was nothing short of genius; so many non-traditional comedies lose the distinction so you're not sure what the intent of any given scene is. Perhaps because of her strong background in comedy, Hines wisely avoids this pitfall, making the movie's laughs razor-sharp, but balancing them with genuinely tense moments.

I won't tell you how the movie ends, because there's a bit of a twist. But I will be very curious to see what happens when it's released. I suspect that there will be some controversy about the how the film treats the battle of the sexes, and I fear some men might cower in the face of Louise's character -- Ian certainly does, at least at first. But that's almost the point, and I'm glad to see a woman-authored, woman-directed view of male infidelity for once.

This darkly comic movie is definitely worth seeing, in my opinion, and given how seriously funnylady Hines takes her job as director, I sincerely hope to see more of her work soon.

Louise: Because, my love, you are going to stay there until we work things out.

And so begins this drama between a married couple with no children, he a corporate office employee, she a successful lawyer.

I agree with most all previous posters mentioned. To pull off a story that will keep you interested until the very end with just 3 major players is quite a feat. The strength lies, of course, in the powerful dialogue between them. But more than that, this story is not just a flick on failed relationships, but on WHY they fail. Luoise (Meg Ryan) cannot and will not accept the fact that Ian (Timothy Hutton), her husband, wishes to leave her. She cannot accept he has fallen in love with a lovely, younger woman. But the truth is not so simple. If you listen carefully past the hurt locker, you will hear reasons, good ones, as to why these things happen. The fault is not entirely the wife's, but it is not entirely the husband's either. What happens is that in most cases, problems never get talked about and discussed. In this story, events unfolded in such a way they were forced to.

But then again, we have the usual guilt/blame game. It took both of them quite some time to accept where they had failed, Louise much longer than Ian. In the middle, you have Sara (Kristen Bell), who obviously loved Ian and went to lengths to fight for him. In the end, as they say, may the best man (or woman) win, but if you notice carefully, there was something lacking in Ian when these scenes were being played out, something which makes you think , "Ok, now, seriously, are you gonna be a man about this or what?" I couldn't help feeling sorry for the girl - she was obviously sincere and showed it without compunction.

However, just when you think you've got it all figured out and you see the pieces falling into place, well here comes the final scene, where you say, "What? what just happened...hello? what was that? run that by me again?" and you feel like I did, like the wind had just been knocked out of me and I sat staring at the screen wondering what I saw. Ingenious! I'm sitting here writing this and still turning this scene over and over in my mind, contemplating the different possible meanings.

I don't agree the movie is a waste of time or disappointing. Don't think this is another exercise at flogging the dead horse of marital what-have-you problems. No, this is an ingenious and well-written story, a bit off the regular path, yes, and bizarre in some ways, but well done. I don't think anyone's acting was poor either. The humorous parts made me laugh, and the sad ones made me shake my head in sorrow.

Watch it and enjoy yourself! Well worth it!!

Coming home unexpectedly one afternoon, a chattering businesswoman discovers not only is her husband leaving her, but also that he has fallen in love with another woman and was planning a rose-pedaled seduction in the couple's bedroom. She takes action by knocking him out temporarily and duct-taping him to a chair (and then to a toilet) in an attempt--one presumes--to hash out their problems rationally. Marital discord making for an unfunny dark comedy, with Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton failing to create a convincing union (tattered or otherwise). Who on earth foots the bill for anemic productions like this? Picture starts out poorly and manages, somehow, to get progressively worse. Is there a message of some kind in Adrienne Shelly's strident script? If so, it is as well-hidden as Hutton's once-celebrated acting skills. The pits! NO STARS from ****

This film is about a woman coming back home to find her husband writing a note asking for divorce. She holds her husband captive to try to win him back.

"Serious Moonlight" has only two actors most of the time, and the whole film is set in a house. Yet, it manages to maintain viewers' attention by the spectrum of emotions the two go through as the day progresses. The plot is engaging, but I find the husband's change of heart a little too abrupt. The final few seconds of the film is simple and yet effectively suggests something sinister has happened, thereby opening up viewers' imagination as to why things happened this way. "Serious Moonlight" is an interesting portrayal of a troubled couple who searches their soul for answers.

I really wanted to like this movie. The cast is great and I was hoping Cheryl Hines directorial debut would be a success. Wow, what a letdown.

This was neither funny or interesting. At many times, it was just difficult to watch.

Possibly the most frustrating thing was how predictable it was. The supposed "twist" at the end was something I saw coming a mile away. The actual lady scene was the most predictable of all.

Do yourself a favor, don't waste the time watching this one.

First off, don't buy this movie unless your a colector of Meg Ryan films etc...

Secondly, rent it only when you have rented 90 percent of all the other movies you want to see....

Meg Ryan, and I am a fan, was quite good in this film and for that reason only I have rated it a 6 out of 10.

I don't want to give away any part of the movie at all however, there is a scene with Timothy Hutton (Ian). I guess its a dream or a flashback, i'm not at all sure how it fits into the film but its half way in and its at least a minute long where most woman will be absolutely shocked that Meg Ryan was part of this filth.

My suggestion, watch it with your female friends, most men will only appreciate 1 minute of this shocking film.

When she is informed by her husband of thirteen years that he is leaving her for another woman, Louise does what every self-respecting woman in her position would do: she conks him over the head, duct-tapes him to a chair, and threatens to hold him prisoner till he comes to his senses. Thus, for an hour-and-a-half, we're forced to watch as two self-indulgent crybabies - one a cheat, the other a raving psychotic - thrash out the details of their relationship in a tone so grating and mean-spirited that before long we're ready to send in our own hostage-negotiating team just to bring an end to all of our suffering.

Despite the presence of Meg Ryan, Tim Hutton, Kristen Bell and Justin Long in key roles, "Serious Moonlight," directed by Cheryl Hines and written by the late Adrienne Shelly (both of "Waitress" fame), is a hopelessly contrived, endlessly off-putting dark romantic comedy (a la "The War of the Roses," albeit without the courage of that film's ending) that, I guess, is supposed to be every cheated-on spouse's idea of the perfect wish-fulfillment revenge fantasy (even if the fantasy winds up going awry in the end). But the claustrophobic setting, the sadistic tone, and the sheer unpleasantness of it all make it an excruciating experience to sit through. At one point, Hutton seems to be speaking for the audience when he states, "It's like torture." That's about as astute an example of built-in self-criticism as I've ever come across in a movie.

Meg Ryan looks great. Kristen Bell is lovely, and Timothy Hutton is all wrapped up. The script is original. A man is leaving his wife for a much younger woman. He is writing her a note when she unexpectedly arrives. His wife still loves him and wants him to remember his love. She duck tapes him. The girlfriend is told he will meet her tomorrow at the plane to Paris. Then Justin Lang the yard cutter tapes Ryan up. While both are taped up they rediscover their love.

The home invasion gang steal all their possessions. Bell is furious, but it is over and she leaves.

The final scenes show a baby, and they are happy.

The script is unique and makes a very watchable film. This is a tricky shoot, because they are inside a bathroom taped up. Timothy Hutton did a great job taped up. The direction was tops considering the lack of mobility of the characters. Great job all around.

The real tragedy is that the writer was murdered on 11/1/2006 in the West Village. She was strangled then hung up to hide the murder. If she had been alive for the shooting, she might have made changes.

Since the writer died in a violent way, it might have been in better taste to eliminate the violence and rewrite the script.

When I decided to watch this movie, I knew it looked bad but it's beyond bad. Just a bunch of pathetic characters and a guy tied to a toilet. Lots of screaming and fighting for a cheater. Why would such a useless movie get made?