Serious Moonlight (2009, U.S.)

What an unfortunate movie. I'll just put it out there—I hate Meg Ryan. But my mom wanted to watch this one, so I did. A woman finds out her husband is cheating and planning to leave her, so she does the only sensible thing and duct tapes him to the toilet, telling him she'll let him go only when he loves her again.

It's an interesting concept with only four main characters, but it's like the filmmakers couldn't decided to make it a comedy or a psychological drama, and the combination just leaves an unsettled, unsatisfied feeling. If they hadn't tried so hard or had decided what they were trying to do, it could have been good or even amazing, but it wasn't. Combined with bad acting, it just wasn't great. I did keep in mind that the writer (and probably planned director) was murdered before the film could be made, so maybe she could have made it better, like by not casting Meg Ryan. (She was the one behind Waitress, which was quite good.)

Bottom line, I wouldn't recommend it. Unless you want to make your mother happy.

Rating: 2.5

Waitress (2007, U.S.)

This film had some great potential, and it lived up to most of it. Keri Russell is adorable as a waitress (and good cook) who works at a pie restaurant, stuck in a marriage to an abusive scumbag. She finds herself pregnant with her husband's child and is less than thrilled. And somewhere along the way, she falls for her OB/GYN. Come on, you would too if it were Nathan Fillion!

Really, this was an amazing indie. The ensemble cast was terrific, all the way down to Andy Griffith, who makes an appearance as the grouchy owner of the pie place. I loved the way she invents pies that have to do with her life: "I Hate My Husband Pie," "Earl Murders Me Because I'm Having an Affair Pie," "Pregnant Miserable Self-Pitying Loser Pie," etc. The ingredients somehow make sense for the feeling, and they show the pie being made from the crust up. It's pretty neat. And I love the way how she and the doctor she has an affair with seem to have a real connection. They talk, he listens to her, they're friends as much as lovers. Movies aren't always like that. Because her husband is awful, you're glad she is having an affair—until you meet the doc's wife, and she's a perfectly normal human being and a good wife. Because the affair suddenly made no sense to me from the doc's viewpoint, I completely lost it with the movie there. And that was sad.

Still, there's a lot of good stuff in there. It's a slice of real life, if you'll excuse the pun.

Rating: 3.5