Serious Moonlight

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Serious Moonlight

R

2009

1h 24m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

21%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

25%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Louise (Meg Ryan), a successful lawyer, wants to jump-start her failing marriage to Ian (Timothy Hutton). She decides to surprise him at their country cottage, but quickly discovers she's the one who's surprised: Ian has decorated the cottage for a romantic weekend with his girlfriend, Sara (Kristen Bell). When Ian proposes getting a divorce, Louise rejects the idea and ties him up so they can talk things out. Things get out of hand when Sara shows up and a burglar (Justin Long) breaks in.

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Critics Consensus

Serious Moonlight jumbles a comic tone with tragic circumstances and the result is confused performances from its stars.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 12, 2017

D

The movie seriously goes on too long, with the last five minutes designed to be a twist in the story but really just left me scratching my head.

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Perri Nemiroff

CinemaBlend

Aug 12, 2010

2/5

Ryan tries too hard to reestablish her professional reputation and turns it into a meaningless, annoying film destined for oblivion, right alongside her other recent efforts.

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Dec 11, 2009

2/5

Sadly, something seems to have gotten lost in translation.

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

Feb 13, 2024

While I enjoy Ryan’s commitment to the gonzo premise, I can’t help but think how much better Shelly would have handled the dark satire of it all. Still, it’s an intriguing film and I think worth a watch.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Aug 30, 2023

3/4

Serious Moonlight is a smart and mature farce that considers the potential for healing and reconciliation in a long-standing but troubled relationship.

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Nikki Baughan

Roll Credits

Oct 25, 2019

1/5

Part slapstick comedy and part revenge thriller, Serious Moonlight doesn't know what it wants to be; even the talents of those assembled on screen aren't enough to life this out of bargain bin territory.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 19, 2026

Serious Moonlight = a 1.5 star Movie

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Kensi B

@Kensi May 29, 2023

A unique concept that was undone by serious miscasting. Imagine what Alec Baldwin or Michael Douglas and Glenn Close or Jennifer Jason Leigh could have done with these roles. Not for a second can you buy that Meg Ryan, with her trout pout and kewpie doll expressions, would kidnap her own husband, and Tim Hutton is just completely forgettable. Kristen Bell does a decent job with a thankless role. Even the baddies are so terribly miscast. Who could ever be scared of Justin Long? The movie is filmed like a play so it's incredibly slow. The extra star is for the interesting concept.

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KJ L

@RT13885581 May 25, 2023

Very clever plot…. Be patient; wait for it. Fantastic as a play or a movie, it is off-the-wall-riveting. Loved the acting!

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Ęxçëşș M

@ExcessMale Mar 12, 2022

The 4 leads had me interested but good lord this isn't the darkly funny and witty sort of love-spat indie frenzy I was hoping for. Trite and unremarkable to say the least.

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Aug 11, 2021

Don't ever, ever, EVER watch this movie. Your IQ will drop and you will never be able to get the time back that was stolen from you while watching this horribly produced film. Everyone involved should be banished from Hollywood

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Jul 2, 2021

First off Meg looks fantastic in the movie. But there is absolutely NO chemistry between her and Timothy Hutton, so not at all easy to watch. She is a good actress but this movie just wasn't right for her. I couldn't finish watching.

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Cheryl Hines

Director

Meg Ryan

Louise

Timothy Hutton

Ian

Kristen Bell

Sara

Justin Long

Todd

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Synopsis

Louise (Meg Ryan), a successful lawyer, wants to jump-start her failing marriage to Ian (Timothy Hutton). She decides to surprise him at their country cottage, but quickly discovers she's the one who's surprised: Ian has decorated the cottage for a romantic weekend with his girlfriend, Sara (Kristen Bell). When Ian proposes getting a divorce, Louise rejects the idea and ties him up so they can talk things out. Things get out of hand when Sara shows up and a burglar (Justin Long) breaks in.

Director: Cheryl Hines
Producer: Andy Ostroy, Michael Roiff
Screenwriter: Adrienne Shelly
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Night & Day Pictures
Rating: R (Threatening Behavior|Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 4, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 15, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.1K
Runtime: 1h 24m

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