sirenebern "Evening" features some of the biggest female stars in the biz in parts both large and minor (really cameos): Vanessa Redgrave, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Claire Danes, the late Natasha Richardson, Toni Colette, Mamie Gummer. It's hard to fit all of those big screen personae into one movie without making the audience feel overwhelmed. Not to mention handsome male stars like Hugh Dancy, Patrick Wilson and Barry Bostwick. Redgrave plays Ann Lord, an older woman on her deathbed in a beautiful, historic New England house. While her daughters (Richardson, her real-life daughter, and Colette) hover over her and bicker, they notice she has drifted into reverie and memories of her distant past. Much of the film's actual plot focuses on one fateful weekend 40+ years earlier, when Ann, appealingly portrayed as a willowy, spirited, aspiring nightclub singer by Danes, serves as maid of honor to her best friend, the daughter of a wealthy, uptight Newport family. The wedding weekend brings Ann unexpected passion, love, secrets revealed and tragedy, and her life subsequently takes various turns that she comes to regret. Based on the novel by Susan Minot (which was apparently quite different), "Evening" doesn't quite hit the right notes with its screenplay, which seems disjointed. The general message is that we all make choices in our lives based on what may seem right at the time, and then you must live with them. Unexpected events may make us change course or embrace different dreams from the ones we always thought were in our stars. "Evening" is stylishly filmed and features some good performances, especially Danes, who also sings very well, and Wilson, who is portrayed as the local hunk atop everyone's wish list and somehow manages not to disappoint. It's worth watching on a quiet weeknight. I think "Evening" would appeal most to a more mature audience who understands the pang of regret and loss, and the need to let things go.

david_hokey_16 Evening tells a story worth hearing but unfortunately it gets lost along the way. There's too much focus on the present - not just Vanessa Redgrave's performance as the older Ann but mostly the subplot regarding her children. It's necessary to come to the present at times so that we can see how what has happened in the past has affected her and how she chooses to remember but the rest of it just weighs the film down without complementing it as it was meant to. The performances in the present scenes also lack the same elegance as those that take place in the past. Collette is a great actress but she and her boyfriend's actor both give average performances that just get in the way. The story that takes place in the past dealing with love, identity, and choice all within a few days time is where the film truly shines. Danes, of course, gives a great performance but Dancy is the one who steals the spotlight with what I feel should've garnered him a nomination for supporting actor at the Academy awards. The story is eloquent, melancholy, and can be felt as well as understood from deeper thought. If it weren't so muddled by what takes place in the present then it could've been a great film but as it stands with the way it is I can only call it good but not great. Another point of interest is the film's score which is just absolutely beautiful. So if you want to see a good movie then Evening is for you - just don't expect every piece to be wondrous as the wonder occurs in the past and is watered down by the present. That's just how I felt about it.

jehaccess6 I have watched this movie three times. The last time, I kept skipping around confusing scenes to find resolution for the plot. Perhaps the plot is not intended to hang together logically. Or perhaps these rough spots are in the plot because Ann's recall of distant events is rather faulty.Take the young Ann Grant (Claire Danes). Here is a young woman who has attended an unnamed college with the scions of a rich family. She must have had help to afford this very expensive education, but never seems to have any family ties at all. She never seems to have any relatives she can turn to when the consequences of one of her disastrous decisions take effect.Ann shares an evening of passion with her great love Harris Arden (Patrick Wilson). Then, when Harris comforts Lila after the tragic death of her brother Buddy, Ann suddenly finds him repulsive and is disgusted with her own behavior. I must have missed something significant here. Ann's behavior seems totally inexplicable. Ann abandons her relationship with Harris and eventually marries one of the groomsmen at Lila's wedding. Despite Ann's rejection of Harris, she continues to hold deep feelings for him on her deathbed.It was obvious from his behavior that Harris was deeply smitten with Ann and would have gladly married her. A scene showing their chance meeting years after Lila's wedding showed that Harris still had deep feelings for Ann.The film showed a pattern for Ann's romantic relationships. She always had a falling out with her men and she rejected them. This pattern held with Harris and two husbands. In contrast, Lila married a man she did not love and she remained with her husband until he died. Perhaps Lila was able to build a relationship because she refused to let her marriage fail.Then came the too convenient reappearance of Lila Ross at Ann's bedside. Apparently Ann's nurse was able to extract enough information from Ann's last few lucid moments to identify and contact Lila. None of this communication appeared on the film.I kept wondering about the house Ann was living in during her final days. How did she afford to buy such a house on the meager earnings of her singing career? Ann always seemed one step ahead of financial disaster while raising her two daughters.On another level, I enjoyed the film's setting and music immensely. The seaside mansion was just so heartbreakingly beautiful. Claire Danes was luminous as the young Ann Grant. She is really quite a talented singer. I much prefer her natural brunette to the bottle blonde look she had in the film extras. If only those pesky CGI fireflies would go away, I could raise the movie a whole point in my vote!

the-gossip-king The movie itself is really a cluttered wedding soap with the usual twists and predictability. The pacing in this movie is also all over the place moving far too quick in some places and moving far too slow in others. If this had been any other movie it would have earned itself a three out of ten. Those three stars would be for cinematography and music and also the way that the flashbacks work very well. The reason reader you will see five is because of the terrific performances that this movie offers. The greatest ensemble in cinema i believe has been put together for this movie. Vannessa Redgrave (god of acting), Natasha Richardson (always reliable and ironically Redgrave's daughter in real life as well as the movie), Meryl Streep (need i say any more?), Mamie Gummer (a very good newcomer who is Streeps real daughter and plays Streep's younger version), Glenn Close (really needs an Oscar god dammit!), Eileen Aitkins (always creates interesting characters), Toni Collette (your terrible Muriel!), Claire Danes (terrific as the lead. As well as this the two male actors are very good as well, Patrick Wilson as usual proves he is not just a muscular pretty face but can give a very good performance as well High Dancy who was good and making you want to punch him and still extend sympathy! Should see for performances alone!