Moonlight Serenade (2009) Reviews

• Wonderful songs, poor acting.

  mcsnygg2009-12-22

  I love Amy Adams, I love to hear her sing. Scott Anderson also has a good voice...but...OMG, he can't act. I just didn't believe anything about his character. He was as stiff as a board, even when he was singing. He needs to take a clue from great actors, and show some emotion on his face. I did enjoy the supporting actress; she's been in a lot of other movies, but I never knew she could sing. A really nice song and the director put in some very nice cut-aways during her song. I just don't think Amy Adams can do a bad movie. I just love watching her in everything she does.

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• Really underrated Gem!

  joelburman2010-05-26

  Since being a big fan of Amy Adams I just watched this one without knowing anything about it and was pleasantly surprised. I normally don't like movies with this kind of musical theme. I like that they keep the script simple and realistic and most characters felt genuinely real. A different approach was also the use of the songs in the film. They weren't set up like individual numbers like in most musicals, instead they came on and of without warning and in a somewhat repetitive way but it really gave another depth to the mood of the film. The only thing seem a little lowbudget was the camera-work (mostly tripod shots) and the office sets who were very studio looking in a bad way. Finally Amy Adams shines like always and really show how versatile she is as an actress being able to play both drama and comedy.

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• great music

  bderoes2009-12-30

  As a fan of old movies (primarily 1930's through 1950's), and especially musicals, I can recommend this movie. The music is wonderful, and includes standards by Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Warren and Gordon, and Sammy Fain to name a few. (Hopefully the Soundtrack Listing will be updated soon.) These songs are well executed in a jazzy style, and apparently sung by the actors Amy Adams and Alec Newman. I'm particularly impressed by Amy Adams' voice and style. The plot is no worse than any other musical, and I welcomed the "happy" ending, also no worse than a standard Hollywood musical contrivance. (I guess characterizing the ending as "happy" could be construed as a "spoiler.") I'm glad to see a modern movie that lacks nudity and action (don't remember any foul language either), but embraces music, especially old standards arranged with a modern flair. My rating of 6/10 is based primarily on the music; the production was not luxurious, nor was the plot enthralling. To give you a comparison, I'd rate 'De-Lovely' (2004) as 7 or 7.5 (because of it's EXCELLENT use of Cole Porter's songs), and 'Night and Day' (1946) as a 6 because of its tepid and slow storyline.

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• Painful to watch

  classx8932009-12-13

  I watched this film because I thought it would be a classic Amy Adams movie. Wow, this movie is so bad on so many levels it staggers the imagination. It is poorly constructed for one, also the script and the acting is just awful. But hey even Johnny Depp has a slew of bad films under his belt. The upside of this movie would be Amy singing, and even on that score I believe better songs could have been chosen. Amy is of course beautiful to see and if you are a die-hard fan of hers you will probably watch this title no matter what, just don't expect too much. I wish I could have found more to like but it was just painful to watch. I recommend Sunshine Cleaning or Doubt.

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• You'll Love Anyway!

  pagoda622009-12-30

  I confess I found this film irresistible. It's primarily a vehicle for a terrific score, consisting almost entirely of the superb performances and arrangements of Joey DeFrancesco (Frank D). What a pleasant showcase for classics from sorely missed show tunes and jazz of the 40's and 50's, all capably rendered by Amy Adams and Scott G. Anderson. DeFrancesco, incidentally, not only plays the Hammond B, but also piano and trumpet in the movie score (though his Frank D is seen performing only on the Hammond B in the film itself). The film seems to have been somewhat inspired by Steve Koves' Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), though it's not up to the outstanding production values of that film, or the first-rate performances of Jeff and Beau Bridges and (especially) Michelle Pfeiffer, who received an Academy Award nomination. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed Moonlight Serenade for ALL the reasons that others who posted here have already pointed out. It was great to hear these wonderful, time-tested classical popular and jazz compositions again. I own the film and would love to find the sound track, but no luck so far.

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