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Leonard Schiller (Frank Langella) is a retired professor who has been working on his latest novel for the last 10 years, but is stuck and worried that he’s getting so old that he’s running out of time. Along comes a graduate student, Heather (Lauren Ambrose), who wants to do her master thesis on his earlier works. At first, Leonard isn’t interested because he doesn’t want to waste time answering questions and reliving his past, but Heather is very insistent (and enthusiastic) – he’s flattered, fascinated, and a little frightened by her advances. When Leonard gets the word that his writing is no longer in demand, having Heather generate some buzz about him might not be a bad thing, especially since she really wants to inspire him to write another great book.
Leonard’s daughter Ariel (Lili Taylor) resents this young woman interfering
in her father’s life, but she has her own problems with time running out
– she’s turning 40 and her biological clock is on race. She desperately
wants to get pregnant with her boyfriend Victor (Michael Cumpsty), but
she doesn’t want to marry him (or even let him know she wants a baby).
When that doesn’t work out, she looks to a past lover Casey (Adrian Lester),
but they broke up over the kid question, so that doesn’t look promising
either. As both Schillers try to get want they really want, life throws
in a few more curves to keep them on their toes.
The romance aspect between Leonard and Heather starts out a little creepy, but it’s essential to get the sense of where Leonard is in his life and what Heather is willing to do to get what she wants. He seeks answers in everything from listening to other author’s read their work to this young woman who suddenly shows up on his doorstep. Their story is paralleled nicely with Ariel’s struggle.
The plot twists let you see how vulnerable Leonard really is and just how
much writing means to him. What makes this movie interesting is the realism
in the reactions of these characters and the dead-on performances throughout
the cast.
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